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Example One: A.L. # 2 Playoff Seed | A.L. Atlantic Title
Beginning the final day of the regular season, the Tennessee Kings and the New York Yankees each have 386 points, and the Boston Red Sox have 383 points. Boston is hosting the Yankees, and the Kings are hosting the Kansas City Royals. Scenario-1: New York Yankees win over the Boston Red Sox, while Tennessee Kings win over the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees and the Kings each earn five points to tie with season totals of 391 points. New York has a better record vs A.L. opponents than does Tennessee, so the Yankees clinch the A.L.'s # 2 Playoff Seed in addition to winning the A.L. Atlantic Title. Tennessee settles for the A.L. # 3 Playoff Seed. Scenario-2: Both the Yankees-Red Sox -AND- Kings-Royals games play to 12-inning ties. Yankees and Kings each earn two points and are tied with season totals of 388 points. New York has a better record vs. A.L. opponents than does Tennessee, so the Yankees clinch the A.L.'s # 2 Playoff Seed in addition to winning the A.L. Atlantic Title. Tennessee settles for the A.L. # 3 Playoff Seed. Scenario-3: Boston defeats the N.Y. Yankees while the Kings and Royals play to a 12-inning tie. Boston earns five points for a season total of 388, clinching the A.L. Atlantic Title by two points over the Yankees. Tennessee earns two points and is tied with Boston for the A.L.'s # 2 Playoff Seed with 388 points each. The Red Sox own a 2-1-0 head-to-head advantage over the Kings, and on that basis Boston clinches the A.L. # 2 Playoff Seed. Scenario-4: Tennessee wins over the Royals, while Boston defeats New York. Tennessee's season total of 391 points vs. Boston's total of 388 clinches the A.L.'s # 2 Playoff Seed for the Kings. The Red Sox have to be content with the A.L. Atlantic Title and the A.L.'s # 3 Playoff seed. Scenario-5: Tennessee defeats Kansas City, while the Yankees and Red Sox play to a 12-inning tie. With a season total of 391 points, the Kings clinch the A.L. # 2 Playoff Seed. The N.Y. Yankees, with a season total of 388 points, clinch the A.L. Atlantic Title, as well as the A.L.'s # 3 Playoff Seed. Boston Red Sox at home vs New York Yankees .... Game was scoreless into the bottom of the 7th with two Red Sox out. Then came a two run Sox rally, and Boston led 2-0 after seven. The Yankees had scoring chances in both the 8th and 9th innings, but failed each time to take advantage. The final score was Red Sox 2 and N.Y. Yankees 0. Boston collected five points for the victory, and finished the regular season total of 388 game points, which clinched the A.L. Atlantic Title. Tennessee Kings at home vs Kansas City Royals .... The Kings took an early 3-0 lead after two innings. The Royals scored one run in their half of the 7th inning. The Kings answered with two runs in the bottom of the 8th. Leading 5-1 in the top of the 9th, the Kings were just one strike away from winning the game when the Royals rallied for two runs, making the score 5 to 3 Kings. K.C. then put two runners into scoring position, but then their batter at home plate lined out. Tennessee won the game 5-3. With five points for the win, Tennessee finished the regular season with 391 points and clinched the A.L.'s # 2 Playoff Seed. |
After the final day ---- Tennessee, 391 points .... A.L. Midwest Title, A.L. # 2 Playoff Seed Boston, 388 points ....... A.L. Atlantic Title, A.L. # 3 Playoff Seed -- Games TOTAL A.L. Atlantic Division W-L-T PTS ----------------------------------------- 1 | Boston Red Sox 76-52-4 388 ** # 3 A.L. Seed 2 | New York Yankees 76-53-3 386 3 | Baltimore Orioles 60-71-1 302 4 | Toronto Blue Jays 55-74-3 281 -- Games TOTAL A.L. Midwestern Division W-L-T PTS ----------------------------------------- 1 | Tennessee Kings 77-52-3 391 ** # 2 A.L. Seed 2 | Houston Astros 66-64-2 334 3 | Texas Rangers 56-76-0 280 4 | Kansas City Royals 49-80-3 251 # 2 Tennessee would play # 3 Boston in Week One of the A.L. Pennant Championship Series. |
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Example Two: N.L. Atlantic Division Title
Beginning the regular season's final day, the Philadelphia Phillies have 351 points, the New York Mets and Washington Nationals each have 349 points, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have 347 points. The Phillies are hosting the Pirates, while the Mets are hosting the Nationals. Scenario-1: Philadelphia defeats Pittsburgh and clinches N.L. Atlantic Title with 356 points. Winner of the Nationals-Mets game takes 2nd place in the N.L. Atlantic with 354 points, two behind Philly. Scenario-2: Philadelphia defeats Pittsburgh and clinches the N.L. Atlantic Title with 356 points. The Mets and Nationals play play to a 12-inning tie, creating a two-way tie for 2nd place in the N.L. Atlantic Division. Washington claims 2nd place on the strength of a 10-8-0 vs 8-10-0 head-to-head tie-breaker with the Mets. Scenario-3: The N.Y. Mets defeat Washington, while Pittsburgh beats Philadelphia. The Mets finish the regular season with 354 points vs 352 for the Pirates, and clinch the N.L. Atlantic Title. Scenario-4: Washington beats the N.Y. Mets, while Pittsburgh beats Philadelphia. The Nationals finish the regular season with 354 points vs 352 for the Pirates, and clinch the N.L. Atlantic Title. Scenario-5: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh play to a 12-inning tie -AND- Washington wins over the N.Y. Mets. The Nats finish the regular season with 354 points vs the Phillies' 353, clinching the N.L. Atlantic. Scenario-6: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh play to a 12-inning tie -AND- N.Y. Mets win over Washington. The Mets finish the regular season with 354 points vs the Phillies' 353, and clinch the N.L. Atlantic. Scenario-7: Pittsburgh defeats Philadelphia, while the Nationals and Mets play to a 12-inning tie. Pittsburgh, with 352 points vs. 351 for N.Y. Mets, Philadelphia and Washington, clinches the N.L. Atlantic title. The three-way tie between Philadelphia, Washington and the Mets at 351 points each is broken as follows -- The Phillies win a three-way head-to-head tie-break with the Nationals and Mets for 2nd place. Washington wins a two-way head-to-head tie-break with the Mets for 3rd place. Scenario-8: Both the N.Y. Mets-Washington -AND- Pittsburgh-Philadelphia games play to 12-inning ties. The Phillies, with a regular season total of 353 points vs 351 for the Mets and Nationals, and 349 points for the Pirates, clinches the N.L. Atlantic Title. Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies On the final day of the regular season, the visiting Pirates were trailing 2 to 0 against the Phillies at the start of the top of the 8th inning. The Pirates scored one in the 8th and two in the 9th to go ahead 3-2. Philadelphia came back to tie the game 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, then blew chances to win in both the 10th and 11th innings. In their half of the 12th, the Pirates scored twice to lead 5-3 going into the bottom of the 12th. The Phillies got one run run over in the last of the 12th, but then the would-be tying runner was thrown out at home to end the game. With their 5-4 victory over Philadelphia, Pittsburgh collected five points and moved to the top of the N.L. Atlantic with 352 points to Philly's 351. Now, the only way Pittsburgh could stay on top and win the division was if the Mets and Nationals played to a 12-inning tie. Otherwise, the Nationals-Mets winner would claim the division title. Washington Nationals at New York Mets Through seven full innings, Mets pitchers held the Nationals scoreless on three hits and two walks, but the Mets offense could get only one run over. The Nationals broke through in the eighth to tie the game at 1-1. In the top of the 9th, the Nats went ahead 2-1 on a suicide squeeze play. The Mets were retired in order in their half of the 9th, and Washington won 2-1. The five points collected from the win lifted Washington (354 regular season points) over Pittsburgh (352), and clinched the N.L. Atlantic Title for the Nationals. |
After the final day ----
Games TOTAL
N.L. Atlantic Division W-L-T PTS
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1 | Washington Nationals 70-60-2 354 ** Division Winner
2 | Pittsburgh Pirates 68-58-6 352
3 | Philadelphia Phillies 69-60-3 351
4 | New York Mets 69-61-2 349
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Example Three: N.L. Southern Division Title
At the beginning of the final day --------- Carolina, 386 points. Atlanta, 381 points. Two days prior to the final day -------- Carolina, 386 points. Atlanta, 376 points. Scenarios: Carolina Firebirds at Atlanta Braves If the Firebirds win, or if they play to a 12-inning tie vs. the Braves, then they win the N.L. Southern Division title (Firebird win over Braves: 391 points to 381 | Firebird-Braves tie: 388 to 383). If Atlanta wins, then the Braves and Firebirds are tied at 386 points each, but the victory would clinch the head-to-head season series in favor of the Braves (9-8-1 vs Carolina's 8-9-1). Atlanta would therefore win the N.L. Southern Title. Carolina-Atlanta Finale A key moment in Atlanta's march to the title came two days prior to the last day of the season when they battled Carolina through ten and one-half scoreless innings before pushing across a single run in the bottom of the 11th to win 1-0. The Braves, who before this had been 15 points down to the Firebirds and facing potential elimination, were now only ten points down (386 to 376). Atlanta won again the next day in another 11-inning thriller by a score of 4-3, and was now only five points down to Carolina going into the last game of the season. Final day pitching and defense for the Braves was simply outstanding as the Firebirds were held to no runs on two hits, no walks and no more than two base runners safe beyond 2nd base. The Braves won 3-0, collected five points and tied Carolina for the N.L. Southern Division lead with 386 points each. Aided by a head-to-head tie-break advantage (9-8-1 to 8-9-1), Atlanta claimed the N.L. Southern Division Title. |
After the final day ----
Games TOTAL
N.L. Southern Division W-L-T PTS
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1 | Atlanta Braves 76-53-3 386 *** Division Winner, aided by
2 | Carolina Firebirds 76-53-3 386 head-to-head tie-breaker
3 | Miami Marlins 62-68-2 314
4 | Tampa Bay Rays 58-74-0 290
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