There are six weeks left in the 2024 MLB regular season, and each team has about 40 games left to play. As the season draws to a close, the race for the playoffs is getting more and more exciting.
There is just over a month left until the end of the regular season, and nothing is certain yet. There are four tight races for the top spot, and the six wildcard spots in both leagues are far from decided.
Five teams outside the current National League playoff standings are within five games of a wild card spot. The top three teams in the NL West are separated by just three games.
In the American League, the top four teams battling for wild-card spots are six games apart. Moreover, all three divisions are still up for grabs – the Astros’ four-game lead in the AL West is the largest of the three.
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This is what the playoff situation looks like on the afternoon of Sunday, August 18th.
MLB playoff picture from August 18
American League
Head of Department
AL East: New York Yankees (73-51)
AL Central: Cleveland Guardians (72-51)
AL West: Houston Astros (66-56)
Wildcard teams
Baltimore Orioles (72-52)
Minnesota Twins (70-53)
Kansas City Royals (68-55)
Wildcard Candidates
Boston Red Sox (65-57, 2.5 games back)
Seattle Mariners (63-51, 5.5 games back)
Tampa Bay Rays (61-61, 6.5 games back)
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Bundesliga
Head of Department
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies (73-50)
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (72-52)
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers (71-52)
Wildcard teams
San Diego Padres (70-54)
Arizona Diamondbacks (69-55)
Atlanta Braves (65-58)
Wildcard Candidates
New York Mets (64-59, 1 game back)
San Francisco Giants (62-63, 4 games back)
St. Louis Cardinals (61-62, 4 games back)
Chicago Cubs (61-63, 4.5 games back)
Cincinnati Reds (60-63, 5 games back)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoff picture: Wildcard race still six weeks away
