What's at stake over the final weeks of MLB season?

There's plenty to play for over the final two weeks of MLB's regular season. Here's everything that's at stake heading into October.

American League

The Blue Jays hold a four-game lead over the Yankees as they aim to put the finishing touches on their first AL East title since 2015. It would be the franchise's seventh division crown and just the second since 1994. However, Toronto still has seven games remaining against Tampa Bay, a club that's had its number this season. The Blue Jays are just 1-5 versus the Rays in 2025 with a minus-22 run differential. New York has won two of the last three AL East titles and faces the easiest schedule down the stretch. The Yankees' final 13 contests (.438 opponent winning percentage) are against teams with losing records.

The Tigers are on the verge of their first AL Central title since 2014 and will be the fourth different division winner in the last five seasons. The Guardians need a miracle if they want to catch Detroit, but they still have six regular-season games left against the Tigers. Detroit holds a 4-3 edge in the season series.

The AL West race tightened significantly over the last week. The Astros had held at least a share of first place since June and led by as many as seven games on July 6, but they watched the Mariners leapfrog them in the standings Sunday. Seattle hasn't won the division since 2001, while Houston has claimed five straight AL West titles. The Astros have back-to-back significant series this week against the Rangers and Mariners.

The Yankees and Red Sox look to be fighting for home-field advantage in the wild-card round, potentially setting up a postseason showdown between the rivals to open the postseason. The Rangers have closed in on the Astros and have a shot at overtaking them when they go head-to-head to open the week.

The Blue Jays and Tigers appear set to finish with the two best records in the AL and clinch a bye into the ALDS.

National League

The Phillies are on the verge of becoming back-to-back NL East champs for the first time since winning five straight titles from 2007-11. Philadelphia's magic number sits at one.

The Brewers trailed the Cubs by 6.5 games in mid-June but went on a heater over the season's second half to comfortably lead the division. Milwaukee's looking for a third straight NL Central crown and fourth in five years. Meanwhile, Chicago hasn't finished first since the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

The Dodgers have left the door open for the Padres, although San Diego hasn't managed to capitalize on it. Los Angeles led the division by nine games in early July and briefly relinquished top spot to the Padres for one day (Aug. 23) before moving back into first. The Dodgers have won the NL West 11 times in the last 12 years, while the Padres haven't done so since 2006.

The Cubs and Padres sit comfortably in a playoff spot, even if they don't win their respective divisions. Meanwhile, the Mets' September collapse has them just 1.5 games ahead of the Giants heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. San Francisco has only three contests remaining against teams with a winning record before closing out against the MLB-worst Rockies. New York concludes the campaign with a six-game road trip, a tough task for a club that's posted a 31-44 away record this year.

The NL's top two seeds look like a formality at this point, with home-field advantage for a potential NLCS still left to be decided. If the Dodgers fail to catch either the Phillies or Brewers, it'll be the first time they've played in the wild-card round since 2021.