MLB Playoff Chase: Braves and Phillies to decide final Wild Card winner

October 1, 2026 by Mike Mitchell and CFP Staff

October has arrived, and the 2026 MLB postseason has begun.

The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres have all swept their opponents and moved on. The Braves and Phillies meet tonight in the decisive Game 3 to close out the Wild Card round.

American League

No. 1 seed Tampa Bay will host the New York Yankees after the Bronx Bombers swept Boston in two games. The Yankees followed a 9-0 Game 1 victory with a 9-2 win Wednesday, scoring 18 runs while allowing only two in the series. Cody Bellinger drove in four runs in the clinching game, including a three-run homer in the sixth inning.

As a result, the Rays and Yankees will continue their AL East rivalry in the divisional series. Tampa won 7 of the 13 regular-season games that helped the club secure the top AL seed and home-field advantage with its 98-64 record.

The teams last met in the playoffs in the 2020 ALDS, with the Rays prevailing three games to two. Tampa Bay went on to reach the COVID-19 pandemic-season World Series in Arlington, Texas, where the Los Angeles Dodgers won their first championship since 1988 by defeating the Rays four games to two.

The other ALDS matchup is set between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.

Chicago swept Houston, winning 6-3 in Game 1 and 7-3 in Game 2. The series win was the White Sox's first postseason series victory since their 2005 World Series championship.

Cleveland earned the No. 2 seed and the first-round bye after winning the AL Central. The White Sox entered the postseason as the No. 6 seed after Houston captured the AL West.

The American League matchups are now set:

• No. 1 Tampa Bay Rays vs. No. 4 New York Yankees
• No. 2 Cleveland Guardians vs. No. 6 Chicago White Sox

The Division Series begins Saturday, Oct. 3, with Tampa Bay hosting New York and Cleveland hosting Chicago.

The National League Comes Down to One Game

The San Diego Padres are through to the Division Series after sweeping the Chicago Cubs. San Diego shut out Chicago 8-0 in Game 1 before finishing the series with a 4-1 victory Wednesday. Gavin Sheets supplied a two-run pinch-hit homer in the clincher, while the Padres' bullpen allowed only two hits over nearly six scoreless innings.

San Diego now moves on to face the National League's top seed, the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished the regular season with a franchise-record 103 victories and earned home-field advantage throughout the National League postseason.

Atlanta won the opener 5-3 after Austin Riley hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning. Philadelphia answered Wednesday with a dramatic 4-3 victory in 10 innings. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to tie the game, and Alec Bohm ended it with a solo homer in the 10th.

The winner will advance to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished second in the National League and earned a first-round bye.

The National League Division Series matchups are:

• No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres
• No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves or Philadelphia Phillies

The Milwaukee-San Diego series opens Saturday in Milwaukee, while the Dodgers await Thursday's winner.

See MLB.com for more details and game recaps.