Blue Jays' aim at division title and what else to watch in final week of MLB regular season

Right around Labour Day, it looked like Major League Baseball's playoff race would be a big snooze fest.

September had other ideas.

The standings in both the American League and National League have tightened in a hurry, and a lot of the action over the final week of the season will take place in Ohio.

The Toronto Blue Jays were the first AL team to secure a spot in the playoffs with Sunday's 8-5 victory over the Royals in Kansas City.

They return to the post-season for the first time since 2023, having improved their AL-best and AL East-leading record to 90-66.

In 2023, they were topped by the Minnesota Twins in the wild-card round.

This week, the Blue Jays are aiming for a division crown, their first since 2015. Should they succeed and clinch the first or second seed in the AL, Toronto would receive a bye through the wild-card round and home-field advantage in the AL Division Series. The last time the Jays made it that far was nine years ago.

Here's a look at some things to watch as MLB's regular season comes to an end and October baseball arrives:

In the American League, only the Toronto Blue Jays know they will play October baseball. The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are in excellent position to clinch a spot in the next few days.

Favourites to win World Series

The Phillies (+425) are the favorite to win the World Series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. After that, it's the Dodgers (+500), Mariners (+600), Brewers (+725), Blue Jays (+800) and Yankees (+800).

The Blue Jays opened the season at +6000 odds.