Aaron Judge New York Yankees
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees lines out to right field against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 08, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Mike Stobe/Getty Images

More than half of MLB’s divisional races are all but decided, but there will still be plenty of intrigue over the final two weeks of the 2019 regular season. The best teams in baseball are in a tight race to clinch home-field advantage through the World Series, and both wild-card races could come down to the season’s final day.

The New York Yankees (97-51) have the best record in baseball, on pace for a 106-win season. They are exactly two games ahead of the Houston Astros (95-53) and Los Angeles Dodgers (95-53) in the overall MLB standings.

The three teams have stood out for the majority of the season as MLB’s elite contenders. The Atlanta Braves (91-57) are the next closest teams, trailing the Yankees by six games.

Atlanta has a comfortable 8.5-game lead over the Washington Nationals (81-64) atop the NL East. Washington has a 3.5-game lead as the NL’s first wild-card team. The rest of the wild-card race could take plenty of twists and turns over the next 15 games.

The Milwaukee Brewers (78-68) and Chicago Cubs (78-68) are tied for the second wild-card berth. Milwaukee just lost reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich for the rest of the season because of a fractured knee cap. The two rivals trail the St. Louis Cardinals (82-64) by four games in the NL Central.

Two NL East teams are still fighting to get into the playoffs. The Philadelphia Phillies (76-70) and New York Mets (76-70) share the same record, trailing Chicago and Milwaukee by just two games in the standings.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (75-72) round out a six-team wild-card race. They are 3.5 games out of the league’s final playoff berth.

It’s only a three-team race in the AL. The Oakland Athletics (87-60) lead the wild-card standings with a half-game edge over the Tampa Bay Rays (87-61). Tampa Bay is a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Indians (86-61).

The defending champion Boston Red Sox (77-70) are basically out of contention, trailing Cleveland by 9.5 games. There will likely be no repeat World Series champion for the 19th straight year.

The Indians are 3.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins (89-57) for first place in the AL Central. It’s the only AL division that’s still up for grabs.

RELATED STORIES