Playoffs Could Be Closest in Wild-Card Era

Thursday night’s dramatic comeback victory by the Angels over the Yankees added yet another chapter to a memorable postseason that may go down as the closest in the wild-card era.

The Angels won 7-6, marking the 12th game decided by one run in this year’s playoffs (including the one-game playoff between the Twins and Tigers).

The Wall Street Journal did the math, and even if there isn’t another one-run game this year, 2009 is on pace to be the closest postseason since 1991.

According to the Journal, here are the numbers:

Year    No. of one-run games    Percentage
1972    11                                   64.7
1991    11                                   57.9
2009    12                                   50
1974    6                                    46.2
1988    7                                    43.8
1990    11                                  42.9

The number could climb even higher, given that three of the games between the Yankees and Angels have been decided by a single run. Also, if the Yankees advance to the World Series to face Philadelphia, those games could be just as close. In three games this season, the Phillies and Yankees had two games determined by a single run.