Countdown to the playoffs - 2: Tiebreaker scenarios for the final day
Follow this year's playoff push as theScore's MLB editors count down the days until the postseason, which begins with the AL wild-card game Oct. 6.
The final day of the 2015 regular season is upon us and the schedule makers have to be thrilled with how it's shaping up. There are seven games that carry playoff implications, and all the action begins at 3 p.m. ET.
With just hours left in the regular season, here's where things stand: There's still one playoff spot up for grabs (the AL's second wild card), home-field advantage to be decided in both ALDS series and each league's wild cards, and the possibility of a Game 163 or sudden-death playoff for the AL West division on Monday.
Here's what you need to know:
Scenario: Rangers lose, Angels win, Astros lose
Tiebreaker: Rangers win the AL West. The Angels and Astros will play a one-game elimination in Houston to determine which club advances to Tuesday's American League wild-card game against the New York Yankees, with home-field advantage going to the team with the better head-to-head record (or, failing that, the team with the better intradivision record). The Yankees can clinch home field in the wild-card game with a victory over Baltimore on Sunday. This is the only scenario in which the Angels' season continues. If the Rangers win Sunday, they clinch the AL West and help Houston secure the AL's second wild card.
Scenario: Rangers lose, Angels win, Astros win
Tiebreaker: Angels eliminated. A one-game playoff between the Rangers and Astros will be held Monday in Texas to determine which club wins the AL West division and advances to the division series against the No. 2 seed. The losing team plays the Yankees in the AL wild-card game, with home-field advantage going to the team with the better head-to-head record.
Scenario: Royals/Blue Jays, Pirates/Cubs, Yankees/Opponent finish season with same records (home-field tiebreakers)
Tiebreaker: The teams with the better head-to-head record will get home-field advantage - Blue Jays, Cubs, Yankees (vs. Angels), Rangers (vs. Yankees), Astros (vs. Yankees).
GAMES THAT MATTER
| AWAY | HOME | IMPLICATIONS |
|---|---|---|
| LAA | TEX | AL WEST/WILD CARD |
| HOU | ARI | AL WEST/WILD CARD |
| NYY | BAL | AL WC HOME FIELD |
| CIN | PIT | NL WC HOME FIELD |
| CHC | MIL | NL WC HOME FIELD |
| KC | MIN | AL HOME FIELD |
| TOR | TB | AL HOME FIELD |
CURRENT PLAYOFF PICTURE
| DATE | SERIES | AWAY | HOME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | AL WC | HOU | w-NYY |
| Oct 7 | NL WC | w-CHC | w-PIT |
| Oct 8 | ALDS | HOU or NYY | y-TOR |
| Oct 8 | ALDS | x-TEX | y-KC |
| Oct 9 | NLDS | CHC or PIT | y-STL |
| Oct 9 | NLDS | y-NYM | y-LAD |
- With h/t to MLB.com for playoff tiebreakers
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