September baseball means expanded rosters, playoff races and math for teams in postseason contention. The Philadelphia Phillies are seeking to clinch their fourth straight playoff berth and also win their second straight National League East title.
With 13 games left in the regular season, it’s now officially magic number season in Philadelphia. The Phillies’ magic number to clinch a postseason berth is in single digits, and it’s in single digits to win the NL East. A first-round bye is also on the table.
Here’s everything fans need to know as the Phillies enter the final stretch of the regular season.
What is a magic number, and how is it calculated?
Baseball uses the term “magic number” to determine how close teams are to punching their tickets to the postseason or winning their divisions.
According to MLB.com, its origin dates back to the 1947 pennant race between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
The formula to determine a team’s magic number is: Games remaining plus one, then subtracting the first-place wins and the second-place team’s losses.
What is the Phillies’ magic number to make the playoffs?
The Phillies’ magic number to make the playoffs for the fourth straight season is one game.
What is the Phillies’ magic number to clinch the NL East?
The Phillies’ magic number to clinch their second consecutive NL East title is down to one game.
As of Sunday morning, the Phillies hold a 13-game lead over the Mets in the NL East race, though it’s essentially 12 because the Mets own the tiebreaker. Both the Phillies and Mets will have 13 games left in the regular season.
The Phillies can clinch the division as early as Sunday with either a win over the Royals or a Mets loss to the Texas Rangers.
What is the Phillies’ magic number to clinch a first-round bye?
A first-round bye for the Phillies remains within reach, whether it’s the No. 1 or 2 seed. The most realistic path to a bye is the 2-seed, which the Phillies currently hold. The Phils’ magic number to clinch a first-round bye is nine games.
The Phillies are battling with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the No. 2 seed in the NL.
Philadelphia holds a 5.5-game lead over the Dodgers entering Sunday. The Phillies and Dodgers square off in Chavez Ravine in a crucial three-game series for NL postseason seeding beginning Monday. If Philadelphia wins the series, it secures the tiebreaker over Los Angeles by winning the season series with at least four wins.
The Phillies can still earn the No. 1 seed, but the Milwaukee Brewers control their own destiny. The Brewers’ magic number to clinch the top seed is 11 games, and a first-round bye is eight games. Milwaukee owns the tiebreaker over Philadelphia, meaning if both teams finish with the same record, the No. 1 seed goes to the Brew Crew.
Milwaukee has a two-game lead over Philadelphia for the NL’s best record.
