Final Playoff Push: NYY@BOS, CLE@CWS
 

Ok. there are three teams going into two spots (The White Sox cannot miss the playoffs, if they end up tied with the Indians, they'd both have a better record then the AL East Runner up, and the White Sox won the season series, which meant that they would win the Central and the Indians would be the Wild Card:

So, the possibilities:

If The Red Sox Sweep the Yankees: AL East Champions (and the indians need to win two of three to take the WC, if swept, NYY is in, if they win one of three, WC Playoffs)

If the Red Sox Take two out of three, and the Indians take two of three: Three Way Playoff (AL EAST playoff with Bos at NYY, and the loser of that game plays Cleveland for the Wildcard)

Sox Take Two of three, Indians sweep: AL East Playoff.

Sox Take Two out of Three, Indians lose two or three: Yankees win tie breaker (Season Series), get AL East, Sox get WC, Indians out.

Sox win same amount (0 or 1) as Indians: WC Playoff at Boston

I think it's a relic from years gone by, but at this time of year I always feel detached from the Red Sox ... as if I sense their impending doom, but am insuring that psychologically I am protected. I assumed last year would change that, but it hasn't. I'm watching with clinical curiosity - although eventually I will get sucked in, I'm sure.

Go Boston. Go Cleveland. Keep the Yankees out of the postseason.

Agreed. That would be a best case scenario. But sadly, I feel a worst case scenario (to me) is that Cleveland will blow it and miss the playoffs. That'd suck.

This is what I've been rooting for since August. And I'm getting damn sick of watching the Yankees do so well. It's pissing me off. I desperately hope that last Sunday was Bernie Williams' last game in Yankee Stadium - nothing against him, but it would mean no playoffs for the Yankees.

I'd love to see boston miss the playoffs.. and the yanks out in round one.. or vice versa.. Otherwise.. *yawn*

I've long had a soft spot for the Indiands anyway ... but I can't be the only fan who, in pretty much every circumstance in modern baseball, just roots for whatever team has the lower (lowest) payroll.

Go Tribe!

I've always been this way, unless it's my local team, in which case I will always root for them. In this case obviously the Red Sox. I've never veered from my New England/Boston teams, but when these teams are out of the playoffs I've always rooted for the Underdog (Damn those Buffalo Bills, Utah Jazz, and Seattle Sonics), or a fav. players team (Damn those Shawn Kemp Sonics).

sheesh, 5-3 Red Sox, bottom 7th, 2 on For Manny and 1-0 Chicago (who started SEVEN bench warmers) leading over the Indians in the 9th

Indians tie it up in the bottom of the ninth, and then miss out in the bottom on a crazy double play. Top 10 now.

Dola... my mother's family is from Cleveland so I picked up all the teams there from her. Go Tribe!

And the Red Sox win 5-3, tying up the AL East.

Cleveland needs to win in extra innings at home (in the 11th) versus Chicago to make this a three way tie.

Phillies win, Lidge is imploding...all I need is the Indians to win and Cubs to hang on, and this will have been a perfect night.

Agree.

Why do you so like the 10-1 misery the Jays inflicted on the Royals :( ;)

SI

Hmm. I wonder if there is hope for the Phillies still.

And the Tribe loses in thirteen (worst possible result, not only are they a game back and needing to win both to do it.. they used a ton of pitchers).

NYY/BOS tied, Cleveland 1 back.

Tribe had chances but couldn't finish off the Sox. Now they're in a must win position tomorrow. :(

They've been in a must win position for most of this week. They need to start acting like it.

WHOOO SOX!!! Lets Go BoSox!!

Red Sox clinch at least a tie for the playoff berth with a Win or an Indians Loss.

BTW, if the Sox win tommorrow and the Indians Lose, then the final game of the year will be the playoff (Yanks would win ties if there's no playoff needed, because they would win the season series 10-9)

And the Yankees are eating Wakefield raw, 7-2 Yankees. Combined with the Indians winning, the Yanks would have a game lead and the Sox and the Indians would be tied for WC entering final day.

There was a bit of a moment in the BoSox/NYY game just now. A Yankees batter hit a shot foul down left field line and the hot young lady working the line speared it. Then they did a close up on her and she was tounging her lips laughing.

Sir Fozzie: Is the Fox station in your area interrupting the game with a view in of the Chicago-Cleveland game? Here we missed an entire half inning watching that game, with the stupid picture in a picture of the Boston-New York game. Okay, Cleveland scored, we get it. Now get us back to the game we want to see, esp. with a man in scoring position and Johnny Damon up to bat.

we're getting split screens, which absolutely SUCK (you should read the guys over at the Royal Rooters message board at redsoxnation.net.. they're fuming).

We also have the problem of missing pitches. When Ortiz hit the double off of the wall, we missed it altogether for some stupid lottery commercial. I've tried calling Fox, but it's busy (obviously).

See- I'd rather have the split screen to watch both games.

SI

Have one game on Fox and the other on FX, like they do the division series.

Contracts probably prohibit the FX game.

As it is, I'd much rather watch a 4-3 game than 7-3 since both have major playoff implications.

SI

how does a guy run into the grass to avoid a tag and not get called out?

Because umps need glasses, of course

SI

That was so idiotic. The ump was clearly watching it.

I'll admit that the ump blew the call. Francona should have called the 1st base ump over.

I can't believe you all are watching baseball when there is good football games on..

:)

Obviously I have been living in a cave for 25 years, when did they stop having a 1-game playoff for the division title?

Either when the wild card was introduced or in 2003 when baseball updated the tiebreaker rules.

Why?

Because they did away with 3-team ties, I assume to avoid having to have 2 1-game playoffs (1 for the division, then another for the WC). I didn't realize it either, and I think it sucks.

I had thought everyone was talking about such a scenario (2 1-game playoffs) since Thursday. Apparently that was never going to happen?

It would have if all 3 could end up in a tie. The Indians can't tie the Yanks and Sox anymore.

It would have been 2 1-game playoffs if the Indians had won today and tomorrow. If the Sox win, then the Yankees and Sox are tied; but the Indians would be a game back and out. NY and Boston are the Champs and WC, and there's no 1-game playoff, since both are in.

If Cleveland, Boston and New York had ended the season tied in the standings they would have played two playoff games. One for the AL East, and one for the Wildcard.

MLB now no longer holds playoff games for division titles if both teams are going to make the playoffs. Since the Yankees win total can not be matched by the Indians, if the Red Sox tied with the Yankees both teams would be in the playoffs.

Understood, thanks.

I can't believe you're watching mostly meaningless football games when there's pennant chase baseball on. ;)

SI

I'm really liking the ESPN2 coverage today. It feels like the NCAA tourney- they head to whatever game seems like it's having the most exciting situation so you can go from Phils/Nats with 1st and 3rd until the end of the inning to the White Sox threatening against the Indians and then Houston/Chicago. Good stuff :D

SI

So what is the situation going into today?

Yankees are in with the division title.

I hope they gut Millar and every single one of his posse next year. I love the Sox, but these last 2 years I haven't been a big fan of their players.

Astros win, they're in as NL Wild Card.
Red Sox win, they're in as AL Wild Card.

Astros lose and Phils win, they go to a playoff
Red Sox lose and Indians win, they go to a playoff

SI

Greg Maddux can officially kiss my ass. That guy should have retired 2 years ago. The only reason he will be in the hall of fame is because his strike zone was expanded for him during 93-99. That is all from a phillies fan.

Considering his VORP is higher than all but Brett Myers on the Phils staff and that he was slated to begin the year as the Cubs #4 starter tells me that you might be looking at this through Philly red colored glasses. ;)

SI

Oh I know he's great, just blowing off some steam. We needed some help today and it looks like we're not going to get it. 2-0 against oswalt is almost like game over.

Realistically, the Phillies only have themselves to blame. Getting swept by the Astros at home in September doesn't really help matters much.