After two consecutive seasons of finishing dead last in the American League East, the Boston Red Sox are back in the postseason.
The Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Saturday night to clinch a playoff berth. They still have some work to do to clinch the AL East, though, as their magic number is three.
It’s a little confusing, as the Red Sox’s magic number to clinch technically still is one. However, the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays play each other three more times, so there’s no scenario in that series that doesn’t involve Boston earning at least a wild-card spot. The Blue Jays would have to lose three games in that series for the Red Sox to clinch, but the Orioles would only have to lose one.
Boston was part of a close division race for the majority of the 2016 season, but the club has pulled away from the pack over the course of September with a successful stretch, including a 10-game win streak. The Red Sox now are gunning for the AL’s best record, and they are only one game behind the first-place Texas Rangers.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
