The Boston Red Sox have felt like a lock to make the postseason basically since the All-Star break. However, in the wake of the Roman Anthony injury in early September, the Sox have hit a bit of a skid. With that coinciding with the upstart Cleveland Guardians making a massive push, the Red Sox making the MLB Playoffs is anything but a guarantee entering the final week of play in the regular season. That, of course, means fans are dying to know what the Red Sox magic number is.
If there's a silver lining in this, it's the fact that Boston still controls its own destiny in terms of simply getting into the postseason. Winning the AL East didn't seem impossible at some points in the season, but it's next to impossible at this point as they trail the Toronto Blue Jays in the division by 4.0 games with five to play, even though they completed Game 1 of their three-game series this week on Tuesday, and Boston won.
The Red Sox winning on Tuesday is a massive feather in their cap, even if we're not talking about the division race in the AL East. It'd obviously be magical if Boston somehow came from behind in the final week to win the division, but this team needs to be focused on just getting to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season. And the AL Wild Card is by far this team's best chance of doing that.
However, with the Guardians and even the Houston Astros still very much into the mix and the Red Sox only holding a one-game lead on a playoff spot, it's going to be a sweaty final week of the regular season in Boston. But what does this team need to do in order to clinch a playoff spot? Let's break down the Red Sox magic number in addition to the tiebreakers they own that could ultimately give them a huge hand in making it to the postseason.
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Red Sox magic number and tiebreakers vs. Guardians and Astros
As mentioned, the Red Sox are currently in the second wild card spot right now, and hold a one-game lead over both the Guardians and Astros. Cleveland is locked into the final playoff spot by holding the tiebreaker over Houston, however. With the one-game lead and six games to play, though, the Red Sox magic number sits at 3 in order to clinch a playoff berth coming into the games on Wedensday.
That means that the club needs some combination of Red Sox wins and Astros losses that adds up to three over the final three games of the season.
Boston obviously helped their own cause in the playoff hunt with a win over Toronto on Tuesday, 4-1, that pushed them one step closer. But late in Sacramento on Tuesday night, they got another shot in the arm as the Athletics took down the Astros. Given that the Red Sox own the tiebreaker over the Astros (and the Guardians as well), that pushed the magic number from five entering play on Tuesday to three coming into Wednesday.
However, it's worth noting that Cleveland taking over the AL Central lead changes things a bit for potential playoff spots and seeding. The Red Sox don't hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers and would have to sweep Detroit in the final series of the season to earn that. Given that the Motor City Kitties are now in the final wild card spot, that could be hugely important for seeding.
If you're a visual learner, though, here's a look at how the playoff seeding is currently set up entering play on Tuesday.
- Toronto Blue Jays (90-67, AL East leaders)
- Seattle Mariners (87-69, AL West leaders)
- Cleveland Guardians (85-72, AL Central leaders)
- New York Yankees (89-68, AL Wild Card No. 1)
- Boston Red Sox (86-71, AL Wild Card No. 2)
- Detroit Tigers (85-72, AL Wild Card No. 3)
- In the Hunt: Houston Astros (84-73, 4 GB in AL West/1 GB in Wild Card)
Realistically, the race is coming down to three teams for two spots in the American League with the Red Sox, Guardians and Astros. The Rangers are five games back, while the Kansas City Royals are also still technically not eliminated, but might as well be at six games back.
Things are getting even more interesting, though, in the AL Central. While the Red Sox have the tiebreaker over the Guardians and Astros, they would have to sweep the Detroit Tigers to hold the advantage over them in head-to-head record. And after Tuesday night, that's never been more relevant after Cleveland took over the AL Central lead by owning the tiebreaker over Detroit in head-to-head record while both sit at 85-72 for the season.