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Yet again, the AL East has been a gauntlet this MLB season. But the Boston Red Sox are still alive.
While Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet and company's chances of making a divisional comeback are slim, the Red Sox have held a playoff spot for the majority of the last few months. But there's still work for Boston to do to fend off the Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals in the AL wild-card race.
The Red Sox are seeking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021 and just the second time since their 2018 World Series victory.
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Here's an updated breakdown of Boston's playoff picture, from the AL wild-card standings to their magic number and upcoming schedule.
MORE: Tracking the full MLB playoff picture, magic numbers as regular season winds down
Red Sox updated MLB playoff picture, standings
Currently, the Red Sox are alive in both the AL East and the AL wild-card picture, although they have a much better shot at the wild-card.
The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees are ahead of Boston in their division still, leading to the team's most likely scenario of playing in a wild-card game. The final few weeks of the regular season will be about the Red Sox locking in the wild card position they've held most of the season.
As of Sept. 19, the Red Sox hold a 1.5-game lead over the rest of the pack for a Wildcard spot.
Here are the latest AL wild-card standings:
Standings updated after Sept. 19 games.
AL wild-card standings
- WC1: Yankees, 86-68 (.562), +2.0
- WC2: Astros, 84-70 (.545)
- WC3: Red Sox, 84-70 (.545)
- —
- Guardians, 82-71 (.536), 1.5 GB
- Rangers, 79-75 (.513), 5.0 GB
- Royals, 77-77 (.500), 7.0 GB
- Rays, 75-79 (.487), 9.0 GB
- Orioles, 73-81 (.474), ELIMINATED
- Athletics, 73-81 (.474), ELIMINATED
- Angels, 69-85 (.448), ELIMINATED
- Twins, 66-87 (.431), ELIMINATED
- White Sox, 58-96 (.377), ELIMINATED
MORE: Tracking the MLB home run race between Cal Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber
Red Sox remaining schedule
Here's a look at Boston's schedule to close the 2025 season.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Sept. 20 | at Rays | 7:05 p.m. |
| Sept. 21 | at Rays | 7:35 p.m. |
| Sept. 23 | at Blue Jays | 7:07 p.m. |
| Sept. 24 | at Blue Jays | 7:07 p.m. |
| Sept. 25 | at Blue Jays | 7:07 p.m. |
| Sept. 26 | vs. Tigers | 7:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 27 | vs. Tigers | 4:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 28 | vs. Tigers | 3:05 p.m. |
Red Sox MLB magic number
A magic number is the number of wins (by the leading team) and/or losses (by the trailing team) needed for a team to clinch a particular race.
The Red Sox are still alive in both the AL East and wild-card races. As of Sept. 19, their their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is seven.
Red Sox playoff tiebreakers
The expanded postseason format introduced by MLB in 2022 eliminated tiebreaker games, previously known as "Game 163." Instead, ties are now resolved using a series of criteria.
The first tiebreaker is the teams’ head-to-head record. If that record is even, the next tiebreaker is each team’s record within its division, even if the teams are in different divisions. If a tie still remains, the teams’ record within their league (American or National) becomes the deciding factor.
So, here's the process for a two-team tie:
- Head-to-head record
- Record within division
- Record within league
The process is a bit more complicated for three-team ties. If one team has a winning record against each of the other teams, that team wins the tiebreaker. If two teams have an identical record against each other but both have a better record against the third team, the third team is out and the head-to-head process would be used to split the remaining two teams.
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