American League: No one wants the last three playoff spots

No one wants the last spot in the American League playoffs. At least, that's the impression I've gotten from watching baseball over the past few weeks.

The teams in the race seem to be doing everything they can to lose.

Last night, the Texas Rangers let Trevor Story hit a three-run homer for the Red Sox to clinch a 4-3 victory.

Needless to say, Texas couldn't afford to lose, right?

Right now, six teams are battling for three playoff spots, including two division titles. And no one wants to take the lead.

Reminder: Teams in the Central or West that don't win their division risk missing the playoffs. And among the division champions, one team will receive a wild card spot.

The White Sox are now ahead of the Guardians on tiebreakers, and the Rangers' loss prevented Skip Schumaker's team from catching up to the Astros.

Aside from the Rays, the Yankees, and the Red Sox (who will qualify barring a catastrophe), no one wants to make the playoffs. The bar is set low in 2026.

The Rangers, Blue Jays, and Orioles are two, two, and three games out of the playoffs, respectively. All of these teams have nine games left to play.

Here are the matchups to watch.

White Sox: three games against the Tigers, three games in Kansas City, and three games against the Rockies
Guardians: three games against the A's, three games in Boston, and three games in Kansas City
Astros: three games against the Braves, two games in Seattle, and four games in Sacramento
Rangers: three games against the Blue Jays, three games against the Mets, and three games in Minnesota
Blue Jays: three games in Texas, three games in Baltimore, and three games against the Reds
Orioles: three games against the Brewers, three games against the Blue Jays, and three games in the Bronx

The Diamondbacks are four games out of the playoffs. Ouch.

Let's hope Willson Contreras isn't seriously injured.

Willson Contreras was hit in the knuckles by a fastball. He's in immense pain and will leave the game. IKF takes his place at first. pic.twitter.com/xMLhLoRVTv

— John Martinello (@martinello_john) September 18, 2026

Great outing by Aaron Nola.

Aaron Nola turns in his best start of the season. He's been rock-solid for most of the second half pic.twitter.com/CEUINqhaDo

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 18, 2026

Ouch.

Jared Young gave the crowd a thumbs-up as he was carted off the field, drawing a standing ovation. That's a good sign. https://t.co/sPOdl2p21i

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 18, 2026

Tribute to Tim Anderson.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.