Three Teams, One Record, One Ticket: The AL Wild-Card Scrum Is a Dead Heat
After Monday's games, the Orioles, Rangers and Tigers sit in an exact tie for the American League's final playoff spot — at three games under .500.
With about five and a half weeks left in the regular season, the American League's last playoff ticket has become the most crowded race in baseball. Per Torch's live standings, the Orioles, Rangers and Tigers are all 61-64 — an exact three-way tie for the third wild card, at a pace three games under .500. Half a game behind sit the Blue Jays and Twins at 61-65, with the Guardians (60-65) one back and the Mariners (59-66) still within two.
The top of the AL field, by contrast, is settled. The Yankees (69-55) and Red Sox (67-58) hold the first two wild cards with real cushion — MLB.com's wild-card standings had them eight and five games clear of the cut line entering the week.
Monday sharpened the tie
The scrum tightened on the field, not on an off day. Detroit won 8-5 in Pittsburgh to climb into the tie, while Baltimore lost a 7-6 decision at AL East-leading Tampa Bay. Boston, meanwhile, kept its cushion by hammering Arizona 11-1. Full results are on Torch's diamond schedule.
Why the race is this messy
Part of the answer is the middle of the league flattening out. The Astros lead the AL West at just 63-62 — one game over .500 and barely clear of the wild-card scrum themselves — while the White Sox top the Central at 65-59. As Yahoo Sports noted, with weeks still left on the schedule there is plenty of room for movement among teams in playoff position, teams just outside, and clubs trying to turn a late push into a berth.
The National League offers the contrast: the Cubs (73-53) hold the first wild card comfortably, the Phillies and Padres sit a game apart for the next two spots, and the D-backs lurk a game back. One league has a race; the other has a pile-up.
Seven teams, two games, one spot. September starts early this year.