​MLB playoff clinching scenarios for Phillies, Astros, & more entering final day of 2026 season originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.As the final day of the 2026 MLB regular season dawns, 10 teams know they are headed to the postseason and 16 teams know they are about to play their final game until 2027 — if not longer. Then, there are four still in limbo.The Phillies, Diamondbacks, Astros and Rangers — coincidentally baseball’s final four teams in October three years ago — all enter Game 162 with work to be done to punch their ticket to the postseason.The AL West is the only division up for grabs on Sunday, while the final NL wild-card spot is also up for grabs. The rest of the field is settled, right down to seeding. The Rays and Guardians have locked up byes in the AL, while the wild-card teams, in order, will be the Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox.In the NL, the Brewers, Dodgers, Braves, Padres and Cubs are officially seeded 1-5, in order, with either Philadelphia or Arizona securing the No. 6 seed on Sunday.Here’s how those scenarios could play out on the final day of the regular season.MLB playoff scenarios 2026AL West clinching scenariosHow can the Astros clinch the AL West?The Astros can clinch the AL West with either a win over the Athletics or a loss and a Rangers loss. Because Houston owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas, only a loss and a Rangers win can knock the Astros out of first placeHow can the Rangers clinch the AL West?The Rangers need some help on Sunday, as they need both a win over the Twins and an Astros loss to the Athletics to clinch the AL West. Because they are already eliminated from wild-card contention, Texas can only reach the postseason by winning the AL West.NL wild-card clinching scenariosHow can the Phillies clinch a playoff spot?The Phillies simply need a win over the Rays or a Diamondbacks loss to the Padres to punch their ticket to the postseason. Because Arizona lost on Saturday night, all it takes is one of those results for Philadelphia to secure the No. 6 seed in the National League.How can the Diamondbacks clinch a playoff spot?The Diamondbacks had a chance to leapfrog the Phillies on Saturday night, but their loss means they now need both a win over the Padres and a Philadelphia loss to the Rays to clinch the NL’s final wild-card spot.