After six months of uninterrupted activity, the Major League Baseball regular season will come to an end this Sunday, September 28. There is only one playoff spot left to be decided, which will begin next Tuesday with the Wild Card Series. The last ticket is up for grabs between the Mets and Reds, although there are other battles to be fought on this final day.
All the games on Sunday will begin in the afternoon (Eastern Time) and will be played with maximum intensity, because the matchups that will mark the course of the postseason will be defined. What is still at stake?
The American League East throne
The Yankees and Toronto are vying for the title in the American League East, which is invaluable. Whoever finishes first will avoid the Wild Card and will be guaranteed to start each postseason series at home against circuit rivals.
At this point, the Blue Jays and Yankees are tied with the same record (93-68), but the Canadian franchise has the advantage, as they won the head-to-head against the New Yorkers. So they only need one win against Tampa to secure the group.
The Yankees, on the other hand, are obliged to beat the Orioles and wait for a Toronto loss to stay with the best record in the American League. If this variant does not materialize, Aaron Boone’s boys will play the wild card against Boston or Detroit.
Cleveland-Detroit head-to-head
Both are already in the playoffs, but on the last day they will fight for the Central Division title. Although this title will not prevent them from avoiding the Wild Card, at least they will not have to play against the Yankees, Toronto or Boston until the Championship Series.
The scenario now is as follows: Guardians and Tigers have the same win-loss record (87-74), but Cleveland has the upper hand by winning the head-to-head. So, Detroit must win and hope for a loss by its rival to take the division crown. Any other combination of results sends them to second place.
The other important issue here is the crossover in the postseason. If Cleveland beats Texas on Sunday and Detroit beats Boston, the Guardians would play the Red Sox in the Wild Card, while the Tigers would face the Yankees or Blue Jays.
If Detroit loses on the final day, then everything would be set for a Wild Card showdown against Cleveland, no matter what happens in the other games.
Red Sox at a three-way crossroads
Boston will have to play in the Wild Card Series no matter what happens on the last day of the regular season. What Alex Cora’s team doesn’t know yet is who their opponent will be in that stage, and there are three possible opponents.
- If Boston loses to Detroit and Cleveland wins, the three would be tied at 88-74. In that scenario, the Guardians would be the Central Division leaders and the Tigers would take the second wild card spot and the Red Sox the third, so they would face Cleveland in the first postseason matchup.
- If Boston loses to Detroit and Cleveland also falls, then the Red Sox would retain the second wild-card spot and open the postseason against the Yankees or Blue Jays.
- If Boston beats Detroit, regardless of what happens in the rest of the games, they would face the Yankees or Blue Jays in the wild card.
The last National League Wild Card
There is not much to say in this case. The Mets are up against the wall because they do not depend on themselves. The New Yorkers have 83 wins and 78 losses and are vying for the last National League wild-card spot, but their record is identical to that of the Reds, against whom they lost their head-to-head matchup.
Cincinnati won four of the six games against the Queens franchise this year, so if they end up tied, the New Yorkers would be out. The Mets need to win and Cincinnati to lose, it is their only option to sneak into the postseason.
Dodgers waiting for opponent
The Dodgers’ farewell will be in Seattle with very little at stake. The Angels are guaranteed the National League West lead, win or lose against the Mariners. The only unknown left for Dave Roberts’ disciples is to know their Wild Card Series opponent and there are not many options: Mets or Reds.
The Dodgers won their head-to-head 5-1 against Cincinnati and lost 3-4 against the New Yorkers, a team that would potentially be more dangerous because of its offensive arsenal against a pitching staff that has been very unstable.
Read the full article here
