MLB Magic Numbers: 2 For Houston To Clinch Playoff spot, 1 For Yankees To Clinch AL East

September 24, 2024 by Staff

As the Major League Baseball enters its final week, the race is heating up to fill the final playoff spots and determine home field advantage in each league.

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The top two teams in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63) and San Diego Padres (90--66), are going toe-to-toe for three games at Chavez Ravine starting tonight with just three games separating them.

The New York Yankees (92-64) will start Clarke Schmidt as they look to clinch the AL East division title tonight when they host the Baltimore Orioles (86-70) in the first game of a 3-game set. Baltimore will counter with Dean Kremer who will take the mound for the first pitch, set for 7:05. The Yankees' magic number Is 3 for the AL best record, and just 1 for the divisional title.

The Cleveland Guardians (AL Central), the Philadelphia Phillies (NL East) and the Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central) are the only teams to have, thus far, clinched a divisional title. The Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have secured a playoff berth.

A playoff team from the AL West has to be decided. The magic number for the Houston Astros (85-72) is 2 after having trailed Seattle by as many as 10 games back in July. The Mariners took last night's game 6-1 to stay alive themselves. It's a safe bet that the winner of the AL West, most likely Houston, will own the third best record of the three division champions and would pay the Wild Card team with the third-best record among that group.

The Guardians (90-67) have the Cincinnati Reds in town tonight and tomorrow, and then stay home to butt heads with the Astros for three games.

It's an all or nothing situation for both Houston and Seattle - either they win the division crown or they get left out of the playoffs. That's because Baltimore (86-70), Kansas City (82-74) and Detroit (82-74) are all ahead of the Mariners (81-76) in the American League Wild Card race. The Minnesota Twins (81-75) only trail Seattle by a half-game.

If the Mariners can sweep the Astros, they return home to play three against the Oakland A's (67-89) in the final season series, while Houston would only be making it much more difficult on themselves with a looming road trip to Cleveland that's trying to outduel the Yankees for home field advantage.

Boston (79-78) and Tampa (78-78) are still mathematically, but not realistically, alive in the Wild Card hunt.

The top NL Wild Card candidates are the loser in the race between the Padres and Dodgers, the New York Mets (87-69), the Arizona Diamondbacks (87-70) and the Atlanta Braves (85-71).

The Mets and Braves start a three-game series in Atlanta tonight. The Diamondbacks are home for the entire week after taking 3-of-4 at Milwaukee, but they opened the San Francisco series last night with a 6-3 loss. Arizona closes with a San Diego in town.