San Francisco had the lead. San Francisco had the season series. San Francisco had the cushion. San Francisco had one hand on the final National League playoff ticket.
Then Sunday happened.
Arizona entered the final day of the regular season down 57 points, staring at the edge of elimination against the very team trying to take its place. The Giants had led the matchup all week. They owned the 2-0 season-series advantage. They had done almost everything needed to finish the job. But the Diamondbacks had four starters ready for Sunday, and those arms changed everything. Arizona erased the 57-point deficit, flipped the matchup by 61 total points, and stole the final National League playoff spot with a 302-298 win.
That was the ending the APBL regular season deserved.
The bracket is set now. The playoff field is locked. Chicago’s 16-game winning streak is over. Miami finished strong. Baltimore enters as the top American League seed. But the final week belongs to Arizona, because when the season came down to one last door, the Diamondbacks did not knock.
They kicked it open.
Arizona Steals the Ticket - Diamondbacks 302, Giants 298
The Game of the Week was everything it was supposed to be.
San Francisco and Arizona entered Week 22 tied at 11-10, fighting for the final National League playoff spot. The setup was simple. Winner moves on. Loser goes home. San Francisco had already beaten Arizona twice this season, meaning the Giants owned the season series and had every reason to believe this was their chance to finish the job.
For most of the week, that is exactly what it looked like they were going to do.
The Giants led the entire matchup and carried a 57-point advantage into Sunday. The Diamondbacks were not out of it, but they were running out of time, and against a team with San Francisco’s cushion, they needed something massive. Arizona got it. With four starters on the mound, the Diamondbacks erased the deficit, produced a 61-point final-day swing, and won by four points in the final hours of the regular season.
The Diamondbacks won by four points. Four. After twenty-two weeks, after months of standings movement, after the Giants won the first two meetings between these teams, Arizona won the one that mattered most. San Francisco still owns the 2-1 season record, but the Diamondbacks own the ticket to Week 23.
That is cold. That is cruel. That is baseball.
St. Louis Ends the Streak - Cardinals 325, Cubs 199
The longest winning streak of the season finally met its ending.
Chicago entered Week 22 riding sixteen consecutive wins, a run that had completely transformed the Cubs from early-season question mark into the No. 1 seed in the National League. The streak started back in Week 6 and carried Chicago all the way through the heart of the season, past contenders, challengers, and every team that tried to stop it.
St. Louis finally did.
The Cardinals controlled the matchup wire to wire and closed the regular season with a 325-199 victory over the Cubs. It was not close. It was not lucky. It was St. Louis reminding the league that even with Chicago sitting atop the bracket, the Cardinals are still dangerous enough to walk into the final week and put their foot down.
Chicago still enters the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the National League, but the streak is over. St. Louis finished the season 2-1 against the Cubs, and that matters. The postseason is a different animal, and the Cardinals just made sure Chicago carries at least one fresh bruise into it.
Miami Avoids the Trap - Marlins 296, Phillies 247
For two days, Philadelphia had Miami on upset alert.
The Phillies led Monday and Tuesday, making the league glance twice at a matchup that looked like it belonged to Miami on paper. But good teams do not panic when the week starts sideways. They adjust, answer, and take control.
That is what the Marlins did.
Miami fought back Wednesday, took a lead it never surrendered, and stretched the advantage as high as 106 points on Friday before Philadelphia chipped away late. The final score was 296-247, giving the Marlins another win and locking them into the playoffs with momentum intact.
Miami finishes the regular season 17-5, the same record as Chicago. The teams split their regular-season series 1-1, which pushed the battle for the No. 1 National League seed to total points. That race came down to almost nothing. Chicago got the nod by a mere five points, 6,144 to 6,139.
The Cubs may hold the No. 1 National League seed, but the Marlins are walking into Week 23 with their own kind of swagger. They did not stumble into September. They arrived with their shoulders square.
Angels Lock Down the Two Seed - Angels 295, Athletics 85
Los Angeles did exactly what it needed to do in the final week.
The Angels dominated Sacramento from Monday through Sunday, rolling to a 295-85 victory and securing the No. 2 seed in the American League playoff picture. The matchup never carried much suspense, but that was the point. With seeding on the line, the Angels could not afford drama, and they did not invite any.
Sacramento’s 85-point effort landed fourth on the season’s Bottom 10 single-game scoring list, another difficult mark in a difficult year. The A’s finish at 3-19, while the Angels close the regular season at 14-8 and enter the playoffs with a clean path and a dangerous offense.
Some teams sneak into the postseason. The Angels walked in with the lights on.
Orioles Handle Business - Orioles 299, Guardians 104
Baltimore finished the regular season the way a top seed should.
The Orioles dominated Cleveland 299-104, closing with a 195-point margin of victory and securing their place as the No. 1 seed in the American League. Cleveland’s 104 points placed tenth on the Bottom 10 single-game scoring list for the season, giving the Guardians seven of those ten spots in 2026.
For Baltimore, the result was clean and professional. The Orioles knew what was in front of them, handled the assignment, and now turn their attention to the playoffs. They finish 16-6 and enter Week 23 as the team every American League opponent has to measure itself against.
The Orioles are not asking for attention. They keep earning it.
Boston Warms Up Against New York - Red Sox 314, Yankees 136
Boston used the final week of the regular season like a playoff tune-up.
After dropping the first two meetings against New York earlier this season, the Red Sox owned the finale from start to finish. Their smallest lead of the week was 51 points on Tuesday, and the matchup never seriously tilted back toward the Yankees. Boston finished with a 314-136 victory and heads into the postseason at 15-7.
The Yankees close the year at 9-13 after a season that never quite turned into the run they needed. Boston, meanwhile, gets to enter Week 23 with a strong final statement and a little satisfaction against a rival that had caused problems earlier in the year.
The Red Sox did not change their seed. They changed their temperature.
Texas Gets Right - Rangers 267, White Sox 134
Texas needed a clean finish before the playoffs.
The Rangers got it.
Chicago opened Monday on the wrong side of zero, then recovered enough to take a four-point lead Tuesday night. That was the last time the White Sox controlled the matchup. Texas grabbed the lead Wednesday and never let it go, rolling to a 267-134 victory and finishing the regular season 2-1 against Chicago.
The defending champions enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the American League, which may look strange on paper, but nobody should mistake that seed for weakness. Texas has been through September before. The Rangers know what the room feels like when the games get tighter.
That matters now.
Reds Close with Pride - Reds 188, Braves 161
Cincinnati’s playoff hopes were already gone, but the Reds still finished with a win over a familiar opponent.
The 188-161 victory over Atlanta pushes Cincinnati to 10-12 and gives the Reds another win in a matchup they have historically controlled. Cincinnati is now 6-1 lifetime against the Braves, closing the regular season with one more reminder that even in a disappointing year, some rivalries still belong to them.
Atlanta finishes 9-13 and will regroup for 2027 after a season that showed flashes but never fully broke through. Cincinnati will do the same after missing the playoffs for the first time in APBL history. For both teams, Week 22 was not about the bracket. It was about ending the chapter with something to carry into the offseason.
Final Regular Season Power Rankings
The final regular-season Power Rankings end with Chicago and Miami tied at the top.
The Cubs and Marlins both finish at .969, giving the APBL two clear standard-bearers entering the postseason. They also finished with identical 17-5 records and split their regular-season series, leaving total points to decide the No. 1 National League seed. Chicago earned that spot by only five points, 6,144 to 6,139, which is about as thin as a margin can get after twenty-two weeks of baseball.
The Angels close third at .823, St. Louis sits fourth at .781, and Boston and Baltimore share fifth at .760.
1T. Chicago Cubs - .969
1T. Miami Marlins - .969
3. Los Angeles Angels - .823
4. St. Louis Cardinals - .781
5T. Boston Red Sox - .760
5T. Baltimore Orioles - .760
This is the final official Power Rankings segment of the 2026 season. From here forward, the decimal points step aside. The bracket gets the microphone.
Playoff Picture and Week 23 Preview
The APBL playoff field is officially set.
In the American League, Baltimore enters as the No. 1 seed and will face No. 4 Texas. The teams split their regular-season meetings, with Baltimore winning in Week 4 and Texas answering in Week 14. The Rangers own the lifetime series 2-1, and they also bring defending champion experience into the matchup. Baltimore has been the stronger regular-season team, but Texas knows how to survive this stage.
The other American League semifinal sends No. 2 Los Angeles against No. 3 Boston. The Red Sox won both regular-season meetings between the teams in Weeks 2 and 12, and Boston also owns a 2-1 lifetime record against the Angels. Los Angeles enters as the higher seed, but Boston enters with the head-to-head proof. That is a dangerous combination for both sides.
In the National League, No. 1 Chicago meets No. 4 Arizona in a division rematch. The Cubs own the season series 2-1, but Arizona is arriving in the playoffs with the emotional charge of stealing the final spot on the last Sunday of the regular season. Chicago has been the league’s best story for months, and its No. 1 seed came down to the thinnest of margins after finishing tied with Miami in both record and Power Ranking. Arizona just gave itself one more chapter to write.
The other National League semifinal gives us No. 2 Miami against No. 3 St. Louis. The Marlins won both regular-season meetings, taking those games by an average of 56.5 points. That gives Miami confidence, but St. Louis just ended Chicago’s sixteen-game winning streak. The Cardinals are not walking into the postseason quietly, and Miami knows exactly how dangerous this matchup can become.
The regular season is over.
Arizona stole the final ticket.
Now the APBL playoffs begin.