MLB playoff races remain open in regular season’s final week

The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season entered its final week with playoff berths and division positions still unresolved in the American League, while several National League seeds remained unsettled, according to standings snapshots and previews published September 21-23. The American League Central and West races were both described as open in a September 21 playoff snapshot, which also identified the league’s third Wild Card spot as undecided. By September 23, a separate preview said the AL West remained a contest between Texas and Houston, with Houston still pursuing the Rangers. The National League division races, by contrast, were described as settled in that later preview, although seeding and Wild Card positions were not fully resolved in the earlier account. The September 21 snapshot placed Cleveland ahead in the AL Central and Texas ahead in the West. It listed Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Texas as division leaders, with the Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox occupying the other projected playoff positions.