Red Sox Magic Number: Boston doesn't control destiny, but has Wild Card in sight

Just when fans think they're out, the Boston Red Sox find a way back into Wild Card contention.

After their disheartening 7-2 loss to the White Sox on Sept. 8, the Red Sox's playoff hopes seemed to fizzle out. They had series with the Orioles and Yankees coming up in the same week — the two teams that have battled for first place in the American League East all season.

But game one of Boston's final series against Baltimore arrived, and the Sox shocked their fans. They dropped 12 runs on the Orioles to claim a win few people thought they'd take to keep their Wild Card hopes alive.

The Red Sox are just outside of the third AL Wild Card spot, currently occupied by the Twins. Minnesota has lost 16 of its last 21 games and recently dropped out of the second Wild Card, which has been overtaken by Kansas City.

Unfortunately, Boston shares its spot three games out of the third Wild Card with two other teams — the Mariners and the Tigers. Since the Red Sox don't control their own destiny en route to the postseason, meaning they need to rely on other teams around them to lose to make the playoffs, they don't have a magic number to clinch a Wild Card spot.

Red Sox don't have a magic number, but what will it take to clinch a playoff spot?

With just 18 games left in the season, no team in either league has clinched a postseason spot. Both the American and National leagues are in a tight race, and the Yankees lead the AL with the Orioles and Guardians right on their tail.

According to PlayoffStatus.com, the Yankees need to win 17 games to win the division and clinch a first-round bye. They can clinch home-field advantage in the first round with 16 wins, and the Orioles would need 17.

The Red Sox, Twins and Royals, among other teams not in contention, have battled for the last two AL Wild Card spots for weeks. The Royals can secure the second Wild Card slot with 15 wins and the third with 13. Minnesota will need 16 wins to seal the third spot, and based on its recent track record, that may be difficult to pull off.

The Red Sox need to play their best baseball and the Twins need to continue to slip to have a chance to play October baseball this year. The Sox's recent win against the Orioles could be the momentum they need to push through the rest of the regular season and into the Wild Card.

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