The Red Sox and Rangers close their three game series Thursday, September 17 at 8:05 p.m. ET at Globe Life Field, and both teams have something real on the line. Boston (82-70) holds an AL wild card spot with its playoff magic number in single digits and sends its ace, Sonny Gray, to the mound. Texas (76-76) is tied with Houston for the AL West lead and sits in the mix for the third wild card at the same time.
Game Info
| First pitch | 8:05 p.m. ET (7:05 p.m. CT) |
| TV | NESN (Boston), Rangers Sports Network (Texas); streaming on MLB.tv out of market |
| Boston starter | RHP Sonny Gray, 17-5, 2.76 ERA in 27 starts |
| Texas starter | Not officially announced as of Wednesday; Kumar Rocker is the projected arm and has been on a monitored workload |
Why It Matters
Boston is chasing a clinch. The Red Sox entered the series with a magic number of five, so a win Thursday combined with losses by the teams chasing them could put a clinch within a day or two. Gray has been the reason this team is here: a 2.76 ERA and 17 wins in a season in which Alex Cora was fired and the club looked like a lost cause before the pitching carried it back into the race. He allowed three runs in his last outing against Kansas City.
Texas has two races at once. At 76-76 the Rangers are tied with Houston atop the AL West, with Houston listed first in the standings for now, and they are also within a game of Chicago for the second wild card with Toronto a half game behind them. Jacob deGrom and MacKenzie Gore handled the first two games of the series; Thursday’s starter was still open because Rocker, who lasted four innings in his last start and already passed his career innings high in August, is being managed carefully.
AL Playoff Picture Entering Thursday
| Spot | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| AL East leader | Tampa Bay (clinched) | 92-59 |
| Wild card 1 | New York Yankees (clinched) | 88-64 |
| AL Central leader | Cleveland | 78-75 |
| AL West leader | Houston | 76-76 |
| Wild card 2 | Boston | 82-70 |
| Wild card 3 | Chicago White Sox | 77-75 |
| Next up | Texas 76-76, Toronto 76-77 |
Records through Wednesday, September 16. The full race is on our AL wild card standings page.
Related
Thursday’s probable pitchers · MLB playoff picture · Magic numbers · When do the MLB playoffs start
The Bottom Line
Red Sox at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. ET Thursday, Sonny Gray for Boston against a Texas starter still to be confirmed. Boston is playing to clinch; Texas is playing to stay in two races at once.