Whoever won that one-game playoff game goes into the postseason as the clinched division leader, while the other team goes in as a wild card via a playoff berth. If the Rays and Yankees won 9 games against each other, then a one-game playoff game takes place to find out who won the division. However, there are times where a tie is between both teams, so MLB moves these two teams into a tiebreaker game. If a tie takes place between two groups, the team who won the most regular matches against earns the division crown. While the formula above assumes the team with the most wins will win the division, there is a scenario where a tie takes place.

What Happens if Two Teams Tie to End the Regular Season? If the Rays lose eight games, then the Yankees automatically reach that eight number. Another way the Yankees can win the division is to combine Yankee wins and Rays losses.įor example, the Tampa Bay Rays could lose 8 of the remaining 12 games so that the Yankees would win by default. One example is that the Yankees need to win eight games out of the remaining 12 to win the division. Taking the New York Yankees example above trying to get to the magic number 8, they have a few scenarios that can get them there. The magic number for the Yankees to win the division is 8. So the Yankee’s question is, how many wins do they need to win the division with the remaining twelve games in the season? The Yankees record is 90 Wins and 60 losses, while the Tampa Bay Rays are 85 Wins and 65 losses. Both teams have played 150 games each, so there is a remainder of 12 games in the season. Imagine if the Tampa Bay Rays are chasing the New York Yankees to clinch the division title. Each Major League Baseball season has 162 gamesġ = Represents a break in a tie in the calculation RG = Number of games in the regular season remaining. The formula to calculate the elimination number is as follows. Another phrase that teams and players go by is the tragic number. Teams that are not going to win the division have something known as the elimination number. What is the Calculation of the Magic Number? Since it is a formula, the magic number can be used as a prediction percentage as well for teams who are trying to see if they can make the playoffs. September is when teams begin watching the magic number to understand how many games remaining are left in the calendar to make the playoffs. The magic number in MLB calculates how many games you need to win and how many games your competition needs to lose. The magic number in baseball represents how close a team is to making the playoffs or clinching their division during the regular season.

Mlb magic number