MLB magic numbers, tiebreakers: Brewers division champs again; White Sox choke (9/16/26)
Here are MLB magic numbers, remaining schedules and tiebreakers for contenders through Tuesday, Sept. 15, along with playoff matchups if Wild Card Series began Wednesday, Sept. 16.
The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their fourth consecutive National League Central title on September 16, 2026, with a 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Just 50 minutes later, they secured the division crown when the Chicago Cubs fell to the Atlanta Braves 6-3 at Wrigley Field. Starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski contributed to the Brewers' success with a dominant performance, striking out seven over five immaculate innings, improving his record to 15-5 with a league-leading 1.89 ERA.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians were one out away from their second consecutive AL Central division win this week before Brayan Rocchio's flyout to left field ended their 6-5 lead against the second-place Guardians. This loss leaves the Guardians just half a game behind the White Sox and 1 1/2 games ahead of the Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Elsewhere, the Rays secured a 2-1 victory over the Athletics, thanks to Junior Caminero's walk-off home run in the ninth inning. This win keeps the Rays' AL East lead at 3 1/2 games over the second-place New York Yankees, who dominated the Minnesota Twins 8-1 at Target Field. Meanwhile, Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect shutout, allowing just one hit in seven scoreless innings, reducing the Dodgers' magic number to one for securing their sixth consecutive NL West title and 13th in 14 years.
The Houston Astros maintained their AL West division lead by defeating the Kansas City Royals 4-2, while the Texas Rangers edged the Boston Red Sox 4-2 in Arlington, Texas. The Chicago Cubs' NL East lead is now up to 5 1/2 games after a Braves victory coupled with a Philadelphia Phillies loss in Washington, D.C. The San Diego Padres' eight-game winning streak came to an end with a 9-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, but they still hold a 2 1/2-game lead for the final NL Wild Card spot over the Diamondbacks, who narrowly lost to the Marlins 4-2 in 11 innings.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
