TORONTO — When the Red Sox wake up on Thursday morning, they’ll be one win away from clinching a playoff berth.
The Red Sox continue to get help from the flailing Houston Astros, who lost 6-0 to the Athletics late Wednesday night for the club’s fifth straight loss.
Boston (87-71) today holds a three-game lead plus the tiebreaker over Houston (84-74), meaning that the Red Sox will clinch a playoff spot with one more win or one more Astros loss over the last four games.
Because the Astros and Athletics play their series finale Thursday at 3:35 p.m., it’s possible the Red Sox might have a postseason berth locked up before they even take the field for their 7:07 p.m. game in Toronto.
Elsewhere in the American League, the Cleveland Guardians (86-72) beat the Detroit Tigers (85-73) again to take over sole possession of first place in the AL Central. The Tigers have today lost eight straight and have seen what not long ago looked like an insurmountable division lead completely evaporate.
As recently as Sept. 10 Detroit led Cleveland by 9.5 games in the division. Since then they’ve gone 1-10, enduring one of the most shocking collapses in baseball history.
They aren’t the only ones who have potentially allowed a division title slip away.
While not as dramatic a meltdown as the Tigers, the Toronto Blue Jays (90-68) also held a five-game lead in the AL East as recently as Sept. 16 but today sit tied with the New York Yankees atop the division. Toronto has lost five of six, while the Yankees (90-68) have won four straight.
The Red Sox are mathematically still alive in the AL East race too, though that would require winning out, the Blue Jays losing out and the Yankees losing at least three more games.
The Blue Jays own the tiebreaker over both the Yankees and Red Sox.
The Seattle Mariners (89-69) officially clinched their first AL West title since 2001 on Wednesday, beating the Colorado Rockies thanks to two home runs by MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, who became the first catcher in MLB history to record 60 home runs in a season.
Playoff picture
American League: 1. Toronto Blue Jays 90-68 (z), 2. Seattle Mariners 89-69 (x), 3. Cleveland Guardians 86-72, 4. New York Yankees (z) 90-68, 5. Boston Red Sox 87-71, 6. Detroit Tigers 85-73 … Houston Astros 84-74
National League: 1. Milwaukee Brewers (x) 96-63, 2. Philadelphia Phillies (x) 93-65, 3. Los Angeles Dodgers (z) 89-69, 4. Chicago Cubs (z) 89-69, 5. San Diego Padres (z) 87-72, 6. New York Mets 81-77 … Arizona Diamondbacks 80-78, Cincinnati Reds 80-78, St. Louis Cardinals 78-81, Miami Marlins 77-81
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