PULSE SPORTS
By Javier Santamaría
Sports Editor
The Sun Post News
Major League Baseball enters Friday, September 25 with its October picture nearly complete, but two postseason berths remain unsettled — and several seeding battles could still reshape the playoff bracket.
Thursday produced four major breakthroughs: the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres secured postseason berths. Ten teams are now in.
Only two spots remain. In the American League, Houston and Texas enter the final weekend tied atop the West. In the National League, Philadelphia is trying to hold off a surging Arizona club for the final Wild Card.
That is the defining story entering MLB’s final regular-season weekend: most of the October field has been established, but the remaining races could go all the way to Sunday.
For Florida, the contrast is striking. The Tampa Bay Rays have moved beyond simply qualifying and can now prepare strategically for October. The Miami Marlins, already eliminated, nevertheless spent much of this week making Chicago’s path to the postseason considerably more difficult.
Tampa Bay’s New Opponent Is the Calendar
The Rays lost 6-4 to the Yankees Thursday at Yankee Stadium and fell to 96-63. New York improved to 92-67.
Normally, consecutive late-September losses against a division rival would be concerning.
Tampa Bay’s situation is different.
The Rays have already won the AL East and secured the No. 1 seed in the American League, giving them a first-round bye and home-field advantage through a potential AL Championship Series.
Their most important decisions now are internal.
How much rest should regulars receive?
Which relievers need additional work?
How should the rotation be aligned?
Which players should be protected from unnecessary physical risk?
The challenge is finding the balance between recovery and competitive sharpness.
Tampa Bay needs to arrive rested.
It cannot afford to arrive flat.
The Rays Have Earned October’s Most Valuable Commodity: Time
The Wild Card Series begins September 29, with the Division Series starting October 3.
Because Tampa Bay earned a bye, the Rays will avoid the volatility of a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
That is an enormous advantage.
A Wild Card series can disappear because of one poor start, a defensive mistake or one bad night from the bullpen.
Tampa Bay has removed that variable.
The Rays can also arrange their rotation specifically for the Division Series instead of using their best pitchers merely to survive the opening round.
That may ultimately prove more valuable than another regular-season victory.
Yankees Are In — but Judge Remains the Question
New York has secured the American League’s top Wild Card position, but one issue overshadows almost everything else surrounding the Yankees:
Aaron Judge.
Judge remains on the injured list with a right calf strain. His IL placement was retroactive to September 17, making September 27 — the final day of the regular season — his earliest possible activation date.
That creates a race against time.
New York has power and depth, and its offense has shown it can produce without Judge.
October is different.
Replacing Judge for one game is possible.
Replacing his presence throughout a short postseason series changes the structure of the entire Yankees lineup.
Miami Finally Lets Chicago Through
The Marlins did exactly what eliminated teams can do during the final week of a season: make life miserable for contenders.
Miami defeated Chicago in the first two games of their series, twice delaying the Cubs’ opportunity to clinch.
Chicago finally broke through Thursday, beating Miami 2-1 and securing its postseason berth.
The Marlins fell to 78-81.
Miami’s season will end without October baseball, but these final games still matter to the organization.
Young players are being evaluated in games against opponents playing under postseason pressure.
That is different from evaluating them in meaningless September baseball.
For the Marlins, those situations provide useful information for 2027.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Joins the 40-40 Club
Chicago’s clinching celebration came with another historic achievement.
Pete Crow-Armstrong reached 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases, becoming only the seventh player in MLB history to produce a 40-40 season.
The number itself is remarkable.
The combination is what makes Crow-Armstrong particularly dangerous entering October.
Power can decide a game with one swing.
Speed can manufacture a run.
Elite defense can erase one.
Chicago is officially in.
Now the question becomes whether the Cubs can turn their postseason berth into a deep October run.
Padres Are Heading Back to October
San Diego defeated the Dodgers 4-2 and secured its third consecutive postseason appearance — something the franchise had never previously accomplished.
The Padres improved to 89-70.
More importantly, San Diego enters October playing some of its strongest baseball of the season after being below .500 in late July.
That trajectory matters.
Postseason baseball does not necessarily reward the team that looked strongest in April.
It frequently rewards the team playing its best baseball when September becomes October.
San Diego increasingly looks like that kind of club.
Dodgers Lose the Game but Gain the Bye
Los Angeles lost to San Diego, but the Dodgers still secured something much more valuable than Thursday’s result: the No. 2 seed in the National League.
That gives Los Angeles a first-round bye and sends the Dodgers directly to the Division Series.
The focus can therefore shift almost entirely toward health.
That is particularly important with Shohei Ohtani working his way back offensively after dealing with right biceps and left knee issues. He will not pitch again this season.
Los Angeles no longer needs to chase a position.
It needs to arrive intact.
Milwaukee Reaches 100 for the First Time
The Brewers defeated Philadelphia 5-1 and reached 100 victories for the first time in franchise history.
That alone made Thursday historic in Milwaukee.
But another moment may have revealed just as much about the Brewers’ mentality.
Manager Pat Murphy removed William Contreras after determining that he had not run hard enough on a ground ball.
Milwaukee had already won its division.
It was pursuing win No. 100.
And its manager was still enforcing standards.
That is not insignificant.
October punishes teams for small mistakes.
Milwaukee appears determined not to allow September success to create complacency.
Philadelphia Is Suddenly Under Serious Pressure
Few contenders will feel more pressure this weekend than the Phillies.
Philadelphia fell to 87-72 after losing to Milwaukee.
Arizona improved to 85-74.
The difference is only two games with three remaining.
And there is a critical complication:
Arizona owns the tiebreaker over Philadelphia.
That makes Philadelphia’s two-game cushion considerably less comfortable.
If the teams finish tied, Arizona finishes ahead.
The Phillies cannot afford to allow this race to become a Sunday mathematics problem.
Arizona Refuses to Disappear
The Diamondbacks beat Colorado 12-8, completed the sweep and extended their winning streak to five games.
Arizona scored six runs before recording its first out and finished with 18 hits, its highest total in a game this season. Gabriel Moreno, Nolan Arenado and James McCann homered.
A race that appeared close to finished is suddenly alive.
Arizona now travels to San Diego.
The Padres have already qualified.
The Diamondbacks are playing for their season.
That difference in urgency could become extremely important — especially from Philadelphia’s perspective.
Cleveland and Chicago Are In — but the Division Is Not Settled
Cleveland secured its third consecutive postseason appearance by beating Boston 1-0.
Ángel Martínez provided the game’s only run with a home run, while Joey Cantillo delivered five innings of one-hit relief.
The Guardians improved to 83-76.
The White Sox, meanwhile, crushed Kansas City 9-1 and improved to 82-77, also clinching a postseason berth.
But the AL Central remains undecided.
Cleveland leads by one game.
Chicago owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
That means the Guardians cannot simply finish tied with the White Sox.
Both teams have qualified.
Neither can relax.
The objective has simply changed from reaching October to controlling the route through it.
Houston and Texas Have Three Games to Decide Everything
The American League West remains the most extreme race on the board.
Houston and Texas enter the weekend with identical 79-80 records.
Houston owns the tiebreaker.
With MLB no longer playing an additional Game 163 to break standings ties, that distinction could decide the division.
For Texas, finishing tied is not enough.
The Rangers must finish ahead.
Three games remain.
After nearly six months and 159 games, the entire AL West has effectively become a three-game season.
Boston Is In, but Health Matters Now
The Red Sox are 85-74 and have secured a postseason berth.
Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Cleveland nevertheless illustrated why qualification does not solve every problem.
Boston must determine the best configuration for its October pitching staff while preserving its most important arms.
In a short series, depth matters.
Availability matters more.
Boston’s final weekend should therefore be about maintaining competitive rhythm without unnecessarily draining the pitching staff before the games that can actually end the season.
Atlanta Is Locked Into the No. 3 Seed
Atlanta’s 7-6 loss to Cincinnati locked the Braves into the No. 3 seed in the National League.
That means Atlanta will host a Wild Card Series at Truist Park against the NL’s sixth seed.
The Braves’ situation differs significantly from Milwaukee and Los Angeles.
Atlanta won its division but did not receive a bye.
Its postseason begins immediately.
That makes Ronald Acuña Jr.’s physical condition especially important.
Atlanta does not have several additional days to allow stars to recover before facing elimination games.
October’s Field Is Nearly Complete
Ten teams have secured postseason berths.
In the American League: Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.
In the National League: Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.
Two positions remain.
Houston and Texas are fighting for the AL West.
Philadelphia is trying to protect the final NL Wild Card from Arizona.
The Rays own the American League’s No. 1 seed.
The Dodgers have secured the National League’s No. 2 seed.
Atlanta will be No. 3.
The Yankees have secured the top AL Wild Card position.
San Diego currently leads the NL Wild Card field.
The issue is no longer simply who gets in.
It is who they play, where they play and how much pitching they must use before reaching the next round.
PULSE SPORTS | ANALYSIS
The postseason race has fundamentally changed over the last 48 hours.
Earlier this week, a long list of teams was still fighting simply to qualify.
Now only two tickets remain.
That shifts the focus toward something more complicated: the architecture of October.
Tampa Bay may occupy the most advantageous position in the American League.
The Rays have the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye, home-field advantage and the ability to arrange their rotation exactly as they want.
None of that guarantees a championship.
But it eliminates variables.
And reducing variables is enormously valuable in October.
The Yankees have Wild Card home-field advantage but remain focused on Judge.
Cleveland and Chicago are safely in but still fighting over the Central.
Houston and Texas may decide an entire season over three games.
Philadelphia has a two-game lead, but Arizona owns the tiebreaker and arrives at the final weekend riding five consecutive victories.
Milwaukee has reached 100 wins.
San Diego is playing some of its best baseball at exactly the right time.
The Dodgers can rest.
Atlanta cannot rest nearly as long.
And Miami demonstrated something contenders should never forget: eliminated teams can still change the postseason bracket.
So this weekend, don’t watch only the standings.
Watch which team must use its best starter Sunday, which club can save that pitcher for Tuesday, whose bullpen is being exhausted simply to survive, and which contenders can spend several days recovering before October begins.
Those differences can influence a postseason series before its first pitch is thrown.
The regular season ends Sunday.
For several teams, the playoffs have already begun.
For Tampa Bay, the biggest advantage may be that its playoffs don’t have to begin quite yet.
Information updated through the completed games of Thursday, September 24, 2026, before the start of Friday’s MLB schedule.
