Boston’s magic number is in the Magic column of the table below, alongside the rest of the American League East, and it updates on its own as games finish.
American League East
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | L10 | Strk | Home | Road | Magic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays z | 95 | 60 | .613 | — | 8-2 | W2 | 55-26 | 40-34 | 2 |
| New York Yankees z | 89 | 66 | .574 | 6 | 6-4 | L2 | 42-32 | 47-34 | 14 |
| Boston Red Sox z | 84 | 72 | .538 | 11.5 | 4-6 | L2 | 38-37 | 46-35 | 19 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 77 | 79 | .494 | 18.5 | 4-6 | W1 | 40-38 | 37-41 | 26 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 75 | 81 | .481 | 20.5 | 5-5 | L3 | 36-42 | 39-39 | 28 |
Standings from BALLDONTLIE. Updated September 21, 6:19 pm ET.
How the Magic Number Works
A magic number counts down the combination of leader wins and chaser losses that ends a race. Each win by the team in front removes one. Each loss by the closest pursuer removes one. Both in the same day removes two.
The arithmetic is the chaser’s remaining games, plus one, minus the leader’s advantage in the loss column. Two things follow from that. The loss column matters more than the win column, because a team with games in hand has not banked anything yet. And a number can drop fast in the final week even without the leader playing well, simply because the chaser is running out of games.
Division Versus Wild Card
Teams in this position usually have two live paths, and they are not equally valuable. Winning the division earns a first round bye. Taking a wild card spot means opening the postseason in a best of three series, often on the road, against a team that has had days to set its rotation.
That is why the magic number for the division and the magic number for a wild card berth are different figures, and why a team can clinch a playoff place while still chasing a division. Both are tracked in our AL wild card standings, and the full field is on the MLB playoff picture.
The Bottom Line
The table above carries Boston’s live magic number and AL East position, updating automatically rather than needing a daily rewrite.