What do the Braves, Mets and Diamondbacks need to clinch a spot in the 2024 MLB Playoffs?

With just one day left in the 2024 MLB regular season, the Braves, Mets, and Diamondbacks find themselves in a chaotic race for two National League wild-card spots. It’s a situation that feels more like the buildup to a showdown than just another Sunday afternoon of baseball. While most divisions are already wrapped up, these three teams are still grinding to secure their ticket to October, and a lot hinges on the final results.

Atlanta Braves (88-71)

The Braves hold the slimmest of advantages in the wild-card standings, entering Sunday a game ahead of both the Mets and Diamondbacks. A win would guarantee them at least a wild-card berth, ensuring their postseason spot is locked in. If they win and both the Mets and Diamondbacks also win, the Braves would clinch, but the other two would still be hanging on until Monday, when a potential doubleheader could determine the rest of the seeding.

Things get simpler if the Braves win and the Mets or Diamondbacks lose. In that case, the Braves and Mets both clinch, and Arizona’s hopes are snuffed out. However, a loss by Atlanta would open the door to chaos. Should the Braves fall and the Mets win, the two teams would be tied, potentially setting up Monday as a must-win situation for both teams.

New York Mets (87-72)

For the Mets, Sunday is the first big step toward securing their postseason dreams, but even a win may not be enough to clinch right away. If the Mets win and the Diamondbacks lose, New York is in the playoffs, no questions asked. A Mets loss combined with a Diamondbacks loss would also send both the Mets and Braves through, eliminating Arizona in the process.

But if the Mets lose and Arizona wins, things get ugly for New York. They’d be pushed down to the 6th seed, forced to head to Atlanta on Monday and sweep a doubleheader to stay alive. A split or another loss could send them home early, leaving Mets fans on edge.

In the case where both the Braves and Mets lose while Arizona wins, the Mets still survive to fight on Monday, but they’d need to sweep the doubleheader to punch their ticket to October.

Arizona Diamondbacks (88-73)

Arizona’s situation is the most precarious. Tied with the Mets but losing the tiebreaker, they have no room for error. They need to win and hope the Mets slip up. That’s the cleanest path to a postseason berth. If both the Mets and Braves lose on Sunday, the Diamondbacks would find themselves tied with Atlanta and a half-game up on New York, setting the stage for a dramatic Monday. But even in this scenario, nothing is guaranteed.

If the Diamondbacks lose on Sunday, they’re not automatically eliminated, but their fate becomes tied to how the Mets perform on Monday. They would need New York to lose both games of the potential doubleheader to squeak into the playoffs. A single Mets win would send Arizona packing.

The Chaos Factor

The final wild-card race could still veer into full-blown chaos. A combination of Braves and Mets losses, along with a Diamondbacks win, means no one clinches on Sunday, and Monday turns into a make-or-break day for all three teams.

The stakes are high for the Braves, Mets, and Diamondbacks as the season winds down. While the paths to October are varied, the common thread is that every inning counts on this final day, and the drama will stretch into the last game - or possibly beyond.