Picking C would mean having to win only one game but also having to do so on the road. Picking A would mean having to win two games but getting to host both of them (assuming you win the first one). If you get first choice, then you’re picking A or C. Here’s how a “three teams for one spot” tiebreaker would work, for the sake of an example: The team with the next best head-to-head record chooses second and so on. The team with the best combined head-to-head record gets choose A, B, or C. Tied teams are ordered based on combined head-to-head winning percentages - e.g., the Red Sox’ combined 2021 record against the Mariners and Blue Jays would be their figure if they were involved in a three-team tiebreaker with those two squads. A four-team tiebreaker - still gloriously possible at the moment - would involve Teams A, B, C, and D. A three-team tiebreaker would involve Teams A, B, and C. If we need to sort out a tie that involves more than two teams, then teams will be assigned a letter designation. Let’s take each possible scenario one by one.īefore we plunge in, though, let’s explain how three- and four-team tiebreakers work. With one game left in the regular season schedule, chaos is still possible. Before we dive in to the tiebreaker scenarios, here’s a look at those AL wild-card standings entering the final day of the regular season: AL WILD CARD Right now, four teams - the Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners, and Blue Jays - are jostling for two wild card spots in the AL. Here’s where things get a bit more complicated. The Giants, it should be noted, have won seven in a row entering Saturday and their magic number to clinch the division is one. The loser of that game would become the top NL wild card team and host the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday, Oct.
The winner of that 163rd game would be NL West champion for 2021, clinch top seed throughout the postseason, and advance to the NLDS to face the winner of the NL Wild Card Game. Since the Giants (narrowly) prevailed in the head-to-head season series, they would host said tiebreaker. Should the Giants and Dodgers end the regular season tied for the NL West crown, then they’d play a one-game tiebreaker on Monday, Oct. NL West, two teams tied for division title With chaos possible on the regular season’s final day (follow the action here), let’s break down MLB’s tiebreaker scenarios one by one. So what happens if 162 games aren’t enough to provide sufficient clarity on these fronts? Tiebreakers, that’s what. But despite it being the final day of baseball’s 162-game regular season, we still have to sort out races in the the NL West and the AL wild card. The calendar has flipped to October, and the 2021 MLB playoffs are set to start on Tuesday.