See the moment an MLB superstar showed up to play backyard wiffle ball
Kansas City Royals catcher, Salvador Perez, stops to join a group of kids in a backyard game of wiffle ball in Kansas City, Kansas.
USA Today
Major League Baseball‘s 2024 season has entered its penultimate week with playoff spots still very much up for grabs.
Things are heating up in the wild-card races in both leagues, with a handful of teams separated by just a few games. In the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are fighting for the second and third wild-card berths, entering Tuesday with Atlanta on the outside looking in.
“We’re definitely competing to clinch, and it’s going to come down to one play, one pitch. And that’s what the playoffs is about,” Mets infielder Jose Iglesias said Monday. “It’s all going to come down to that one play. We just gotta stick together. We gotta pay attention to details, every single pitch, every single play.”
The playoffs begin on Tuesday, Oct. 1 with the best-of-three wild card series – two in earch league.
Here’s a full look at the MLB postseason picture:
(Through games played Sept. 17)
AL wild card standings
Top three reach playoffs
- Baltimore Orioles (84-67): +4 games
- Kansas City Royals (82-70): +1.5 games
- Minnesota Twins (80-71)
- Detroit Tigers (79-73): 1.5 GB
- Seattle Mariners (77-74): 3 GB
- Boston Red Sox (75-76): 5 GB
NL wild card standings
Top three reach playoffs
- San Diego Padres (86-66): +2.5 games
- New York Mets (83-68): NYM hold tiebreaker vs. AZ
- Arizona Diamondbacks (83-68)
- Atlanta Braves (81-70): 2 GB
- Chicago Cubs (77-74): 5 GB
AL East
- New York Yankees (88-63)
- Baltimore Orioles (84-67) – 4 GB
AL Central
- Cleveland Guardians (87-65)
- Kansas City Royals (82-70) – 5 GB
- Minnesota Twins (80-71) – 6.5 GB
- Detroit Tigers (79-73) – 8 GB
AL West
- Houston Astros (82-69)
- Seattle Mariners (77-74) – 5 GB
NL East
- Philadelphia Phillies (91-60)
- New York Mets (83-68) – 8 GB
- Atlanta Braves (81-70) – 10 GB
NL Central
- Milwaukee Brewers (87-64)
- Chicago Cubs (77-74) – 10 GB
NL West
- Los Angeles Dodgers (89-62)
- San Diego Padres (86-66) – 3.5 GB
- Arizona Diamondbacks (83-68) – 6 GB
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