The Seattle Mariners go into the final series of the regular season not just alive for a postseason berth in the American League, but tied for the AL’s second wild card.
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They still have a handful of other teams to deal with, though. What happens if the Mariners end up tied with another team for a wild card spot? Or if they end up tied with several other teams for one wild card? Or both wild cards?
Chaos Ball isn’t limited to on the field for these Mariners, it seems. Here’s a look at all the tiebreaker scenarios that could happen.
Two-club tie for one wild card
Protocol: One tiebreak game will be played on Monday, Oct. 4 (tentatively) to determine the wild card. Home-field advantage will be determined by the rules below for a two-team tiebreaker, which is based on head-to-head records from the regular season.
• Mariners/Red Sox selection order
1. Boston
2. Seattle
• Mariners/Yankees selection order
1. New York
2. Seattle
• Mariners/Blue Jays selection order
1. Seattle
2. Toronto
Three-club ties
Protocol for one wild card: After clubs have been assigned A, B and C designations, Club A would host Club B on Monday, Oct. 4 (tentatively). The winner of the game would then host Club C on Tuesday, Oct. 5 (tentatively) to determine the wild card winner.
Protocol for two wild cards: After clubs have been assigned their A, B and C designations, Club A would host Club B on Monday, Oct 4 (tentatively). The winner of the game would be declared one wild card winner. Club C would then host the loser of the game between Club A and Club B on Tuesday, Oct. 5 (tentatively) to determine the second wild card.
• Mariners/Red Sox/Blue Jays selection order
1. Boston
2. Seattle
3. Toronto
• Mariners/Red Sox/Yankees selection order
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Seattle
• Mariners/Yankees/Blue Jays selection order
1. Toronto
2. New York
3. Seattle
Four-club ties
Protocol for two wild cards: After clubs have been assigned their A, B, C and D designations, Club A would host Club B, and Club C would host Club D on Monday, Oct. 4 (tentatively). The winners of each of those games would be declared the wild card clubs.
• Selection order
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Toronto
4. Seattle
More Mariners coverage from 710Sports.com
• Salk: What sets these M’s apart is they’re playing like a playoff team
• Shannon Drayer: Why this Mariners run is real, how Anderson’s start helped
• Mike Blowers: M’s playing their best baseball as they make a run at playoffs
• ‘The future is now’: Scott Servais on Mariners’ final push for playoffs
• Who is Mariners rookie Matt Brash? What you need to know
• Dave Sims: What stands out about how Mariners have stayed in the race
