Games 17 & 18 (5-run win counts as 3 games to 0 sweep, otherwise winner awarded 2 games to 1 series win)
- Kluber wrapped up the Cy Young, retiring the minimum 24 batters through 8 innings before a 9th inning error allowed on run across. He finished the season 12-3 with a 0.75 ERA, and Alonso, Kipnis and Ramirez all hit solo shots in the final two innings to provide a sweep with a 6-1 win. The Indians then fell behind 7-0 in the second inning of the nightcap before turning it over to their incredible pen. Allen, Goody, Miller and Hand threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings and the Indians rallied for an incredible 9-7 come-from-behind win to open a 4-game lead in the AL Central with 6 "games" to play. Encarnacio had a single, double and homer, and was robbed by a diving catch by gold glove nominee Kiermaier - scoring after all three hits.
- The eliminated Twins played the ultimate spoiler. The Astros appeared well on their way to clinching the AL West with a 2-0 lead and Keuchel having set down the first 11, including the first five by strikeout. However, Sano broke that up with a home run and the Twins used two defensive gems by Polanco at shortstop and eventually won 5-4 in 13 innings on a pinch hit double by Castillo. With only one PB2-8 starter and one PB2-8 in the pen after Giles departure, the Astros are vulnerable. Santana finished 11-4 with a 3.72 ERA, while Keuchel settled for a final 10-5 despite a 1.68 ERA. The Twins then chased All-Star winner Verlander in the 4th, with 8 of their 17 hits going for extra base hits in a 13-2 route that ballooned Verlander to a final 3.90 ERA and 9-6 win. Morrison was the one Twin with four hits, including a double and homer. The Astros slipped to 33-21 to leave the Mariners four games back and A's five games back with six games to go.
- The Red Sox vs. Yankees was saved for the next-to-last series and was more than worth the wait. In a duel of aces, Severino went 6 1/3 in a 2-1 win to finish 10-5 with a 2.23 ERA. He needed help from the Yanks incredible pen and a diving catch in leftfield by Gardner that would have been a game-tying double by Betts if almost anyone else was playing leftfield. Sale's tough loss luck dropped him to 11-4 with a 1.49 ERA despite an incredible complete game, 13 strikeout, 0 walk, 4 hit outing that was only spoiled by a clutch homer by Torres in the fourth. That pitchers' due left the Red Sox needing a 5-run sweep in the finale to catch the Yankees, and they got it in one of the most unbelievable games we can recall. The starters gave up a combined 10 runs in 4 innings, meaning the Red Sox Price finished 8-7, 3.16 and newly acquired Happ finished 4-8 with a 6.98 ERA between Toronto and the Yankees. The Yankees had eight singles in the first three innings before Hick's 3-run double gave them a 7-5 lead - but Benintendi gunned out Torres trying to score from second on a single and the Red Sox pen allowed only one hit in the final six innings. The Yanks unbelievable wealth of PB2-8 and PB2-9 lockdown pitchers let them go to Betances in the third inning to protect the 7-5 lead, but the best hitter in the game - JD Martinez - drilled a 3-run homer to give the Red Sox the lead for good at 9-7. However they still needed more runs for the sweep. Cleanup hitter Devers started on the bench due to Happ being a lefty, but he came in to deliver a 2-run homer to provide the 13-7 margin. The Yankees catcher Sanchez apparently had enough of the strikezone once 13 runs were given up, and was thrown out of the game for arguing balls and strikes and then Kimbrel came in for a 1-2-3 ninth to preserve the win and even the two teams at 33-21 atop the AL East. The Red Sox get the Angels and the Yankees get the Rays to finish the season, and if the two teams finished tied but the second place team would still be a wild card, then the Red Sox would claim the division due to the 4-2 series head-to-head win from these games.
- The Oakland A's showed off the AL's best bullpen in a 1-0 win and 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Orioles to virtually eliminate the Orioles. Those wins set up their final series with the surprising White Sox as a likely play-in for the last playoff spot. Mengden went 6.1 innings as part of a four-pitcher shutout to finish 7-8 with a stellar 2.42 ERA, and the speedy Fowler led off the game with a single and scored on a double by Lowrie to provide the winning margin. (Playing the bottom of the 9th only to see if they could turn the win into a sweep, Joyce hit a 3-run homer to fall one short, for a 4-run margin). In the nightcap, Beckman's sixth-inning homer in the 6th held up until two outs in the bottom of the 8th. Cobb (a PB2-8 for that inning due to the shutout in progress) walked LuCroy, who then failed to take an extra base on consecutive singles by Lowrie or Olson. Realizing all that mattered was a single or a walk, the A's took the unusual step of pinch-hitting for their power hitting cleanup man Davis with the lefthanded Maxwell with a better on-base percentage, and the move made all the difference as the left-right combination helped him single in the tying run, and the Powell followed with another single to make it 2-1 and improve the A's to 28-26, one game behind the Mariners and ChiSox for the last playoff spot. If they win the final series they would likely win out among the three teams, but the Mariner's could still make it if they also win their series against the tough Indians.
- Seattle's ace Leake (final 8-4, 1.40) pitched Seattle to a 3-game sweep (7-2 score) to move 1/2 game ahead of the White Sox for the final wild-card spot. The most astonishing final record of the year is for Ohtani who appeared every bit the Cy Young winner but finished 4-1 with a 4.83 ERA after his 8th and 9th hits allowed were homers to Cano and Healy to chase him in the sixth inning. This made the A's the first team to be eliminated from their divisional race. Despite a 2-run homer by Ohtani, 2 diving catches by Upton and a complete game shutout by Richards lowering his final ERA to 1.30, the Angels needed a 5-run win/sweep to stay alive and were eliminated with a 22-32. Even if they beat the Red Sox by at least 5-runs in Games 19 and 20 they would finish 28-32, and the Red Sox, White Sox and now Mariners all have 29 wins already as the top three wild card teams.
- The White Sox dodged bullets to split six games with Kansas City to move to 29-25 - still in a spot for the last wild card spot but leaving Seattle and Oakland close. The expected pitchers duel between aces Duffy (for KC) and the White Sox Giolito was a 1-0 KC lead on a Duda home run through seven innings, but a double by Castillo in the 8th tied it and Moncada hit a triple with one out in the ninth to plate Anderson with the winner. Giolito and Duffy finished with identical 2.23 ERAs, though Duffy had one more win at 10-5. KC then almost pulled off the three-game sweep (5+ run win) in the next game when Cuthbert pinch hit for Duda against PB2-8 rookie lefty Fry and hit a 3-run homer that made it 7-2. Castillo, who has hit cleanup in Statis-Pro while actually sitting a suspension and homered earlier, then hit a 2-run double in the 8th to keep the final 7-4 score as just 2 games to 1 win to even the overall at 3 games apiece.
| East | Div 1 | Div 2 | Div 3 | Final Non-Div | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Bos 2-4 | Bal 4-2 | TB | None | 33 | 21 | 0 |
| Boston | NYY 4-2 | Bal 5-1 | TB 4-2 | Min 4-2, LA | 33 | 21 | 0 |
| Baltimore | NYY 2-4 | Bos 1-5 | TB 3-3 | Oak 2-4, Hou | 25 | 29 | -8 |
| Tampa Bay | NYY | Bos 2-4 | Bal 3-3 | Chi 2-4, Cle 1-5 | 21 | 33 | -12 |
| Central | Div 1 | Div 2 | Div 3 | Final Non-Div | W | L | GB |
| Cleveland | ChW 3-3 | KC 4-2 | Min 2-4 | TB5-1, Sea | 33 | 21 | 0 |
| Chicago | Cle 3-3 | KC 3-3 | Min 5-1 | TB 4-2, Oak | 29 | 25 | -4 |
| Kansas City | Cle 2-4 | ChW 3-3 | Min | None | 24 | 30 | -9 |
| Minnesota | Cle 4-2 | ChW 4-2 | KC | Bos 2-4, Hou 5-1 | 25 | 29 | -8 |
| West | Div 1 | Div 2 | Div 3 | Final Non-Div | W | L | GB |
| Houston | Sea 4-2 | Oak 4-2 | LAA 5-1 | Min 1-5, Bal | 33 | 21 | 0 |
| Seattle | Hou 2-4 | Oak 4-2 | LAA 4-2 | Cle | 29 | 25 | -4 |
| Oakland | Hou 2-4 | Sea 2-4 | LAA 3-3 | Bal 4-2, Chi | 28 | 26 | -5 |
| Los Angeles | Hou 1-5 | Sea 2-4 | Oak 3-3 | Bos | 22 | 32 | -11 |
As we break into AL Divisional Play, we set up this checklist to make sure each team plays each of the remaining three teams in their division. The Yankees and Royals have not played any of the three remaining teams in their division, so their next three series will each be against a divisional foe.
For each team, look for their opponent in Bold for their next series (Series 8, to take the team on the top line, the New York Yankees, their next opponent is "Bal" or Baltimore).
Once that 6-game record is noted, their next series will be the opponent in italics (Series 9, for New York their opponent after Baltimore is Boston).
Their final series of the season will be with their underlined opponent (Final Series 10, for New York Tampa Bay is the final series and thus underlined).
Updated Standings Below: With just games 17, 18, 19 and 20 left before the playoffs, every team that qualified to play the final six games is mathematically alive. The longest shot is the Los Angeles Angels, who are 12 games behind the Houston Astros meaning the Angels would need to win all four games by at least 5 runs to get credit for a 12-0 mark, and the Astros would have to lose all four of their remaining games by at least five runs for an 0-12 mark in order to have both team finish 32-28.
The following is a list of the 15th through 20th game for each team with their starting pitchers and his Won-Loss Record and ERA in Statis-Pro. Team team's are listed alphabetically. Their starting pitcher is listed to the right with their win-loss record and ERA coming into the game. Once the game is played, the number of "Runs Scored" (RS) and then if they are credited for 0, 1, 2 or 3 wins for the game (5-run or more win is a 3-game sweep).
The opponent is then listed and the runs allowed to them and then whether the team received 0, 1, 2 or 3 losses under "L." As games are played, those numbers are filled in and the records above are adjusted until Game 20 is over and teams are in the playoffs.
Keuchel kept his Cy Young hopes alive with a 1-0 win over fellow All-Star Leake to improve to 9-3, 1.40 ERA going into his final start. Berrios (MN) finished the season 45 with a 3.72 ERA and Skaggs from LAA finished 4-11 with a 7.07 ERA. The aces all throw for the last time in their teams Game 17 and if Kluber shuts down Tampa Bay his 9-3, 0.70 ERA then he will wrap up the Cy Young. However, if he were to struggle, then either the Red Sox Sale (10-2, 1.40 ERA) or Keuchel (9-3, 1.40 ERA) would be the most likely to take the Cy Young with a strong showing against the Yankees or Twins, respectively.
Bold = Season Final Record and ERA. Not bold indicates stats are still before the final start.
| Game 17 | RS | W | Opponent | RA | L | Starting Pitcher | W | L | ERA |
| Baltimore | 0 | Oakland | 4 | Cashner, Baltimore | 8 | 4 | 2.33 | ||
| Boston | 1 | New York | 2 | Sale, Boston | 11 | 4 | 1.49 | ||
| Chicago | 3 | Kansas City | 1 | Giolito, Chicago | 9 | 6 | 2.23 | ||
| Cleveland | 6 | Tampa Bay | 1 | Kluber, Cleveland | 12 | 3 | 0.75 | ||
| Houston | 4 | Minnesota | 5 | Keuchel, Houston | 10 | 5 | 1.68 | ||
| Kansas City | 1 | Chicago | 3 | Duffy, Kansas City | 10 | 5 | 2.23 | ||
| Los Angeles | 2 | Seattle | 7 | Ohtani, Los Angeles | 4 | 11 | 4.83 | ||
| Minnesota | 5 | Houston | 4 | Santana, Minnesota | 9 | 6 | 3.72 | ||
| New York | 2 | Boston | 1 | Severino, New York | 10 | 5 | 1.86 | ||
| Oakland | 4 | Baltimore | 0 | Mengden, Oakland | 7 | 8 | 2.42 | ||
| Seattle | 7 | Los Angeles | 2 | Leake Sea, Seattle | 8 | 4 | 1.40 | ||
| Tampa Bay | 1 | Cleveland | 6 | Faria, Tampa Bay | 4 | 11 | 7.06 | ||
| Game 18 | RS | W | Opponent | RA | L | Starting Pitcher | W | L | ERA |
| Baltimore | 1 | Oakland | 3 | Cobb, Baltimore | 6 | 9 | 4.28 | ||
| Boston | 13 | New York | 7 | Price, Boston | 8 | 7 | 3.16 | ||
| Chicago | 4 | Kansas City | 7 | Lopez, Chicago | 9 | 3 | 3.25 | ||
| Cleveland | 9 | Tampa Bay | 7 | Clevenger, Cleveland | 11 | 4 | 2.97 | ||
| Houston | 2 | Minnesota | 13 | Verlander, Houston | 9 | 6 | 3.90 | ||
| Kansas City | 7 | Chicago | 4 | Junis, Kansas City | 4 | 8 | 4.42 | ||
| Los Angeles | 2 | Seattle | 0 | Richards, Los Angeles | 8 | 7 | 1.30 | ||
| Minnesota | 13 | Houston | 2 | Barrios, Minnesota | 4 | 2 | 3.26 | ||
| New York | 7 | Boston | 13 | Happ, Toronto-NYY | 4 | 8 | 6.98 | ||
| Oakland | 3 | Baltimore | 1 | Manaea, Oakland | 8 | 7 | 3.54 | ||
| Seattle | 0 | Los Angeles | 2 | Paxton, Seattle | 9 | 6 | 2.98 | ||
| Tampa Bay | 7 | Cleveland | 9 | Snell, Tampa Bay | 4 | 8 | 6.05 | ||
| Game 19 | RS | W | Opponent | RA | L | Starting Pitcher | W | L | ERA |
| Baltimore | Houston | Ramirez, Baltimore | 1 | 2 | 4.65 | ||||
| Boston | Los Angeles | Pomeranz, Boston | 2 | 1 | 6.51 | ||||
| Chicago | Oakland | Shields, Chicago | 2 | 10 | 6.51 | ||||
| Cleveland | Seattle | Carrasco, Cleveland | 4 | 8 | 6.28 | ||||
| Houston | Baltimore | Morton, Houston | 7 | 5 | 3.02 | ||||
| Kansas City | Minnesota | Keller, Kansas City | 1 | 2 | 1.86 | ||||
| Los Angeles | Boston | Meyer, Los Angeles | debut | ||||||
| Minnesota | Kansas City | Odiorizzi, Minnesota | 2 | 7 | 8.06 | ||||
| New York | Tampa Bay | Sabathia, New York | 7 | 2 | 2.48 | ||||
| Oakland | Chicago | Graveman, Oakland | 6 | 6 | 4.42 | ||||
| Seattle | Cleveland | Hernandez, Seattle | 8 | 4 | 2.09 | ||||
| Tampa Bay | New York | Stanek, Tampa Bay | 3 | 6 | 5.27 | ||||
| Game 20 | RS | W | Opponent | RA | L | Starting Pitcher | W | L | ERA |
| Baltimore | Houston | Bundy, Baltimore | 5 | 7 | 3.72 | ||||
| Boston | Los Angeles | Eovaldi, TB-Boston | debut | ||||||
| Chicago | Oakland | Santiago, Chicago | 5 | 4 | 3.72 | ||||
| Cleveland | Seattle | Bauer, Cleveland | 6 | 6 | 4.42 | ||||
| Houston | Baltimore | Cole, Houston | 7 | 5 | 3.72 | ||||
| Kansas City | Minnesota | Fillmyer, Kansas City | 1 | 2 | 6.51 | ||||
| Los Angeles | Boston | Shoemaker, Los Angeles | 7 | 5 | 4.88 | ||||
| Minnesota | Kansas City | Gibson, Minnesota | 5 | 7 | 4.65 | ||||
| New York | Tampa Bay | Lynn, Min-NYY | 2 | 1 | 2.79 | ||||
| Oakland | Chicago | Triggs, Oakland | 7 | 5 | 3.02 | ||||
| Seattle | Cleveland | LeBlanc, Seattle | 1 | 2 | 5.58 | ||||
| Tampa Bay | New York | Castillo, Tampa Bay | 2 | 1 | 2.79 |
'
Season Ends (possible tie-breaking extra game):
1. Tie-breaker for home advantage or for team that gets buy in case of a 3-team tie is as follows; a) head-to-head, b) if same division then division record, c) run differential.
2. Tie-breaker only played if one team tied must miss the playoffs. The one game played is considered an extra regular season game and only counts as one game (our other AL games count as a 3-game series with 5-run wins counted as a sweep and other wins as 2 games to 1.
3. For the home advantage in the wild-card game or to determine who wins the division if the 2nd place team makes it as a wildcard, or 5-game playoff series does not require an extra game, simply use the tie-breaker in 1 above for home advantage and no tie-breaker game is played.
Playoffs - Wild Card
2nd Wild Card visits 1st Wild Card in a one-game playoff
Playoffs - Divisional Series
Top team vs. Wild Card winner best of 5. Team with the best record in the league hosts the wild card winning in Games 1, 2 and if necessary Game 5 in a best of five series, with the Wild Card team hosting Games 3 and if necessary 4. Because of the disadvantage of having to use their ace in the wild card game, the wild card team would likely end up with their second best starting pitcher in Games 1 and 5, while the 1st place team would likely get their top pitcher in those two games.
Other 2 divisional winners. The Divisional Winner with the 2nd best record hosts Games 1, 2 and if necessary 5 against the Divisional Winner with the worst of the three records.
Playoffs - League Championship Series
If the team with the top record in the league defeats the Wild Card team in the Divisional Series then they host Games 1, 2 and if necessary 6 and 7 against the other Divisional Series winner. If the Wild Card team defeats the team with the best record in the Divisional Series, then they host games 3, 4 and 5 against the other Divisional Winner.
World Series
The winner of the Championship Series will host Games 3, 4 and if necessary 5 of the World Series since the NL won the season series with the AL.
Season Ends (possible tie-breaking extra game):
1. Tie-breaker for home advantage or for team that gets buy in case of a 3-team tie is as follows; a) head-to-head, b) if same division then division record, c) run differential.
2. Tie-breaker only played if one team tied must miss the playoffs. The one game played is considered an extra regular season game and only counts as one game (our other AL games count as a 3-game series with 5-run wins counted as a sweep and other wins as 2 games to 1.
3. For the home advantage in the wild-card game or to determine who wins the division if the 2nd place team makes it as a wildcard, or 5-game playoff series does not require an extra game, simply use the tie-breaker in 1 above for home advantage and no tie-breaker game is played.
Playoffs - Wild Card
2nd Wild Card visits 1st Wild Card in a one-game playoff
Playoffs - Divisional Series
Top team vs. Wild Card winner best of 5. Team with the best record in the league hosts the wild card winning in Games 1, 2 and if necessary Game 5 in a best of five series, with the Wild Card team hosting Games 3 and if necessary 4. Because of the disadvantage of having to use their ace in the wild card game, the wild card team would likely end up with their second best starting pitcher in Games 1 and 5, while the 1st place team would likely get their top pitcher in those two games.
Other 2 divisional winners. The Divisional Winner with the 2nd best record hosts Games 1, 2 and if necessary 5 against the Divisional Winner with the worst of the three records.
Playoffs - League Championship Series
If the team with the top record in the league defeats the Wild Card team in the Divisional Series then they host Games 1, 2 and if necessary 6 and 7 against the other Divisional Series winner. If the Wild Card team defeats the team with the best record in the Divisional Series, then they host games 3, 4 and 5 against the other Divisional Winner.
World Series
The winner of the Championship Series will host Games 3, 4 and if necessary 5 of the World Series since the NL won the season series with the AL.
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