Five NL teams within one game of each other for three wild card spots
When the new MLB playoff rules kicked in last season, most baseball purists weren't in favor of the addition of two more teams making the postseason.
10 teams getting in was already a travesty. As recently as 2011, only eight teams made it. And it was just 30 years ago that the number was as few as four. So for it to be 12 now, tripling the number of playoff teams since 1993, that was seen as a bridge too far.
But that's the world we live. And in the system's first season of existence in 2022, that sixth spot was up for grabs in the National League right until the final day of the regular season, when the Milwaukee Brewers had their hopes dashed, losing Game 162 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A win would've forced a one-game play-in game against the Philadelphia Phillies, who would eventually upset three straight teams on their way to the World Series, where they ultimately lost to the Houston Astros in six games.
Fast forward to Sunday and we have yet another race brewing for the final wild card spot in the National League. Actually, the race is for all three spots. That's because, as of Sunday night, there are five teams within one game of each other trying to grab one of those three tickets.
The Cincinnati Reds are the hottest team in baseball at the moment, having won five straight. On the strength of that streak, they currently lead the pack. But just barely.
Because immediately behind them are the Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants, both just a half game short. And then the Miami Marlins and those same Phillies again sit one game out.
And you can expect the order of that group to change numerous times before it's all said and done. Actually, there's no guarantee any of them will be wild card teams when the standings work their way out after the season's final day.
That's because the Reds are only a half game behind the Brewers for first in the NL Central and the D-backs and Giants are both just four games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
And don't look now, but thanks to a red-hot Cody Bellinger, the suddenly resurgent Chicago Cubs have won three in a row to get themselves within five games of this group, with the San Diego Padres just five-and-half back. Both clubs are talented enough to make a run for the postseason, especially given the strength of each team's pitching staff.
Over in the AL, it's only slightly less jumbled. The top six teams are clear as we speak, with the Toronto Blue Jays currently sitting in the sixth and final postseason spot. After that, though, it's anyone's guess.
The New York Yankees are two games behind the Jays, the Boston Red Sox are two-and-a-half back, the Los Angeles Angels just four games out and Seattle Mariners four-and-a-half. The upcoming trade-deadline decisions these teams will be forced to make creates all kinds of exciting scenarios.
Can the Angels really afford to trade Shohei Ohtani when they're only four games out of the playoffs? How will the return of Aaron Judge effect where the Yankees end up, despite currently sitting at fourth in their own division?
Most teams reached the 100-game mark over the weekend, so we still have a long way to go before all this is settled. However, safe to say when it comes to drama and intrigue, like it or not, the new system is working.
In fact, with so many teams involved in the postseason race now, you could make the argument that no playoff race has ever made the last days of the regular season so important. Stay tuned, critics. We'll check back in with you in October.
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