Four things to watch for on the final day of the MLB regular season
The final day of the baseball regular season has arrived, but there’s no time to be sad. There’s still plenty left to be settled, and it’s all coming your way in one action-packed afternoon.
Remember, every game — except for the Cardinals-Braves doubleheader — is scheduled to begin at 3:10 ET. That means no team involved in a playoff scenario can scoreboard watch from the clubhouse or slack off once their spot is clinched. They all have to play like this one game matters, because in all likelihood it will.
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With that said, here’s a quick look at whose postseason fate hangs in the balance on Sunday.
HOW THE WEST COULD BE WON
The Texas Rangers are already in the playoffs, but they’d like to avoid the wild card drama if possible. So far, they’ve failed to do so, losing back-to-back games to the Los Angeles Angels. The good news is, they still only need a win or a Houston Astros loss on Sunday to clinch the division. That may also be the bad news, since, again, neither has happened for the past two days. The Rangers worst-case scenario is a division tiebreaker game against Houston on Monday, with the losing team playing at the Yankees in the wild-card game.
WILD, WILD CARD
Win or lose, the Astros are guaranteed to play beyond Sunday. They’d definitely like to win though and punch their ticket to the postseason, with the added possibility of an AL West tiebreaker. If the Astros lose and the Angels win, those two teams would play in a wild-card tiebreaker on Monday. In that scenario, the loser goes home, and the winner plays at New York in the wild-card game.
There’s also a scenario where New York doesn’t host the wild card. That would happen if they lose and the Astros and Angels both win.
WHO’S NO. 1
The battle for the No. 1 in the AL is also up for grabs on Sunday. The Kansas City Royals enter with a one-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays, meaning they only need a win or a Jays loss to clinch. If they finish tied, the tiebreaker goes to Toronto based on their season head-to-head matchups. The No. 1 seed will host the wild card winner, and the No. 2 seed will host the AL West winner. In other words, this could still go several different directions.
PITTSBURGH OR CHICAGO?
Will PNC Park in Pittsburgh host its third straight NL wild-card game, or will Wrigley Field in Chicago host its first postseason game since 2008. The Pirates hold the advantage, needing a win or a Cubs loss to clinch. If they finish tied, Chicago holds the tiebreaker, meaning the anticipated Gerrit Cole-Jake Arrieta matchup will take place at the Friendly Confines.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813