Red Sox playoff picture: Updated standings
- Merlin 2024/09/19 06:14
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The Red Sox were criticized by fans for what many felt was a quiet offseason after back-to-back seasons without a postseason appearance. Boston didn't tear down its roster, but meaningful additions that could propel the Red Sox back to October were minimal.
The results have predictably been mixed. The first half brought plenty of bright spots, including a breakout season by Jarren Duran and a surprise rookie breakthrough from Wilyer Abreu. A scorching-hot start to the year by Tanner Houck likewise inspired hopes the Red Sox might have an ace to anchor their rotation.
After floating above the wild-card cut line for a large portion of the season, however, Boston has struggled to keep pace in August and September. Rafael Devers' power has dipped in the second half, and the offense as a whole has declined. Is one final push to the postseason still in the cards?
Here's a look at how the Red Sox can still make the postseason and where they stand as of today.
Red Sox updated MLB playoff picture, standings
The Red Sox (76-76) sit four games out of a wild-card spot in the American League, trailing not only the Twins but the Tigers and Mariners as well.
Here are the latest wild-card standings: Standings updated after end of games on Sept. 18. *Except for NYY/SEA*
AL wild-card standings
WC1: Orioles, 84-68 (.553), +4.0
WC2: Royals, 82-71 (.536), +1.5
WC3: Twins, 80-72 (.526)
—
Tigers, 80-73 (.523), 0.5 GB
Mariners, 77-74 (.510), 3.0 GB
Red Sox, 76-76 (.500), 4.0 GB
Rays, 74-78 (.487), 6.0 GB
Rangers, 73-79 (.480), 7.0 GB
Blue Jays, 72-80 (.474), 8.0 GB
Athletics, 67-86 (.438), ELIMINATED
Angels, 62-90 (.408), ELIMINATED
White Sox 36-117 (.235), ELIMINATED
Any path to the postseason for the Red Sox is going to require plenty of winning but also some help from the Tigers, Mariners and Twins, who are all better positioned than Boston at the moment. The Red Sox still face the Twins, so they have a bit more control than most teams in their position would.
If the MLB season ended today
The Red Sox would miss the postseason for the third consecutive year if the season ended today.
Red Sox MLB magic number
A magic number is the number of wins (by the leading team) and/or losses (by the trailing team) needed for a team to clinch a particular race. Because the Red Sox aren't currently in a postseason spot, they don't have a magic number.
Boston does have an elimination number, which is the number of Red Sox losses and/or wins by the team with the final wild card spot required before the team is eliminated.
The Red Sox' elimination number is currently seven. Because the Twins are currently in the AL's final wild-card spot, that means Twins wins and Red Sox losses can't add up to more than seven the rest of the way if Boston wants to make the postseason, though that can change if the Royals or even the Orioles drop into the final wild-card spot.
MLB playoff tiebreakers
The expanded postseason format introduced in 2022 eliminated tiebreaker games, which were known as "Game 163." Instead, head-to-head tiebreakers are simply determined by head-to-head record.
If the record is even, the next tiebreaker is record within each team's division — even if they're in separate divisions. If that also fails to break the stalemate, the next tiebreaker is record within the league (American or National).
The process is a bit more complicated for three-team ties. If one team has a winning record against each of the other teams, that team wins the tiebreaker. If two teams have an identical record against each other but both have a better record against the third team, the third team is out and the head-to-head process would be used to split the remaining two teams.
Some tiebreakers won't be determined until more games are played. For example, the Mets and Braves are currently even in their season series at 5-5 and play during the final week of the regular season. The winner of that series is guaranteed to hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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