CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians magic number to clinch the American League Central Division championship dropped again Wednesday thanks to a 5-4 walkoff win against Minnesota in extra innings at Progressive Field.
The Guardians (88-65) lead over the second-place Royals (82-71) increased to 6 games in the Central Division standings with 9 regular season games remaining.
What is the Guardians’ magic number?
Cleveland’s magic number to clinch the AL Central dropped to 4 over the Royals. Any combination of Guardians wins and losses by the second-place team (currently the Royals) that equals 4 will give Cleveland its 12th AL Central Division crown in franchise history.
Cleveland’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is at to 1 over the Tigers. Cleveland can clinch a playoff spot with a win against Minnesota on Thursday.
Cleveland owns head-to-head tiebreakers with Detroit, Seattle and Boston by virtue of winning the season series against each club.
The Guardians’ magic number to clinch one of the top two seeds in the American League, thus securing a first-round bye and an automatic spot in the AL Division Series, is at 6 over Houston (82-69). The Guardians have a 5 game lead over the Astros with three regular season meetings between the two clubs set for Sept. 27-29.
How to calculate MLB magic numbers?
To calculate a team’s magic number, take the total number of games in a season (162) and add one (162 +1 = 163). Then subtract your team’s win total (Cleveland = 88 wins) and the second-place team’s total losses (Kansas City= 71). That gives you the magic number to clinch the division: 163 – 88 – 71 = 4.
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