Sep 27, 2026 1:00 PM
Updated Sep 27, 2026 1:30 PM
A late-season Philadelphia Phillies collapse and a crucial divisional tiebreaker have kept the Arizona Diamondbacks' postseason hopes alive.
With just one game remaining in the regular season, there's still a world where the Arizona Diamondbacks pull off an improbable comeback and make the playoffs.
It would've taken a ton of help from the Philadelphia Phillies, but that reality has been setting in for quite some time.
The Phillies at one point seemed to be running away with a Wild Card spot, but suddenly, they've dropped four straight games.
Knowing the D-backs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, things are getting extremely interesting.
Philadelphia is 87-74 heading into their final game while the D-backs are 86-75. Should these teams finish with the same record, Arizona would make it in over the Phillies.
For those who are wondering how the tiebreaker plays out since they split the season series, it comes down each team's record in their division.
Diamondbacks vs. Phillies tiebreaker explained
- April 10: Diamondbacks win 5-4
- April 11: Phillies win 4-3
- April 12: Diamondbacks win 4-3 win
- Aug. 31: Phillies win 2-1
- Sept. 1: Phillies win 7-1
- Sept. 2: Diamondbacks win 1-0
If the head-to-head tiebreaker is the same, the next tiebreaker is determined by each team's division record.
- National League East: Phillies (28-24)
- National League West: Diamondbacks (32-19)
While yes, the D-backs still have another division game to play, they've already secured a better record than the Phillies who barely were above .500 in the NL East.
How can Diamondbacks still make the playoffs?
Arizona had a fantastic opportunity on Saturday, Sept. 26, to have the same record as the Phillies, but they blew it by losing to the San Diego Padres, 10-7.
That loss kept Philadelphia in control of their own fate, but how well is that going to work out for them, knowing they're riding this losing streak?
Only time will tell, but the D-backs path to the postseason is simple:
- The Phillies must lose to the Tampa Bay Rays
AND
- The Diamondbacks must beat the Padres
The D-backs' loss on Sept. 26 shrunk the Phillies' magic number to one, so all it'll take is either a Phillies win or a D-backs loss for Philadelphia to make the playoffs.
In a season where there are 162 regular season games played, somehow there's always still drama on the final day of the year.
Every single game throughout the course of the season truly matters, as they've all built up to this exact moment with either the Phillies or D-backs earning the final NL Wild Card spot.
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