While it does seem a little weird, there
is a
Magic Number countdown for playoff spots in MLB. For your
2016 Carmine Hose,
the number to clinch the AL East title is 25. That is, any combination of Red Sox wins and Blue Jay losses that totals 25 gives the Sox the
'gonfalon'. Now, this is
particularly silly, since there are
only 24 games remaining in the regular season—and Boston and Toronto are flat-out again tied atop the division. Of course, starting Friday, this number could start ratcheting down
big time (as a certain presidential candidate might say). That's because the Jays and Sox engage in a crucial three-game set at
SkyDome (September 9,10,11)—followed by a season-ending triple-set at Fenway (September 30, October 1& 2). So, if Boston wins
all six, that number gets sliced from 25 to 13 (with 18 other games to bring it down to zero). OK, this is pretty dumb—but fun.
