From Mlb · · 3m
Final week of 2026 MLB season: what's on the line
Playoff spots, individual awards, and historic milestones hang in the balance as the regular season reaches its climax.
In brief
Playoff spots, individual awards, and historic milestones hang in the balance as the regular season reaches its climax. Multiple division races remain undecided, and several players are chasing rare individual achievements in the final week of play. Originally reported by Mlb.
AL West and Central still wide open
The Rangers lead the Astros by one game in the AL West, but Houston owns the tiebreaker. In the AL Central, the Guardians hold a one-game lead over the White Sox, who have the tiebreaker advantage.
Blue Jays chasing final wild card
The White Sox hold a three-game lead over the Astros and Blue Jays for the last AL Wild Card spot. One of the four AL West and Central contenders will likely claim it unless Toronto makes a late push.
Alvarez still in Triple Crown hunt
Yordan Alvarez leads in batting average at .313 but trails Junior Caminero in home runs (40 to 41) and Pete Alonso in RBIs (99 to 105). A monster final week could still land him the Triple Crown.
Simpson chasing historic batting title
Chandler Simpson is hitting .309 and could win the batting title without hitting a single home run. The last player to do that was Rod Carew in 1972.
Misiorowski eyeing elite ERA company
Jacob Misiorowski has a 1.86 ERA with 247 strikeouts and could join Corbin Burnes as the only Brewers to win an ERA title. A sub-2 ERA with 250-plus strikeouts would put him in rare historical company.
Schwarber and PCA tied for home run lead
Kyle Schwarber and Pete Crow-Armstrong are tied with 45 home runs. Schwarber has never led the Majors in homers despite leading the NL last year. If PCA wins, he'd be the first Cub to lead the NL since Sammy Sosa in 2002.
Crow-Armstrong chasing 40-40 history
Pete Crow-Armstrong is just two stolen bases away from a 40-40 season. Only six MLB players have achieved this feat, and no Cub ever has. He's also on pace to be the first unanimous Cub MVP winner.
Burleson leading RBI race for Cardinals
Alec Burleson leads the Majors with 111 RBIs and could become the first Cardinal to lead the NL since Albert Pujols in 2010. He's ahead of Cincinnati's Sal Stewart, who has 110.
Verlander's final start at Comerica
Justin Verlander is set to pitch Saturday at Detroit's Comerica Park in what will be his final start before retiring. He has 3,554 career strikeouts and can add to that total in his farewell appearance.
At a glance
Multiple division races remain undecided, and several players are chasing rare individual achievements in the final week of play.
