By Kevin Gibson
As of Thursday afternoon, September 24, before the remaining games are complete
The Toronto Blue Jays are out. For those of us who spent last October believing they might finish the job, that is a lousy place to begin a playoff column.
But the rest of baseball has given us a reason to keep the standings page open. Four days remain in the regular season, six postseason spots are unclaimed, and the most interesting questions have little to do with which club looks prettiest on paper.
Start in the American League West, where Houston and Texas entered Thursday tied at 78–80. One of them could win a division with a losing record. The Astros hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, so a dead heat would put Houston on top. That is not a reward for playing great baseball; it is the consequence of surviving a division in which nobody has managed to take control. If you want a reminder that a pennant race can be compelling without producing a powerhouse, this is it.
The AL Central offers a different sort of tension. Cleveland entered the final four days one game ahead of the White Sox. Chicago owns the tiebreaker, which makes that one-game lead feel even smaller. Both clubs are in playoff position, but the division title carries a first-round bye. The runner-up is likely to face a best-of-three Wild Card Series instead. Those are very different rewards for a season that could be decided by one swing.
The White Sox also hold the final AL Wild Card place, three games ahead of Texas and 3½ ahead of Baltimore entering Thursday. The Rangers have two ways in: catch Houston for the division or make up ground in the Wild Card race. Baltimore has the steeper climb. This is why I keep looking at the West before calling that last Wild Card settled.
The National League has its own trapdoor. San Diego entered Thursday one game ahead of both the Cubs and Phillies in the Wild Card standings. Arizona sat three games behind Chicago and Philadelphia, still close enough to matter. The Diamondbacks finish with three games against the Padres, giving them a direct chance to change the picture. And if the Padres, Cubs and Phillies finish tied, the tiebreakers would place San Diego third among them. A one-game lead is useful. It is hardly a place to put your feet up.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee and Los Angeles have clinched their divisions and are fighting over the National League’s top seed. The Brewers entered Thursday two games ahead of the Dodgers and own the tiebreaker. Atlanta has the East, Tampa Bay has the AL East, and the Yankees and Red Sox have their October invitations. Those clubs can plan ahead. Everyone else has to keep playing the game in front of them.
There is no Game 163 waiting to rescue anyone from a tie. Head-to-head results and other regular-season tiebreakers will settle the order. The work done in April still counts on Sunday night.
The Jays will be watching October from home. So will many of us, perhaps with less enthusiasm than we expected a year ago. But between a West division that may crown a sub-.500 champion, a one-game Central race and four NL clubs chasing three Wild Card places, there is no shortage of baseball left to watch before the bracket becomes real.
Four days. Plenty of time for one team to make a season and another to wonder where it went.