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There are now five days to go in the 2017 regular season, and already seven of the 10 postseason spots have been clinched. Only two division titles remain up for grabs. The best race in baseball right now is for the second NL wild-card spot.

Here, for the purposes of keeping the baseball enthusiast informed, is an update on the various postseason races.

AL East

The Red Sox are three games up on the Yankees in the division. Any combination of Red Sox wins and Yankees losses totaling three the rest of the season will clinch the division for Boston.

AL Central

The Indians have clinched the division title.

AL West

The Astros have clinched the division title.

AL wild-card spots

Both the Red Sox and Yankees have already clinched postseason spots, so one team will win the AL East and the other will be a wild-card team. Furthermore, they have both already clinched home-field advantage in the Wild Card Game.

The Twins are five games up on the Angels for the second wild-card spot. Minnesota can clinch the second wild-card spot Wednesday with a win or an Angels loss.

NL East

The Nationals have clinched the division title.

NL Central

The Cubs are five games up on the Brewers in the division race. Chicago can clinch the NL Central title Wednesday with a win or a Brewers loss.

NL West

The Dodgers have clinched the division title.

NL wild-card spots

The Diamondbacks have not only clinched one wild-card spot, they've already clinched home field advantage in the Wild Card Game. The Rockies are 1 1/2 games up on the Brewers and 2 1/2 games up on the Cardinals for the second wild-card spot. Any combination of Rockies wins and Brewers losses totaling four the rest of the season will clinch the second wild-card spot for Colorado.

Miscellaneous

Now that home-field advantage in the World Series is no longer decided by the All-Star Game, finishing with the best record in baseball is a pretty big deal. It ensures home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Here are the miscellaneous home-field clinching scenarios: 

  • Dodgers will clinch the best record in baseball and thus home-field advantage through the World Series with any combination of Dodgers wins and Indians losses totaling three the rest of the season.
  • Indians will clinch the best record in the AL and thus home-field advantage through at least the ALCS with any combination of Indians wins and Astros losses totaling five the rest of the season.

Both the Indians and Astros have already clinched home-field advantage over the AL East winner in the ALDS. The Dodgers and Nationals have both clinched home-field advantage over the NL Central winner in the NLDS.

So, long story short, there are two possible clinchers on tap Wednesday. The Cubs can clinch the NL Central title with a win (or a Brewers loss) and the Twins can clinch the final AL postseason spot with a win (or an Angels loss). The second NL wild-card spot and various home-field advantage scenarios won't be decided until later this week.