Baseball

Here’s what it will take for the Yankees to overtake the Blue Jays in the standings
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Here’s what it will take for the Yankees to overtake the Blue Jays in the standings
Credit: amNew York

Let's take a look at the standings in the American as of this morning.

There are seven teams above the playoff line because of the tie between the Guardians and Astros. It's among these seven clubs that it's going to come down to the wire, as I can't see the Rangers and Royals, for example, closing the gap (five and six games) between now and next Sunday.

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But in these seven clubs, each of which still has seven games to play between now and the end of the season (Sunday, September 28), there's still plenty at stake. Five of them are at real risk of missing the playoffs: the Mariners, Tigers, Red Sox, Guardians and Astros.

I'd be relatively surprised to see the Yankees miss the playoffs… and the Blue Jays are one win away from securing their place in the sun. It's only a formality.

Speaking of the Yankees and Blue Jays, the Yankees are only two games behind the Blue Jays, who have lost their last four games. The division title is more than ever at stake… even if Toronto has the advantage in the tie-breaker.

In reality, here's what it would take to see the Bronx representatives, who have the league's best record (27-14) over the past month and a half, win the American League's East Division.

If the Yankees win two or fewer of their last seven games, they have no chance of finishing first. If they win three games, they need the Blue Jays to lose all their games by next Sunday.

If the Yankees win four games, they'll have to hope the Blue Jays win just one. If the Yankees win five games, they'll have to hope the Blue Jays win only two.

If the Yankees win six games, they'll have to hope the Blue Jays win only three. And if the Yankees win all seven games, they'll have to hope the Blue Jays win only four.

In other words: the Yankees need three more wins than the Blue Jays in seven games. The Toronto club has its fate in its own hands, not only for the division, but to finish at the top of the American standings in general. However, nothing is decided yet.

The Blue Jays are in Kansas City this afternoon and have tomorrow off. After that, the Red Sox and Rays are in Toronto next week for two three-game series.

The Yankees are in Baltimore this afternoon and will also have tomorrow off. It all comes down to two three-game home series against bad teams: the White Sox and the Orioles.

And the other teams in the race? How does it look?

The Mariners are in Houston this afternoon and will be looking to extend their two-game lead at the top of the division against these same Astros. They'll also have Monday off before finishing at home in two three-game series against Nationals clubs: the Rockies and Dodgers.

The Tigers, who are in total disarray and only one game ahead of the Guardians, host the Braves this afternoon. They'll have tomorrow off… and then they're off to finish the season in Cleveland and Boston on the heels of two three-game series. #Ouch

The Red Sox are in Tampa Bay today, they'll have tomorrow off, and they'll face the Blue Jays in Canada three times starting Tuesday. The last three games of the season will be at home against the Tigers. They'll have to stand up because right now, as Alex Cora says, there's pain in Boston.

https://twitter.com/gfstarr1/status/1969587645807542403

The Guardians take on the Twins in Minnesota this afternoon and from Tuesday onwards, the last six regular games will be at home. There will be three against the Tigers and three against the Rangers.

As for the Astros, they'll host the Mariners this afternoon. And after tomorrow's vacation (I should have said at the outset that all American clubs have tomorrow off ), it's off to Sacramento and Anaheim for two three-game series.

Who will be the three division winners? Who will avoid the best runner-up games? Which club will be left out of the playoff picture? All the answers next Sunday, on the heels of the final day of the season.

On Tuesday, September 30, the wild card series begins. The following Saturday (October 4) marks the start of the divisional series.

This content was created with the help of AI.

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