Tracking which teams have clinched a spot in 2021 MLB playoffs

The 2021 MLB regular season has reached September and the playoffs are just around the corner. The San Francisco Giants, who were the first team to 90 wins in the majors and the defending champion, Los Angeles Dodgers have clinched their playoff spots. Now, it’s just a matter of who will win the NL West and who will hold one of the two NL Wild Card spots.

Along with those two teams, the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago White Sox are all on the cusp of punching their tickets to the postseason. It should be a wild ride to see who will be playing baseball next month for the right to go to the World Series. We’ll be tracking who clinches a playoff berth in the coming days and weeks as October approaches.

Teams who have clinched 2021 MLB playoff berth

San Francisco Giants — Playoff berth

The Giants have been one of the best surprises in baseball this season and are a serious threat to make a deep postseason run. San Francisco clinched their playoff berth on September 13 and became the first team to 90 wins. The Giants have a great starting rotation, which features All-Star Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Logan Webb, and Alex Wood, who all have 10 wins or more this season. Offensively, they added Kris Bryant at the trade deadline to go along with Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford. San Fran is currently in first place in the NL West with a 2.5 game lead over the Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers — Playoff berth

The defending World Series champions will be going back to the postseason for the ninth consecutive season after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday and losses by the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds. Los Angeles has one of the best starting lineups in baseball and a top-tier starting rotation led by Walker Buehler. Buehler leads their rotation with a 14-3 record and 2.32 ERA through 29 starts. The Dodgers also have Julio Urias, who has 17 wins, which leads the majors. Los Angeles currently sits in second place in the NL West and has the first NL Wild Card spot.

Milwaukee Brewers — Playoff berth

The NL Central leaders are headed back to the playoffs for a fourth straight year after clinching a wild card berth on Saturday. The Brewers clinched with a win over the Cubs coupled with losses by the Padres and Reds. Milwaukee holds a double digit lead on the Cardinals in the Central and can clinch the division this week when they face the Cardinals in a four-game series. Avisail Garcia leads the BrewCrew in the triple crown categories while Corbin Burnes leads the pitching staff in ERA and strikeouts.

Chicago White Sox — AL Central champs

Chicago became the first team to clinch a division title. They clinched with a win over the Indians, who were in second place in the AL Central. As of clinching day, Chicago is 7.5 games back of Tampa for the best record in the American League, so it is unlikely the ChiSox will clinch that top spot. Chicago stumbled out of the gate to open the season, losing three of their first four and going 6-8 in their first 14 before starting to pick up some steam. Jose Abreu has led the way on offense, with 29 home runs and a .350 OBP. They have three pitchers with double digit wins, but Lance Lynn has led the way with a 2.47 ERA and 5.0 WAR.

Tampa Bay Rays — AL East champs

Three days after claiming a playoff berth, the Rays added the AL East title to their 2021 portfolio. Tampa beat the Marlins on Friday and again on Saturday while the Yankees beat the Red Sox on consecutive nights. That helped Tampa clinched the division. They have a five-game lead on Houston for best record in the AL with eight games remaining.

St. Louis Cardinals— Playoff Berth

On Tuesday, September 28th, the St. Louis Cardinals clinched a playoff spot. This was almost lost in the shuffle as the team extended its winning streak to 17 games which is a new franchise record. They always say you need to get hot at the right time and with just a 2.8% chance of making the playoffs on September 10th, the Cardinals are doing just that. They remain 6.0 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central lead.

Houston Astros — AL West champs

The Astros clinched their fifth playoff berth in as many years and are AL West champions for the fourth time in five years. Houston beat the Rays on Thursday, September 30 to secure the division title. Tampa knocked out Houston from last year’s playoff and is a potential ALCS opponent. The Astros have a two-game lead on the White Sox for the second-best record in the American League.

Atlanta Braves — NL East champs

The Braves finished off the Phillies with a 5-3 win on Thursday, September 30 to win the NL East title. This is the fourth straight division title for the Braves, and a well-earned one after all the talk about the New York Mets this season. Atlanta won six straight and 10 of 11 to secure the division title.