It may have taken longer than fans wanted, but the Atlanta Braves clinched a spot in the 2026 playoffs with their win over the Astros on Friday. Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Matt Olson all hit homers, and Tyler Mahle looked absolutely terrific over six innings. The only questions the Braves have left to answer during the regular season now are whether or not they can move up in seeding, and exactly when Atlanta will clinch the National League East.
Moving up to a higher seed on the NL side will be tough. Both the Brewers and the Dodgers are substantially ahead of the Braves for the two first-round byes, and neither team has shown much willingness to lose many baseball games lately. With the third seed being the most likely outcome, that leaves the division title, and Atlanta is extremely close to locking that up in the coming days.
One step closer 👀 pic.twitter.com/f80mKC4jDf
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 19, 2026
Braves are a lock for the postseason, and their NL East magic number makes a division title a near certainty
Thankfully, only one Braves magic number remains now that they have clinched a postseason spot. To win the National League East, the Braves' magic number is currently 3. Atlanta’s win helped the cause on Friday, but the Phillies also fell to the Mets as well, which brought the Braves that much closer to another division crown.
There are other ramifications beyond who wins the division. If the season ended today, the Braves would be matched up against the Padres in the Wild Card round. San Diego may not be the best team in the playoff field, but they sure give the Braves fits almost every time that they play. However, Philly’s record is now tied with the Padres, and their regular-season schedule ends with tough series against both the Brewers and Rays.
Yes, that means that, assuming Atlanta closes the deal and wins the division, odds are increasing that they would have to take on the Phillies in the Wild Card round. In short, a lot is at stake in the final few series of 2026, and getting the Braves' magic number to zero is just one aspect of it.
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