WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Red Sox owe the Angels a gift basket of some kind. After the Red Sox won at Nationals Park, the Angels beat the Mariners to give Boston some a little bit of breathing room in the wild-card race.
Boston is now in sole possession of the second wild-card spot and leads both Seattle and Toronto by one game. Put simply, if the Red Sox win their final two regular season games against the Nationals, they will play in the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday. If the Sox win both games and the Yankees lose at least once to the Rays, the Wild Card Game will be played at Fenway Park (Boston holds the home-field tiebreaker with the Yankees). A Red Sox win on Saturday would guarantee that they play past Sunday in some form, whether in tiebreaker(s) or the Wild Card Game.
The Red Sox would clinch a berth in the Wild Card Game on Saturday with a win and losses by both the Blue Jays and Mariners.
Here’s where things stand entering Saturday (the second-to-last day of the season)
If the season ended today: Yankees would host the Red Sox in the wild-card game on Oct. 5.
Where the Red Sox stand:
1 game behind the Yankees for the first American League wild-card spot
1 game ahead of the Mariners and Blue Jays for the second American League wild-card spot
SCORES:
Red Sox 4, Nationals 2
Rays 4, Yankees 3 (Red Sox pick up game on Yankees)
Angels 2, Mariners 1 (Red Sox pick up game on Mariners)
Blue Jays 6, Orioles 4 (Red Sox and Blue Jays stand pat)
STANDINGS:
Yankees: 91-69 (1 game up on Red Sox; 2 games up on Mariners, Blue Jays)
Red Sox: 90-70 (1 game behind Yankees; 1 game up on Mariners, Blue Jays)
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Mariners: 89-71 (1 game behind Red Sox; 2 games behind Yankees)
Blue Jays: 89-71 (1 game behind Red Sox; 2 games behind Yankees)
REMAINING SCHEDULES:
Yankees: 2 vs. Rays
Red Sox: 2 at Nationals
Blue Jays: 2 vs. Orioles
Mariners: 2 vs. Angels
Related links:
Hunter Renfroe, Bobby Dalbec bash back-to-back homers, Boston Red Sox beat Nationals
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