# MLB September 2026
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** baseball-mlb
**Created:** [September 3, 2026, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786 "2026-09-03T03:17:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 7
### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/121 "2026-09-25T20:14:47Z")
> [@Railer13](#):
>
> They should just seed on records, but they never will.
If you’re going to seed on the regular season records, why not just dispense with the entire post-season and award the WS trophy to the best regular season record?
IMO that would be a far better measure of actual sustained merit than any conceivable playoff format. And frankly, IMO MLB’s playoff format is the best of the various major US sports.
Of course we know they’ll never dispense with a post season - that’s where all the money comes from.
As a separate matter, why not dispense with divisions and maybe even leagues? The whole season could be a giant round-robin of all the teams. That too would eliminate the issues with weird record match-ups. And then you could have a post-season elimination, World Cup style, of the e.g. 16 teams that are the regular season MLB-wide leaders.
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/122 "2026-09-25T20:55:27Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> As a separate matter, why not dispense with divisions and maybe even leagues?
I don’t have an issue with divisions and leagues. Right now we have two great division races involving four so-so teams. While home field in baseball isn’t quite as important as the NFL or NBA, it still isn’t right that a .500 team gets to host a far superior squad.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/123 "2026-09-26T02:29:04Z")
Only races left:
- HOU and TEX for the AL West
- PHI and AZ for the last NL Wildcard slot, and the seeding for the NL WC spots
- CWS and CLE for the AL Central, although both are in the playoffs
As I type this:
- HOU is tied in the 3rd against ATH
- TEX is getting killed by MIN
- PHI lost to TB
- AZ is beating SD
- CWS won
- CLE is beating KC
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/124 "2026-09-26T15:04:54Z")
White Sox and Guardians both won. Cleveland remains a game ahead of the Sox with two to play. The Sox hold the tiebreaker.
Phillies lost and DBacks won. Phillies have lost 3 in a row while Arizona has won six in a row, and now trail the Phillies by just one game. The Diamondbacks hold the tiebreaker.
Houston and Texas both lost and both have records of 79-81. This means that for the first time in MLB history, a division winner will not have a winning record. The Astros hold the tiebreaker.
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### Author:  [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/125 "2026-09-26T15:56:59Z")
> [@Railer13](#):
>
> This means that for the first time in MLB history, a division winner will not have a winning record.
I’m just so damn proud of my home division. Kinda gets you right here. 🔪 💔
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/126 "2026-09-26T16:17:16Z")
MLB has seen the popularity of the NFL which has had teams with losing records in the playoffs since 2010, and decided it’s time to get with the times.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/127 "2026-09-26T16:47:47Z")
In the AL, the only race still active is for the Central. Either it will be HOU or TEX, but all the byes and WC seeds are locked in.
In the NL, there’s still a race for the last WC spot between AZ and PHI. The seedings for the 3 WC teams are still up in the air. SD is either WC1 or WC2. CHC can be in any WC spot. PHI can be WC2 or WC3. AZ can only be WC3.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/128 "2026-09-26T18:09:49Z")
> [@gnoitall](#):
>
> > [@Railer13](#):
> >
> > This means that for the first time in MLB history, a division winner will not have a winning record.
>
> I’m just so damn proud of my home division. Kinda gets you right here. 🔪 💔
Remember: you don’t have to be good to win a division. You just need to be the least bad team in that division. 🤪
Which IMO goes back to my point that it is the division and league system which creates these performance inversions where low performing teams enter the post season over higher performing teams. And where low performing teams get home field advantages, or first round byes which is what the wildcard system amounts to.
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