(AP) — Right around Labor Day, it looked like Major League Baseball's playoff race would be a big snooze fest.
September had other ideas.
The standings in both the American League and National League have tightened in a hurry, and a lot of the action over the final few days of the season will take place in Ohio.
Here's a look at some things to watch as MLB's regular season comes to an end and October baseball arrives:
What are the biggest storylines?
1. The National League wild-card race was still very tight as of Thursday morning with the New York Mets holding a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets looked well-positioned for a playoff spot on Sept. 1 but have a 8-13 record this month, which allowed the Reds and D-backs to climb into the race. Arizona was a seller at the trade deadline after a disappointing first half of the season, but has recovered with a 20-12 record since Aug. 19.
2. The American League also has plenty of drama, with four teams — including the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros — fighting for the final three playoff spots. The Guardians have a stunning 17-2 record since Sept. 5, climbing one game ahead of the Tigers for the AL Central after being 10 1/2 games back on Sept. 1. Cleveland trained by 15 1/2 games in July. The largest lead for a team that lost a division or league since 1900 is 13 by the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, and the most games behind for an eventual division or league winner is 15 games by the 1914 Boston Braves (15 games back as late as July 5).
3. Cal Raleigh hit his59th and 60th home runs while Seattle clinched the AL West on Wednesday, extending his record for homers in a season by a player who primarily plays catcher. He has four games left to match Yankees star Aaron Judge's AL record of 62. Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber homered twice Wednesday to reach 56 home runs, and Judge also connected twice to reach 51. The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani also has 53.
What is the MLB playoff format?
There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB's postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. Then the three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.
The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three format beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 30. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.
The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.
What is the MLB postseason schedule?
Wild Card Round: Sept. 30-Oct. 2 (ESPN)
Division Series: Oct. 4-11 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
Championship Series: Oct. 12-21 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
World Series: Oct. 24-Nov. 1 (FOX)
Who has already a clinched a spot?
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have already qualified for the postseason. The Padres clinched on Monday with a win over the Brewers. Only one spot remains available.
In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners know they will play October baseball. The Red Sox are best positioned to clinch next, with a 95.8% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN.com. Boston can clinch Thursday with a win over Toronto or a loss by Houston against the Athletics.
Who are the favorites to win the World Series?
The Phillies (+425) are the favorite to win the World Series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. After that, it's the Dodgers (+500), Mariners (+550), Brewers (+750), Blue Jays (+800) and Yankees (+800).
The Blue Jays opened the season at +6000 odds.
