Major League Baseball field narrows
Major League Baseball entered September 21 with 13 clubs eliminated from postseason contention. Five AL teams and eight NL entries were out after Sunday’s results narrowed the remaining postseason field across both sides of baseball.
Six teams had secured postseason berths by September 20. Tampa Bay, the Yankees, Boston, Milwaukee, the Dodgers, and Atlanta qualified, while four Wild Card Series remained scheduled to begin September 29 across the opening round.
New York Mets fall out of race
New York Mets entered September 21 at 71-85 after a 7-2 loss to Philadelphia. The club had already been eliminated, ending a second straight season without postseason baseball despite major roster changes made before 2026.
New York added Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien before the season while carrying a payroll above $375 million. A 12-game April losing streak damaged its position long before mathematical elimination arrived in late September 2026.
Kansas City Royals exit postseason race
Kansas City Royals entered September 21 at 67-89 after Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep with a 4-3 Sunday win. The Royals had lost four straight and seven of eight heading into the final regular-season week.
Bobby Witt Jr. collected three hits Saturday and extended his on-base streak to 17 games. Carter Jensen also hit his 25th homer, setting a Royals rookie record during Kansas City’s September road series in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Pirates miss October again
Washington Nationals entered September 21 at 72-84 after a 5-3 Sunday loss to St. Louis. The Nationals were already eliminated, extending their postseason absence to seven seasons since their 2019 World Series championship season ended.
CJ Abrams reached 30 homers and 30 steals during September, while Cade Cavalli recorded his 200th strikeout in a 9-1 victory at St. Louis on September 18. Abrams later hit his 31st homer on Sunday.
Miami Marlins lose final path
Miami Marlins entered September 21 at 76-80 after San Diego completed a three-game sweep. The Marlins had been eliminated on September 18, ending a season that included a 20-6 June before a difficult late July stretch.
Miami later endured a 12-game losing streak and reached elimination with a 24-33 second-half record. The club averaged 4.28 runs after the All-Star break, compared with 4.53 before the break earlier in the 2026 season.
St. Louis Cardinals eliminated
St. Louis Cardinals entered September 21 at 76-80 after a 5-3 Sunday win over Washington. The club had already been eliminated on September 18, when a 9-1 home loss that night ended its remaining postseason path.
Before elimination, St. Louis had played 52 one-run games, second only to the Dodgers with 53 at that point. The 2026 season centered heavily on evaluating younger players while the organization reshaped its major-league roster.
Cincinnati Reds fall short
Cincinnati Reds entered September 21 at 72-84 after a 9-1 Sunday loss to the Cubs. The Reds had already been eliminated, leaving the club outside October competition despite several remaining late-season games on the schedule.
Cincinnati struggled to produce runs across 2026 and ranked last in National League scoring during late-season elimination coverage. TJ Friedl was optioned after batting .172 across 91 regular-season games for the Reds during this season.
Washington Nationals miss postseason
Washington Nationals entered September 21 at 73-83 after a 5-3 Sunday loss to St. Louis. The Nationals were already eliminated, extending their postseason absence to seven seasons since their 2019 World Series championship season ended.
CJ Abrams reached 30 homers and 30 steals during September, while Cade Cavalli recorded his 200th strikeout in a 9-1 victory at St. Louis on September 18. Abrams later hit his 31st homer on Sunday.
San Francisco Giants eliminated
San Francisco Giants entered September 21 at 64-92 after a 3-1 Sunday loss to the Dodgers. Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium, while San Francisco had already been eliminated from postseason contention.
The Giants finished their road schedule at 28-53 after Sunday’s defeat. Earlier in September, San Francisco completed a three-game sweep of St. Louis from September 7 through September 9 during a three-game late-season winning stretch.
Colorado Rockies out of contention
Colorado Rockies entered September 21 at 57-99 after a 2-1 Sunday loss to Seattle. Colorado held the worst National League record among eliminated clubs and remained last in the NL West standings through Sunday play.
On September 18, Colorado had scored 721 runs and allowed 899, resulting in a minus-178 run differential. The Rockies also carried a 25-53 road record at that point during another difficult 2026 major-league regular season.
Fun fact: MLB no longer uses a one-game tiebreaker for equal records. Since 2022, regular-season results settle those ties through mathematical tiebreakers instead.
Athletics eliminated in AL West
Athletics entered September 21 at 61-95 after another loss to Cleveland and remained eliminated from postseason contention. September 18 standings showed 880 runs allowed, then the highest total among American League teams at that time.
That same September 18 snapshot listed 664 runs scored and a minus-216 differential. The Athletics also held a 32-47 road record, while their overall winning percentage remained below .400 late in the regular season.
Los Angeles Angels miss October again
Los Angeles Angels entered September 21 at 60-96 after an 8-0 Sunday loss to Minnesota. The club had already been eliminated and remained last in the American League West entering the final week of 2026.
Los Angeles has not reached the postseason since 2014, giving the franchise MLB’s longest active playoff drought. Pittsburgh follows after last appearing in 2015, placing both clubs beyond a decade without postseason qualification in baseball.
Freddie Freeman makes a definitive statement about playing for another team, adding context to his long-term outlook as one of the Dodgers’ most established veteran stars.
Major League Baseball races remain tight
Entering the final week of the regular season, Major League Baseball had six postseason spots secured and several races unresolved. As of September 24, Houston and Texas were tied atop the AL West, while Cleveland led the AL Central by one game over Chicago.
In the National League, San Diego led the Wild Card race at 88-70, followed by Chicago and Philadelphia at 87-71. The Wild Card Series begins September 29, and all four Division Series are scheduled to start October 3.
Derek Jeter joins the moving Yankees tribute 25 years after 9/11, connecting a franchise icon with a remembrance shaped by New York’s shared history and the Yankees’ long relationship with the city.
Which eliminated team surprised you most as the 2026 MLB playoff field narrowed, and which remaining race are you watching closest? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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