MLB playoff tiebreakers: The rules for how ties will be broken in Wild Card, division races

If you’re here, perhaps you’re a fan of one of the Wild Card contenders in the American League and National League.

And if so, I wish you luck. Because if it comes down to a tiebreaker in one of these races, it could mean you’ve been put through the ringer for a week or so as your team has tried to stay in the postseason race.

But if there’s a tiebreaker involved? Hey, you made it far enough to where it counts!

Let’s break this all down, with no extra games to be played to determine a playoff spot like we’ve seen in the past:

1. Head-to-head record: If two teams are tied, it’s whoever won more games that will decide who moves on. If it’s three? Then it’s whoever had more wins against the other two. If TWO teams have the same record and have beaten a third more? Then those two teams move on to another tiebreaker.

2. Record within the division. Pretty straightforward.

3. How they did against teams in their league. If you’re an NL Central team, your record against the NL East and West will break the tie.

4. The record in the last half of intraleague games. That’s your record after the All-Star break against teams in your league.

5. The record in the last half of the intraleague games … plus one. That is, the number above in No. 4 PLUS the result of the last game played before the break in your league.