{
  "id": 9816881,
  "title": "NL wild-card standings, explained: Updated Phillies, Diamondbacks playoff chances and tiebreakers for 2026 MLB bracket",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/nl-wild-card-standings-explained-updated-phillies-diamondbacks",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-25T19:18:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nl-wild-card-standings-explained-191808733.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The NL wild-card standings are a heated competition, with teams vying for the final playoff spot. Currently, the Phillies and Diamondbacks are the only teams still in contention for the sixth and final wild-card position. The Phillies lead with an 87-72 record, two games ahead of the Diamondbacks, who are at 85-74.\n\nTiebreakers determine the final spot, but with the Phillies and Diamondbacks splitting their season series, it comes down to intradivisional record. Arizona holds that tiebreaker. The Phillies need only two more wins, two Diamondbacks losses, or a combined win to secure their playoff spot. To make the playoffs, they must surpass the Diamondbacks in overall record.\n\nThe Diamondbacks have a magic number of 5, meaning they need either three wins against the Padres or a combination of wins and losses between the Phillies and Padres to secure their spot. If the Phillies and Padres together win two games, the Diamondbacks will be eliminated, but since Arizona leads in tiebreakers, they merely need to match the Phillies' record.",
  "summary": "Here's a look at the updated NL wild-card playoff picture.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}