The Los Angeles Dodgers are well on their way to another National League West title and 14th consecutive postseason appearance, but how their October run will begins is not yet decided.
What is known is there are two possibilities for the Dodgers under the expanded postseason format: start with a Wild Card Series or earn a first-round bye into the NL Division Series.
The top two seeds in each league receive a first-round bye to the Division Series, while the remaining teams face off in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
The new format eliminated any possibility of a Game 163 in favor of settling potential ties through specific outcomes from the regular season. This was done so the playoffs could begin immediately after the conclusion of the regular season and division winners with a first-round bye would not be forced to wait longer than necessary.
Dodgers tiebreaker scenarios
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, their prolonged struggles in the second half has resulted in missed opportunities to clinch head-to-head tiebreakers.
Dodgers vs. Braves
En route to getting swept at Truist Park, the Dodgers fell short in their season series against the Braves. Atlanta won five of the six meetings, which looms large as the teams continue to jockey in the standings for the No. 1 seed in the NL.
Dodgers vs. Brewers
Losing three of four to the Brewers at Dodger Stadium swung the season series in favor of Milwaukee. They narrowly edged L.A. by taking four of seven games.
Had the Dodgers been more successful in the latest series, it would have not only clinched the season series but vaulted them into the top seed.
Dodgers vs. Cubs
Another series sweep proved to be a costly as it gave the Cubs four wins out of six matchups with the Dodgers. Though, Chicago has cooled some and are more firmly in the Wild Card picture than a spot for a top-two seed.
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks won seven of 13 head-to-head meetings against the Dodgers, but that will only come into play if for some reason both teams begin to contend for Wild Card spots.
Dodgers vs. Phillies
If the Dodgers fall into a Wild Card Series, the Phillies are a team they will need to monitor. This is one of two head-to-head tiebreakers the Dodgers own for 2026, due to winning four of six games against the Phillies.
Dodgers vs. Padres
The Dodgers also have a tiebreaker clinched against the Padres by virtue of having won seven of their 10 meetings thus far. The teams are scheduled to play another series from Sept. 22-24.
Barring an unforeseeable collapse, the Dodgers are well on their way to winning a 13th NL West title in the last 14 seasons.
MLB tiebreaker rules
Tiebreakers between two teams
In the event that two teams finish with the same record, the first tiebreaker is the result of the season series between those clubs. If the head-to-head record is also a tie, then the involved teams’ intradivision records will break the tie.
Should the head-to-head and intradivision records be the same for the involved clubs, then the tie is settled based on how they fared against teams within their league. If the intraleague record is also a tie, the next tiebreaker is determined by the involved teams’ records against clubs within their league after the All-Star break.
Finally, should the records of the involved teams in the second half of intraleague games also be a tie, then the outcome of the last game of the first half of intraleague games is used. If that is also a tie, then the previous intraleague game on the schedule is used. This process will be repeated until the tie is resolved.
Ties between three teams
In the event of three teams finishing with the same record, tiebreakers will be settled in this order: highest winning percentage among the involved clubs in intradivision games; highest winning percentage among the involved clubs in intraleague games; highest winning percentage in the last half of intraleague games; and highest winning percentage in the last half plus one intraleague game. The process is be repeated until the tie is resolved.
If the three teams don’t have identical records against one another, then there are two possibilities. If one club has a better record against the other, then it qualifies.
Should no team have a better record against the other two, then the clubs will be ranked by their overall winning percentage among the others combined. If two of the teams have identical winning percentages, then they would follow the two-team tiebreaker rules to determine the qualifier.
If all three teams have the same winning percentage, then the tiebreaker rules for three clubs should be followed.
Ties between four teams
In the event that four teams are all tied for one spot, the first priority goes to the club that had the better record against the others. If that doesn’t settle the tie, the following steps would then determine the winner: highest winning percentage in games among the tied teams; highest winning percentage in intradivision games; highest winning percentage in intraleague games; highest winning percentage in the last half of intraleague games; and highest winning percentage in the last half plus one intraleague game.
The process will be repeated until the tie is resolved.
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