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We are now counting down the days of the 2022 MLB regular season. With each team having just a couple more games left to play, the homestretch is upon us. Major League Baseball's best and most dominant teams are again set to face off against each other in this year's playoffs.
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"Pressure filled playoff races are what make MLB the superior league" - Talkin' Baseball
This year, Major League Baseball has introduced a new playoff format to the league. Rather than there being just two Wild Card teams in each league, there are now three. Also, instead of the Wild Card round being just one game, it is now a series. It is likely the MLB got inspiration from the NBA's new play-in tournament, which has a similar concept. The question is, how does it work?
The two division leaders with the best record in each league will receive a bye to the division series. The division leader with the third-best record holds the highest seed in the Wild Card round. They will play the lowest-seeded Wild Card team in a three-game set. The two other Wild Card teams, the #4 and #5 seeds, will also face off in a three-game set.
Whoever is the highest seed in each series will be home for all three games if needed. This is because traveling to an opposing team's city would take too much time for a short round. This also puts the lower seeds at a great disadvantage during the series.
"Race for last? How the new MLB playoff format creates surprising odds for Mariners, Rays in AL wild-card hunt" - Action Sports
The new Wild Card format is definitely going to be exciting to see. Now, let's take a look at who would be where in the postseason as of right now.
The MLB playoff picture if the regular season ended today:
Let's start off with the American League, with the #1 and #2 seeds being the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, respectively. The #3 seed would be the Cleveland Guardians, since they have the worst record out of the division winners.
The Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners would hold the #4 and #5 seeds. Lastly, the Tampa Bay Rays round out the AL with the #6 seed and the last Wild Card spot.
"The MLB playoff field if the season ended today" - YES Network
In the National League, the #1 and #2 seeds would be the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. The St. Louis Cardinals, winner of the NL Central, would hold the #3 seed.
In the Wild Card, the Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres would hold the #4 and #5 seeds. As of right now, the Philadelphia Phillies would hold the #6 seed and the last NL Wild Card spot.
However, this list could easily change in just a few games. For example, the Mets hold just a one-game lead in the NL East over the Braves. Also, the Milwaukee Brewers are just 0.5 games behind Philadelphia for the last Wild Card spot.
