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Wednesday, September 15, 2021

2021 MLB playoffs: Who is in, who can clinch next and full playoff schedule through World Series

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October is right around the corner. Wondering which teams will be playing in the 2021 MLB playoffs? Well, we're about to find out.

With the final stretch of the Major League Baseball season in full swing, teams are getting ready to clinch postseason berths -- whether it's a division crown and a straight ride to the division series, or one of two wild-card spots to face single-game elimination play. Either way, pride -- and home-field advantage -- is at stake.

While teams appear to have their divisions locked down, the wild-card race is wide open and will likely come down to the final week -- or even the final weekend -- of the regular season, which ends Sunday, Oct. 3. Or we could have some bonus baseball on Oct. 4 if there are tiebreakers to be played heading into the postseason.

Below, we take a look at the latest in the playoff races in both the American League and National League, starting with who has clinched a postseason spot, who can clinch next and upcoming series to watch. (Check back each day as we continue to update the playoff picture.)

Who has already clinched a playoff spot?

Baseball's two best teams are officially in. The San Francisco Giants clinched at least a wild-card spot with a 9-1 win over the Padres on Monday. The Giants are still locked in a battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the National League West, but the teams with the two best records in Major League Baseball so far this season are both assured a playoff spot, as the Dodgers clinched their own berth with an 8-4 win over the D-backs on Tuesday. The only question: Which team will go straight to the division series and which one will face a wild-card elimination game?

Who can clinch a playoff spot next?

The Milwaukee Brewers' magic number to clinch the NL Central is five.

Key series to watch this week

Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners: Surprising Seattle is now a legit wild-card threat, while Boston entered the week tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the top spot in the American League wild-card chase. Boston could send Seattle reeling, or the Mariners could gain ground. Either way, any series between a pair of wild-card contenders is a crucial one. As for the other AL wild-card hopefuls: Toronto is playing the first-place Tampa Bay Rays this week, which could slow the Jays' recent momentum, while the New York Yankees and Oakland A's have what should be easy series against the last-place Baltimore Orioles and lowly Kansas City Royals, respectively.

If the season ended today ...

Here's what the playoff field would look like if the season ended today (tiebreakers excluded):

American League

East champ: Tampa Bay Rays

Central champ: Chicago White Sox

West champ: Houston Astros

Wild-cards: Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees/Toronto Blue Jays (tied)

National League

East champ: Atlanta Braves

Central champ: Milwaukee Brewers

West champ: San Francisco Giants z

First wild-card: Los Angeles Dodgers z

Second wild-card: St. Louis Cardinals

z - clinched playoff berth

Playoff schedule

Wild-card round (single-game elimination)

AL: Tuesday, Oct. 5

NL: Wednesday, Oct. 6

Division series (best of five)

ALDS A & B

  • Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 7
  • Game 2: Friday, Oct. 8
  • Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 10
  • Game 4: Monday, Oct. 11*
  • Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 13*

    NLDS A & B

  • Game 1: Friday, Oct. 8
  • Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 9
  • Game 3: Monday, Oct. 11
  • Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 12*
  • Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 14*

    Championship series (best of seven)

    ALCS

  • Game 1: Friday, Oct. 15
  • Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 16
  • Game 3: Monday, Oct. 18
  • Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 19
  • Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 20*
  • Game 6: Friday, Oct. 22*
  • Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 23*

    NLCS

  • Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 16
  • Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 17
  • Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 19
  • Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 20
  • Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 21*
  • Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 23*
  • Game 7: Sunday, Oct. 24*

    World Series (best of seven)

  • Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 26
  • Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 27
  • Game 3: Friday, Oct. 29
  • Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 30
  • Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 31*
  • Game 6: Tuesday, Nov. 2*
  • Game 7: Wednesday, Nov. 3*

    * If necessary

  • Sunday, August 15, 2021

    'Field of Dreams' game draws MLB's highest ratings for regular season contest in 16 years

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    Major League Baseball built it, and the fans came.

    On Thursday night, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox played a game that rivaled Hollywood fairy tales. It was the first official MLB game played in Iowa, in a ballpark built among the Dyersville's corn fields where the iconic 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" was shot.

    The game, with its Hollywood ending and its setting within America's heartland, was the most-watched regular season MLB game in 16 years, with 5.9 million viewers across FOX and FOX Deportes. It was also the most streamed regular season baseball game in FOX Sports history. Chicago and New York ranked as the top two markets.

    Kevin Costner and the two teams emerged from the corn stalks in the outfield before the lineups were announced. The score was kept on a board built with wood planks. And in the bottom of the ninth, with a runner on first, Chicago's Tim Anderson crushed a pitch and the baseball disappeared within the sea of green stalks that embraced the outfield wall to give the White Sox a 9-8 walk-off win.

    The game was originally planned to be played last year, however the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the league's plans. That originally-planned game also included the Yankees and White Sox, but due to 2020's pod scheduling the Yankees were replaced by the St. Louis Cardinals. But the game was ultimately scrapped and moved to this year, with the Yankees picked to play the White Sox once again.

    Before the pitches were thrown and runs were scored, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that the league will return to play another game in Dyersville.