Rooting for NL madness – September 29

 

St. Louis has ruined any possibility of a multi-day tiebreaker in the National League by losing four straight games, but with two days left in the regular season, there are still three different possibilities for tiebreakers, with two of them being mutually exclusive (NL West and Wild Card #2). So there could be two tiebreaker games played, with both of them on Monday.

NL Central

This one is rather simple. The Cubs lead the Brewers by a game, with both teams having clinched playoff spots. If they do end up tied, they’ll play a tiebreaker, with the loser hosting the Wild Card game. Either team would win the division outright without having to play a tiebreaker.

CHC (2 STL) 1-1 ->95-67
MIL (2 DET) 2-0 ->95-67

OR

CHC (2 STL) 0-2 ->94-67
MIL (2 DET) 1-1 ->94-67

NL West

The Rockies have clinched a playoff spot, meaning that the Dodgers would clinch one as well if they catch Colorado. It would be a similar scenario as in the NL Central, with the loser heading to either Milwaukee or Chicago for the Wild Card game. Either team could still win the division outright without playing a tiebreaker.

COL (2 WAS) 1-1->91-71
LAD (2 @SF) 2-0->91-71

OR

COL (2 WAS) 0-2->90-72
LAD (2 @SF) 1-1->90-72

Wild Card #2

If the Cardinals win out and the Dodgers lose out, they would play a tiebreaker for the second Wild Card spot.

LAD (2@SF) 0-2 ->89-73
STL (2@CHC) 2-0 ->89-73

There are six different combinations for Monday tiebreakers (including none at all):

  • NL Central, NL West
  • NL Central, Wild Card #2
  • NL Central
  • NL West
  • NL Wild Card #2
  • No tiebreakers

With only 2 days left in the regular season, that’s kind of crazy that there are still that many possibilities. Meanwhile, in the American League, there is absolutely nothing at stake (including seeding). So thank goodness for the NL!

 

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