MLB Playoff Picture: Sorting Through AL Wild Card Scenarios

We could see some serious chaos down the stretch in the American League to close the 2021 season.

We're less than a week from the conclusion of the 2021 regular season, and postseason field still isn't set as the chase for the World Series looms. 

The National League field is almost complete, with the NL East race standing as the only unfinished battle. The Dodgers, Brewers, Giants and Cardinals have snagged four playoff spots, while Atlanta's magic number to clinch the NL East is now at one. As for the American League, the Rays and White Sox have clinched their respective divisions in the American League, and the Astros enter Thursday night with a magic number of one. The wild card race provides the real intrigue. 

The Yankees enter Thursday at 90–68, one game ahead of Boston for the top wild-card spot. And a log jam sits below the two AL East powers. Seattle and Toronto enter Thursday night at 89–70 and 87–70, respectively, well within striking distance of both the Yankees and Red Sox. Such jumbled standing could lead to some serious chaos after Game 162.

So how would the various potential tiebreakers work? Let's dive into the options below:

Two teams tied for second wild card: 

If two teams tie for the second wild-card spot, they will play a Game 163 on Monday, Oct. 4 before the wild card game. 

Three-way tie for two wild-card spots.

In a three-way tie, the team with the best regular-season head-to-head record against each of the others will get to host the first tiebreaker game, with the winner advancing automatically to the wild card. The loser would then face the third team the next day, with the winner of that matchup earning the second wild-card spot. 

Four-way tie for two wild-card spots: 

This is actually a fairly simple scenario, in which a four-team bracket is created to find the final two playoff teams. Home field would be determined by the combined winning percentage against the other three teams.