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The same four teams have occupied the top of the 2022 MLB standings for most of the season. The New York Yankees (64-28), Los Angeles Dodgers (60-30), Houston Astros (59-32) and New York Mets (58-35) have the best records in baseball, giving them important playoff positioning at the All-Star break.
Under the 2022 MLB playoff format, the top two seeds in the American League and National League get a bye to the division series. If the standings look the same at the end of the regular season, the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros and Mets won’t have to risk being upset in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
The Yankees were far and away MLB’s best team during the first half of the season. On pace to win 112 games, New York leads the majors in runs scored, home runs and OPS. The Yankees are second in WHIP and third in ERA.
With a 13-game lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays (51-41), the Yankees have all but wrapped up the AL East title. After beating the Boston Red Sox (48-45) twice in three games before the All-Star break, the Yankees are 16.5 games ahead of their rivals.
Outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are the Yankees’ two All-Star starters. Judge leads MLB with 33 home runs. Stanton is fifth with 24 homers. Four other Yankees were selected to the roster, including pitchers Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes.
The Astros trail the Yankees by 4.5 games for the No. 1 seed in the AL. Houston is the only AL team that’s had a better pitching staff than New York, leading the league with a 2.98 ERA and a .212 opponents’ batting average.
Justin Verlander might, once again, be the AL’s best pitcher. The veteran made his ninth All-Star team by going 12-3 with a 1.89 ERA.
Houston has a nine-game lead over the surging Seattle Mariners (51-42) in the AL West, despite its offense only being average. Jose Altuve was selected as an All-Star starter. Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is an All-Star reserve, but is an MVP candidate with an MLB-best 1.058 OPS.
The Dodgers are 1.5 games ahead of the Astros in the overall standings. Los Angeles doesn’t only have the NL’s best record and run differential. The Dodgers lead the NL in runs scored, on-base percentage, ERA and WHIP.
Mookie Betts and Trea Turner will start for the Dodgers in the All-Star Game. Freddie Freeman and his .321 batting average were added to the roster as a reserve. Three-fifths of Los Angeles’ rotation was also named to the All-Star team. Tony Gonsolin has an NL-best 2.02 ERA.
The Dodgers have expanded their NL West lead over the San Diego Padres (52-42) to 10 games.
The Mets once had a 10-game lead atop the NL East. The Atlanta Braves (56-38) eventually turned a corner and made it to the break just 2.5 games behind the Mets. New York is 3.5 games behind Los Angeles for the NL’s No. 1 seed.
The Mets have played like a sure-fire playoff team all season, even though Jacob deGrom has yet to make his 2022 debut and Max Scherzer spent time on the injured list. The Mets are second in the NL in ERA and third in runs scored.
Three New York hitters and closer Edwin Diaz were selected as All-Star reserves. Pete Alonso’s 78 RBI are the most in MLB.
The defending champion Braves have MLB’s fifth-best record and trail the Yankees by nine games in the standings.
Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
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