With four regular season games to play, this we know: If the Red Sox win out, they are in the Wild Card game.
After their 6-0 win over the Orioles, the Red Sox sit one game in back of the Yankees for the top spot in the Wild Card race, with Seattle residing 1/2-game in back of Boston, and Toronto trailing by a game.
And while Red Sox followers would certainly settle for landing Sunday night exactly where they currently find themselves, there is a chance the whole ball of wax gets pretty convulated.
Thanks to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, we have some answers as to what might be waiting around the corner if some of these teams do end up with identical records. Here is what Castrovince expertly uncovered and subsequently reported ...
Scenario: Two teams tie for best record in Wild Card
This would not involve any extra games. If, say, the Red Sox and Yankees were the only two clubs in AL Wild Card position at season’s end and had identical records, they would not play an extra game to determine who gets home-field advantage in the Wild Card Game. It would go to the team with the better head-to-head record (in that case, Boston).
Scenario: Two teams tie for the second Wild Card spot
If, for example, the Red Sox and Blue Jays tied for the second AL Wild Card spot, they’d have to play each other Monday, Oct. 4, for the right to advance to the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Home-field advantage would go to the team with the better head-to-head record (Red Sox, 10-9).
Scenario: Three-team tie for two Wild Card spots
If the Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox were all tied, with no other non-division winners in the AL ahead of them, the three teams would choose/receive A, B and C designations. Club A would host Club B. The winner of that game would be one Wild Card club, while the loser would then play Club C on the road to determine the other. The winners of the two games would face each other in the Wild Card Game.
The three designations are decided by head-to-head records. The Red Sox went 10-9 in each of their season series against the Blue Jays and Yankees, so they would have the first pick of designation. The Blue Jays are also 11-7 against the Yanks, as of this writing, so they would pick second. The Yankees would get whichever designation is left over. The first selection comes down to a choice of playing up to two games (Club A) or taking your chances as the home team in a single elimination game (Club C).
Scenario: Three-team tie for one Wild Card spot
If, for example, the Yankees were in the top Wild Card spot and the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Mariners were all tied for the second spot, the three tied teams would choose/receive A, B and C designations. Club A would host Club B on Monday, Oct. 4. The winner of that game would then host Club C on Tuesday to determine the second Wild Card spot. The AL Wild Card Game would be pushed back from Tuesday in this scenario.
Scenario: Three or four teams tie for one Wild Card spot
In the three-team tie, we’d have to have the three teams choose/receive their A, B and C designations, with Club C traveling to face the winner of the game between Clubs A and B to determine who advances to the Wild Card Game.
In a four-team tie, we’d have to add a D designation to the mix. Club A would host Club B and Club C would host Club D, and the winners of each of those games would then face each other in the home park of the winner of the game between Club A and Club B to determine who goes to the Wild Card Game.
Scenario: Four teams tie for two Wild Card spots
As of this writing, this is still mathematically feasible in the AL. If the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners were to all wind up tied for those two spots, we’d have a mini-tournament on our hands. The clubs would choose/receive their A, B, C and D designations. On Monday, Oct. 4, Club A would host Club B and Club C would host Club D. The winners of those two games would be the Wild Card teams and would face each other in the ballpark of whoever had the superior head-to-head record.