MLB Divisional races coming down to the wire as postseason looms

The GIST: The MLB playoff picture remains chaotic as ever with just five days remaining in the regular season and four spots of 12 still unclaimed. Luckily, there’s no robot needed to make a call on the latest.

• As a reminder, the winner of each of MLB’s six divisions automatically earns a playoff berth, plus either a first-round bye or a guarantee to host their Wild Card series. That makes these especially spicy American League (AL) divisional races all the more crucial. No pressure.

💙🐯 Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers battle for AL Central crown: One series does not a season make, but there’s a lot riding on this three-game set after the Guards took last night’s opener 5–2. The surging squad astoundingly overcame what was once a 15.5-game Detroit lead to tie the Tigers for the top spot in the division and notably holds the tiebreaker edge. What a turnaround.

🔱 Seattle Mariners take commanding lead in push for AL West: Fresh off a dominant weekend sweep of the second-place Houston Astros and last night’s postseason-clinching 4–3 win over the Colorado Rockies, Seattle’s in the driver’s seat as they chase their first divisional title since 2001. Big Dumper, big dubs — this team has it all.

• On the flip side, the typically competitive Astros aren’t just swinging to stay in AL West contention — they’re in danger of missing the postseason entirely for the first time since 2016. Houston, they just might have a problem.

🐦🍎 Toronto Blue Jays chase first AL East pennant in a decade: Toronto boasts a one-game lead over the NY Yankees, but the Jays have sputtered recently, losing five of their last six. The Bronx Bombers, meanwhile, stormed back to beat the lowly Chicago White Sox 3–2 last night, clinching a playoff berth in the process. It’s a tight race — we’ll see which team steps up to the plate.