Where it stands entering Thursday’s games: Cleveland (82-76) lost Wednesday but still leads the AL Central by one game over Chicago with four to play. The White Sox own the tiebreaker, so Cleveland’s division magic number is 4. The Guardians clinch at least a playoff berth today with a win at Boston, or with a loss by either Texas or Houston. Today’s game: Guardians at Red Sox, 6:45 p.m. ET, live score and final. Every contender’s scenarios are on the MLB clinch scenarios page.
American League Central
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | L10 | Strk | Home | Road | Magic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | 82 | 76 | .519 | — | 7-3 | L1 | 41-40 | 41-36 | 4 |
| Chicago White Sox | 81 | 77 | .513 | 1 | 5-5 | L1 | 46-32 | 35-45 | 6 |
| Minnesota Twins e | 75 | 84 | .472 | 7.5 | 5-5 | W2 | 40-38 | 35-46 | 12 |
| Detroit Tigers e | 74 | 85 | .465 | 8.5 | 4-6 | L2 | 40-38 | 34-47 | 13 |
| Kansas City Royals e | 68 | 90 | .430 | 14 | 2-8 | W1 | 40-37 | 28-53 | 19 |
Standings from BALLDONTLIE. Updated September 24, 4:21 pm ET.
AL Wild Card Race
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | L10 | Strk | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees y | 91 | 67 | .576 | 5 | 6-4 | W1 | 44-33 | 47-34 |
| Boston Red Sox y | 85 | 73 | .538 | 11 | 5-5 | W1 | 39-38 | 46-35 |
| Chicago White Sox | 81 | 77 | .513 | 1 | 5-5 | L1 | 46-32 | 35-45 |
| Houston Astros | 78 | 80 | .494 | — | 3-7 | L1 | 39-42 | 39-38 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 78 | 81 | .491 | 18.5 | 6-4 | W3 | 39-42 | 39-39 |
| Toronto Blue Jays e | 77 | 82 | .484 | 19.5 | 3-7 | L3 | 40-38 | 37-44 |
| Minnesota Twins e | 75 | 84 | .472 | 7.5 | 5-5 | W2 | 40-38 | 35-46 |
| Seattle Mariners | 74 | 84 | .468 | 4 | 5-5 | W1 | 41-36 | 33-48 |
| Detroit Tigers e | 74 | 85 | .465 | 8.5 | 4-6 | L2 | 40-38 | 34-47 |
| Kansas City Royals e | 68 | 90 | .430 | 14 | 2-8 | W1 | 40-37 | 28-53 |
| Athletics e | 63 | 95 | .399 | 15 | 3-7 | W2 | 31-46 | 32-49 |
| Los Angeles Angels e | 60 | 98 | .380 | 18 | 4-6 | L3 | 34-47 | 26-51 |
Division leaders are excluded. The top three clubs here hold the wild card places.
Standings from BALLDONTLIE. Updated September 24, 4:21 pm ET.
How the Magic Number Works
A magic number is the combined total of wins by the leader and losses by the closest chaser needed to make a race mathematically over. Every Guardians win drops it by one, and so does every loss by the team chasing them. When a tiebreaker is involved, the team that holds it needs one fewer. The tables above update on their own as games finish.
Related
Clinch scenarios · Playoff picture · AL wild card standings · White Sox magic number · Tiebreaker rules · Playoff schedule