The MLB playoffs will look a little different this year.
Just as fans were starting to get used to the wild card game, with two teams meeting on the higher seed’s home field in a winner-take-all contest, the playoff field has expanded again. Now, there will be three wild cards to go with the three division winners.
The top two division winners based on winning percentage (and, if necessary, tiebreakers) will receive byes to the Division Series. The third division winner will host the lowest-seeded wild-card team in the new Wild Card Series, and the remaining two wild-card teams will face off at the home of the higher-seeded team. All first-round series will be best of three.
The bracket is not reseeded for the best-of-five Division Series. The No. 1 seed will face the winner of the 4-5 series while the No. 2 seed will take on the winner of the 3-6 series. From there, it’s on to the best-of-seven League Championship Series and the best-of-seven World Series.
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The Sporting News is here to make it easier to see who remains in the hunt for the postseason and what the playoff picture looks like as of today.
How many teams will make the MLB playoffs in 2022?
Twelve teams total will reach the MLB postseason — six in each league. The three division winners in each league will be joined by three wild-card teams.
MLB playoff bracket 2022
A look at the latest MLB playoff matchups for 2022, updated through games of Sept. 22.
American League
- Astros (bye)
- Yankees (bye)
- Guardians vs. 6. Mariners
- Blue Jays vs. 5. Rays
National League
- Dodgers (bye)
- Mets (bye)
- Cardinals vs. 6. Phillies
- Braves vs. 5. Padres
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MLB playoff picture
American League
| Seed | Team | Record | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Astros* | 100-53 | AL West champion |
| 2. | Yankees* | 93-58 | AL East leader |
| 3. | Guardians | 85-67 | AL Central leader |
| 4. | Blue Jays | 85-67 | Wild card 1 |
| 5. | Rays | 84-68 | Wild card 2 |
| 6. | Mariners | 83-68 | Wild card 3 |
National League
| Seed | Team | Record | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dodgers* | 105-47 | NL West champion |
| 2. | Mets* | 96-57 | NL East leader |
| 3. | Cardinals | 89-64 | NL Central leader |
| 4. | Braves* | 94-58 | Wild card 1 |
| 5. | Padres | 84-68 | Wild card 2 |
| 6. | Phillies | 83-68 | Wild card 3 |
*Clinched playoff berth
MLB tiebreakers for playoff berths, seedings
Say good bye to Game 163. Now, every playoff position will be decided based on a series of simple tiebreakers:
- Head-to-head record
- Intradivision record
- Interdivision record
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In the event that two teams are tied, the team with the most wins against the other will move ahead. If three teams are tied, the team with the best combined winning percentage against the other two will move to the top of the group.
If that isn’t enough, MLB will then look within each team’s division to see how they fared against division opponents. The team with the best division record will move ahead of the other team(s).
Should that still not be enough, there is one extra tiebreaker: interdivision records. That means MLB will look at how teams performed against teams that are in their league but not in their division. Hypothetically, if the Phillies and Brewers tie for the last wild-card spot in the NL, the Phillies would be evaluated based on their winning percentage against NL Central and West teams, while the Brewers would be evaluated based on their winning percentage against NL East and West foes.
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