2022 MLB playoff bracket portrait of symmetry, top to bottom

If there is one thing that most MLB fans enjoy (I am definitely in this category), it is the presence of symmetry.

Symmetry can be found all throughout the game. On Tuesday night, when Aaron Judge (wearing number 99) hit his 62nd home run, the Yankees record after the game was, you guessed it, 99-62.

This year’s MLB playoff bracket is yet another case of that harmony that brings us silly joy.

The way that the MLB standings ended up, the playoff bracket shapes up the same on both the AL and NL side. The 1 seed in each league hails from the West division. The Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL and the Houston Astros in the AL each have crushed their opponents, giving them homefield advantage through the LCS. The Dodgers hold the home-field advantage through the World Series by boasting the top record in all of MLB.

MLB playoffs slate 3 East, 2 West, and 1 Central team from each league

With the new 12-team playoff format this year, the 2-seed in each league also gets a first-round bye. Both of those teams are the East division winners. Despite a rough patch late in the season, the New York Yankees have dominated the competition in the highly competitive East. The Atlanta Braves roll into the playoffs on a heater. They are fresh off a three-game sweep of the rival Mets that allowed Braves to leapfrog them and take the division, securing the critical first-round bye.

Rounding out the division winners, and both with the 3-seed, are the Central Division champions. The Cleveland Guardians in the AL surprised everyone, probably themselves included. In the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to pull away from the Milwaukee Brewers in the second half of the season to take the title.

The first Wild Card team (the 4 seed) in each league comes out of the East division. The Toronto Blue Jays easily bested the rest of the competition for the top Wild Card spot in the AL. In what was part collapse and part being chased down by the Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets hold the top Wild Card spot in the NL. The Mets ended the season with the same record as the Braves (101-61), but Atlanta held a one-game advantage in the head-to-head matchup, thus forcing the Mets to endure a Wild Card series this weekend. The 4 seeds will host the 5 seeds in a best two-out-of-three series beginning on Friday.

The 5 seed in each league comes from way out west in the West division. The Seattle Mariners proved that their failed playoff bid last year was no fluke and are competing in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. They played well throughout the season and ended up second in the West and the second Wild Card seed. Also, ending up second in the West and the second Wild Card seed, but in the NL, is the San Diego Padres. Despite not having Fernando Tatis Jr. for any of the season, the Friars were able to punch their playoff ticket. Adding Juan Soto and Josh Bell at the deadline was an all-in moment and it will be interesting to see it play out.

Finishing off the playoff bracket this year, in the 6 seed spot, is the third-place teams from the East division in both leagues. The Tampa Bay Rays had to fight tooth and nail to fend off the pesky Baltimore Orioles down the stretch. In the NL, the Philidelphia Phillies had to fight off themselves and the Brewers to snap their playoff drought, but they managed to get the job done.

The playoffs this year consist of three teams from the East, two teams from the West, and one team from the Central in both the AL and NL. Not only that, but the leagues’ brackets mirror each other in terms of seeding and division. There is no deep significance in this fact, but it is yet another case of fun symmetry in the great game of baseball.