Official game balls of Major League Baseball
Photo courtesy of Lesly Juarez via Unsplash
By Andrew Johansen
TAMPA, Fla. — The leaves have begun to turn, the days are getting shorter, and postseason baseball is in the air. With game 162 complete, the bracket is set. Wild Card action begins Tuesday afternoon, and several questions remain: Can the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers complete a three-peat? Will one of three teams without a single title in their franchise name win their first title?
As action kicks off, there is plenty to watch for. One of the most intriguing storylines is the disparity in regular-season records between the National and American League competition. One-third of the National League teams reached 100-plus wins, with two-thirds more than 90. On the American League side of the bracket, not a single team reached the 100-win mark in 2026. Furthermore, only one-third of the teams finished the regular season with more than 90 wins.
Among the much more competitive NL group, the 103-win Milwaukee Brewers will look to dethrone the reigning Los Angeles Dodgers, who are seeking their third ring in three years, a feat that has not been accomplished since the New York Yankees in 2000. Although finishing as the No. 2 seed behind the Brewers, the Dodgers entered 2026 as heavy World Series favorites. This only adds to Milwaukee’s incentive.
In their 58th season of existence, the Brewers have seen 12 playoff berths, but are yet to win a World Series. The Brewers will look to use their home-field advantage in a potential NLCS matchup with the Dodgers.
The NL competition is competitive, as the other four teams are nothing shy of formidable. The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs both earned themselves a wild card berth. Despite falling short of a division title, the teams remain quality contenders and will face each other in the Wild Card series.
The AL side will host several teams that have seen a much different type of season than the win-heavy NL. The Tampa Bay Rays hold the No. 1 seed at 98 wins, making the young organization well poised to raise trophy number one in 2026.
The historic rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and Yankees will be renewed as the two face in a best-of-three Wild Card series. The winner will move on to face the Rays.
Aside from the three powerhouses from the American League East, the rest of the competition appears much less daunting. One of those teams is the Houston Astros. Waiting until the final game of the season, the Astros won their division with an even 81-81 record.
It was not just the Astros that took all 162 games to determine their fate. The Philadelphia Phillies took the NL wild card race down to the wire as well. They eventually earned a spot and will play the Atlanta Braves.
It would seem these two organizations barely secured a playoff spot and will subsequently not be favored heading into Tuesday’s action. In reality, the journey of a tight race down the stretch may work in their favor.
For teams like the Dodgers and Rays, the season has been mostly smooth sailing, especially into September, as a playoff berth became more than likely. However, for the Astros and Phillies, each game mattered. The stakes remained undetermined until the last day.
In many ways, their final series were a perfect microcosm of playoff baseball. Each game made a difference, and each loss was a huge step toward an early offseason. As easy as it is to deem the final members to join the bracket as extreme underdogs, it may be neglectful to think of their path to the postseason as a disadvantage. The true answer awaits as October baseball commences.