As of this morning, October 6, the 2026 MLB playoffs are down to 8 teams, and the Division Series have already produced some pretty big surprises.
American League
Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees
Rays lead 2–0.
Tampa Bay won Game 1, 1–0, then Game 2, 5–2.
The Yankees are in serious trouble: they need to win three straight to advance.
Game 2 was particularly ugly for New York defensively — they committed four errors.
Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland
White Sox lead 2–0.
Chicago won Game 1, 3–0, & Gm2, 4–3.
This is probably the biggest surprise of the postseason so far.
The White Sox entered as a Wild Card team and have now gone 4–0 in the playoffs — remarkably, all four wins have come on the road.
Cleveland is now one loss from elimination.
National League
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves
Series tied 1–1.
Dodgers won Game 1, 5–3.
Braves shocked them in Game 2, winning 3–2 in Los Angeles.
Game 3 is tonight in Atlanta, so this is the most evenly positioned series.
The Dodgers are defending World Series champions and came in with a 100–62 record, so Atlanta has already made this much more interesting than expected.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. SD Padres
Brewers lead 2–0.
Milwaukee won the first two games at home, 3–2 and 4–3.
The Brewers were baseball's best regular-season team at 103–59.
San Diego now has to win three straight, starting tonight at home.
Already eliminated
Four teams are gone:
Houston Astros — swept 2–0 by Chicago.
Boston Red Sox — swept 2–0 by the Yankees.
Chicago Cubs — swept 2–0 by San Diego.
Philadelphia Phillies — lost 2–1 to Atlanta after forcing a deciding Game 3.
The big picture
The playoff picture right now is surprisingly lopsided:
Series Status
White Sox–Guardians Chicago 2–0
Rays–Yankees Tampa Bay 2–0
Brewers–Padres Milwaukee 2–0
Dodgers–Braves 1–1
So three of the four series could end in a sweep or four-game finish, while Dodgers–Braves is the only one currently tied.
And there's a fascinating storyline: Chicago and Tampa Bay both have a chance to eliminate teams that entered the postseason with considerably more star power and expectations. The White Sox, in particular, have gone from Wild Card entrant to 4–0 playoff team.
Today is the first NLDS Game 3 day: Dodgers–Braves followed by Brewers–Padres.