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Faizan
The two-team wild card playoff system complicates baseball's magic number equation. If your team sits atop the leader board, either in the division or as one of the two wild card teams, then pit its record against any team immediately trailing in the standings. Division leaders should go beyond the division as well, getting wild card magic number consideration against the two current wild card leaders. Once one magic number reduces to zero, your team qualifies for postseason.
Magic Debunked
Any combination of wins by the leader and losses by the team trailing in the standings that add up to the magic number qualifies the leading team for postseason play. For example, if your team's magic number is 7, the team could qualify by winning four games while the trailing team loses three games. Or, the trailing team could get hot and only lose one game over a six-game stretch. But if your team wins all six of those games, then they reach the magic number and qualify for the playoffs.
The Equation
Take the number of games remaining in the season for the leader and add 1. Now subtract the difference in games in the loss columns of both teams to get the magic number. The equation: games remaining in season + 1 - difference in loss column = magic number. For example, if the Red Sox are 93-63 and the Yankees are 91-65 with only six games left to play, then the magic number is 5. The example would look like this: six games left + 1, - two-game difference in loss column = magic number of 5.
Magic Debunked
Any combination of wins by the leader and losses by the team trailing in the standings that add up to the magic number qualifies the leading team for postseason play. For example, if your team's magic number is 7, the team could qualify by winning four games while the trailing team loses three games. Or, the trailing team could get hot and only lose one game over a six-game stretch. But if your team wins all six of those games, then they reach the magic number and qualify for the playoffs.
The Equation
Take the number of games remaining in the season for the leader and add 1. Now subtract the difference in games in the loss columns of both teams to get the magic number. The equation: games remaining in season + 1 - difference in loss column = magic number. For example, if the Red Sox are 93-63 and the Yankees are 91-65 with only six games left to play, then the magic number is 5. The example would look like this: six games left + 1, - two-game difference in loss column = magic number of 5.
Posted in: baseball
