Tampa Bay clinched the AL East and the AL’s top seed with a 6-1 win over the Yankees Tuesday; New York had earned the top wild card with a 2-0 Game 1 win. Houston tied Texas atop the AL West, holding the tiebreaker after beating Seattle 7-0 as the Rangers lost 6-3 to the Mets.
With five games left, Cleveland led the AL Central by one over the White Sox, who held a three-game cushion over Texas for the last AL wild card. The Cubs, Phillies and Padres were tied for the NL’s three wild-card places; Chicago led on tiebreakers, while Arizona trailed by four games.
If the Wild Card Series began Sept. 23, the Rays and Guardians would have AL byes; the White Sox would visit the Astros and the Red Sox the Yankees. The Brewers and Dodgers would have NL byes, with the Padres visiting the Braves and the Phillies visiting the Cubs.
