American League Playoff Race: Key Insights and Predictions
Matt Perrault dives into the American League playoff race as he analyzes team standings, key upcoming matchups, and what it means for the 2026 postseason!
Video Transcript
The American League is very much up in the air.
All right, let's start with the American League East.
The Tampa Bay Rays are 82 and 55.
The Yankees are four and a half games back, and there's a four-game series in the Bronx in September that really could determine whether or not the Rays hang on to the American League East.
Most likely, the Rays are gonna hang on to the East and the Yankees will win the first wild card.
That's the most likely.
But take a look at what's going on in the Central.
The White Sox are 72 and 65.
They're chasing a season that could win them their division after three straight 100-loss seasons.
However, the Guardians are sitting right behind them at 69 and 68, three games back in the loss column, and they are very much alive.
If you remember, we have a 25 to 1 ticket on the White Sox to win the American League, not the World Series, win the American League.
Talk about the value of that because of how things may shake out if the White Sox could win one series in the postseason.
Pause that.
Remember that.
More of that here in just one second.
Continuing with this breakdown, when you look at the, the West, the Astros are 70 and 68, and they're trying to win another division title.
The Rangers are two games back, and the Mariners are six games back, but they're done.
I, I don't buy the Mariners have the offense, the interest, or the ability to catch anybody.
I think the Mariners are done.
I think the Tigers are done.
So you look at the wild card race on the right side of your screen as to where we are, Red Sox and the Yankees are getting the top two wild cards.
The Yankees are not gonna get caught by Boston, even though Boston's just three games back in the loss column.
I would be stunned.
There's about 24 games left for both the Red Sox and the Yankees.
I do not think we see the Yankees lose enough that the Red Sox would catch them.
Now, I have a bet on the Yankees to go under 90 and a half wins.
So if the Red Sox catch the Yankees, then the Red Sox would wind up getting over their win total of 86 and a half.
They would keep the Yankees under 90 and a half, and the Red Sox would make the playoffs.
I also bet the Yankees to miss the playoffs, but that's They're making the playoffs.
That bet's gonna g- gonna miss.
So the American League, just the divisional races are fascinating.
Like, just as we're watching how each night you're scoreboard watching in the American League, you can really start to bet off that as to who needs to win and who is playing a bad baseball team because they can pad their win totals.
So it, it is We're into September.
It's the 1st of September.
This is what we can do with this.
Now, the wild card.
Look at this.
The Guardians are 69 and 68, the Orioles are 69 and 69, the Rangers are 68 and 70, the Blue Jays are 68 and 70, the Twins are 66 and 72, and then I don't think the Mariners and the Tigers are in it.
I don't think the Twins are in it.
I really don't think the Blue Jays are in it, but s- you know, they are.
You know, record-wise, they're still in it.
