Who will play baseball in October?
Seven teams are fighting for six spots in the American League playoffs and each team has six games left.
The best six teams in each league make the playoffs: three division winners and three wild-card teams. The two division winners with the best records receive a first-round bye. The third division winner plays the third wild-card team, while the best two wild-card teams play each other.
Use the tool below to simulate playoff scenarios based on who wins the remaining games. Remember, some selections affect others in the simulator.
This year, Major League Baseball will take into account a team’s regular-season head-to-head record against the team they’re tied with.
The Red Sox have the tiebreaker advantage against the Yankees (9-4), Astros (4-2), and Guardians (4-2). They have games remaining against the Blue Jays (3-7) and Tigers (0-3). They were 3-3 against the Mariners. The next tiebreaker would be intradivision records.
The Blue Jays have the advantage over the Yankees (8-5), Tigers (4-3), and Mariners (4-2). The Tigers have an edge over the Yankees (4-2) and Astros (4-2), and the Mariners led the Astros (8-5).
The Guardians hold an edge over the Tigers (6-4), but three games remain to be played between the two Central teams. Finally, the Astros have an edge over the Guardians in the tie (4-2).
Daigo Fujiwara-Smith can be reached at daigo.fujiwara@globe.com. Follow him @DaigoFuji.
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