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Who will Red Sox face in Wild Card Series? Crazy tiebreaker scenario possible
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- Who will Red Sox face in Wild Card Series? Crazy tiebreaker scenario possible
Who will Red Sox face in Wild Card Series? Crazy tiebreaker scenario possible originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Not too long ago, a Boston Red Sox -New York Yankees Wild Card Series rematch at Yankee Stadium seemed like a lock. But with four games left in the regular season, the Red Sox still might not head to the Bronx.
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Boston sits in the second American League Wild Card spot with an 85-73 record. The Chicago White Sox are four games behind in the third Wild Card spot at 81-77. Chicago can't overtake Boston, because Boston holds the tiebreaker.
Here's where things get wild, pun intended…
The Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians will play the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday night. Cleveland enters with an 82-76 record, one game ahead of the White Sox.
If Cleveland beats Boston on Thursday, and all three teams finish the weekend with an 85-77 record, that will prompt a crazy three-way tiebreaker scenario.
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Since the White Sox hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians, they would win the American League Central if the two clubs finish 85-77. The tiebreaker would shift to Boston and Cleveland for the final Wild Card seeding.
The Red Sox currently hold the tiebreaker with a 3-2 head-to-head record vs. the Guardians this season. If Cleveland wins Thursday's series finale, they will take the tiebreaker because of their better interdivision record.
In that case, Cleveland would head to Yankee Stadium as the No. 5 seed. Boston would visit the American League West winner, either the Texas Rangers or the Houston Astros .
So, in summary:
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Boston, Cleveland, and Chicago could each finish with 85-77 records.
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In a three-way tiebreaker scenario, Chicago wins the AL Central. Cleveland and Boston have a tiebreaker for final Wild Card seeding.
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If Cleveland beats Boston on Thursday night, and all three clubs finish 85-77, Cleveland will win the tiebreaker and overtake Boston for the second AL Wild Card spot.
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As the No. 5 seed, Cleveland would travel to Yankee Stadium for the Wild Card Series. As the No. 6 seed, Boston would visit the AL West winner (Rangers or Astros).
Unlikely? Sure. But not impossible.
The Red Sox losing to the Guardians on Thursday night is very much in play. From there, it won't get any easier for Boston as it will host the Chicago Cubs for a rainy three-game series at Fenway Park. Sunday's series finale has already been moved up to Friday as the first game of a split doubleheader, and the Cubs will be playing with National League Wild Card seeding at stake.
After Thursday's game at Fenway Park, the Guardians will wrap up their season on the road against the lowly Kansas City Royals . The White Sox will play the Royals on Thursday before hosting the worst team in baseball, the Colorado Rockies .
Ranger Suarez will look to make all of this irrelevant when he takes the mound against Cleveland on Thursday night. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. ET.
