One of the best, though more confusing, parts of Major League Baseball’s playoff chase is all the tiebreaker scenarios that come into play at season’s end. The addition of the second Wild Card spot in 2012 only furthered the possibility of a tie between teams at the end of September.
MLB playoff tiebreakers: How ties are settled for the MLB postseason
Running through all the possible tiebreaker scenarios for the MLB postseason.
Otto Greule Jr
Indeed, the Rangers and Rays finished in a tie for the second Wild Card spot in 2013, leading to a one-game playoff between the two clubs for the right to play the Indians in the one-game Wild Card play-in. The Rays ultimately prevailed and also went on to beat the Indians before heading onto the ALDS.
In the event of a tie atop a division, a single tiebreak game will be played between the two teams on Mon., Sept. 29. Home-field advantage in that contest is determined by:
- A) The two clubs’ head-to-head winning percentage in the regular season
- B) The team with the higher winning percentage in intradivision games
- C) The team with the higher winning percentage in intraleague gamesC) The team with the higher winning percentage in the last half of intraleague games
- D) The team with the higher winning percentage in the last half plus one intraleague game. If the two teams are still tied, the protocol is to continue going back one intraleague game at a time until the tie is broken
The winner of the game is crowned the division’s champion, and the loser is declared a Wild Card team. If a tie still remains between two Wild Card clubs, the loser of the game to determine the division champion will play the team from the other division at the park of the team in the other division to decide the Wild Card.
If, somehow, two clubs tie within a division at the end of September and two teams outside that division tie for a Wild Card spot, two tiebreak games will be played on Mon., Sept. 29. The two teams within the same division will play a game and the two Wild Card teams will also play. A third tiebreak game will then be played on Tue., Sept. 30 between the loser of the intradivision game and the winner of the Wild Card tiebreak game. Home-field advantage in this case will be determined by the rules above.
In the event of Wild Card tiebreak scenarios outside of any divisional implications, the rules for deciding home-field advantage will remain the same. Considering the Royals, Athletics and Mariners are all within three games of each other, a tie for an AL Wild Card spot remains possible. The same goes for the NL, though the Brewers need some serious help to catch the Giants and Pirates.
If two clubs tie for one Wild Card spot, one tiebreak game will be played on Mon., Sept. 29 to determine the winner.
If three teams are tied (say the A’s, Royals, and Mariners), they will be assigned A, B and C designations. club A would host club B on Mon., Sept. 29, and the winner would then host club C on Tuesday to determine the Wild Card club. Each team is ranked by its overall winning percentage against the other teams combined. The club with the highest overall winning percentage in that group chooses its designation, followed by the club with the next-highest winning percentage.
In the event of a four-team tie for one spot, each team will be assigned A, B, C and D designations by the same rules. club A would host club B and club C would host club D on Monday. The winners of those games would meet on Tuesday to determine the Wild Card Club.
Lastly, if three clubs tie for two Wild Card spots, each team still receives an A, B or C designation. Club A would host club B on Monday, and the winner would earn a Wild Card spot. The loser of the game would then host club C on Tuesday to determine the final Wild Card team.
If four clubs tie for two Wild Card spots, they again receive A, B, C or D designations. Club A would host club B and club C would host club D on Monday, and the two winners would be the league’s Wild Card teams.
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