October 3, 2021

AL WC: Final Day Of Regular Season Will Produce One Of 16 Scenarios

After 161 games, the Red Sox (91-70), Yankees (91-70), Mariners (90-71), and Blue Jays (90-71) are within one game of each other.

(This is also the first season since the AL East slimmed down to five teams that four of them have won 90+ games (28 seasons, since 1994).)

Even after Sunday's games (which will all begin at 3 PM ET), we might not know which two of those four teams will play in the AL Wild Card game, currently scheduled for Tuesday night.

There are 16 different scenarios for how things could end up after Sunday's G162. There could be  G163 for two teams . . . and G164 is not out of the question, either, which would mean re-scheduling the WC game for Wednesday.

Simply put, if the Red Sox beat the Nationals, they will host the WC game, no matter what anyone else does. The only way the Red Sox can lose and host the game is if the other three teams also lose. Almost any other combination will trigger at least one tiebreaker game.

(h/t to Jeff Passan for the chart)

Wait!

Here's another chart!


Also: The Dodgers could finish with 106 wins and not win their division.

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