Posted By:
cmokingJay Wolt is correct.
The Yankees own the tiebreaker against the Red Sox. However, that tiebreaker is only useful if both of them would qualify for the playoffs anyway - one a Division winner and the other the Wild Card winner. This is what happened last year. The idea is that the extra playoff game to decide who wins the division and who wins the wild card is not worthwhile since both are already in...and may actually hurt both teams if they have to play the playoff game on Monday, and then start a playoff series on Tuesday. Thus there is no 163rd game if there is a tie if both are already in the playoffs.
That was the situation last year.
The situation this year is different. It is highly likely that if the Yankees and Red Sox tie, that only one team will get in. The other team will not be the Wild card winner. This is because the Central teams - Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, are likely to get the wild card spot and have more than 92 wins. Thus if there is a miraculous tie between the Yankees and the Red Sox, only one team will get in the playoffs - and they would have the 163rd game to decide who wins the division and who goes home.
Thus - Jay Wolt is correct - the Yankees still need either one win or one Red Sox loss to clinch the division.
The tie-breaker scenario may happen again this year, but in the AL Central instead. If the Twins and the Tigers tie with more than 92 wins each (very probable), then the Tigers will win the Central and the Twins the wild-card due to the Tigers 11-7 season win over the Twins.
09-20-2006, 11:42 PM
Yankees Clinch the AL East
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