The º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøBlue Jays are two steps closer to finishing the season with the best record in the American League for just the fourth time in franchise history.
Umpires rule that a Rays three-run home run in the third inning would have been a home run either way, despite fan interference on the play. The
The Jays did it in 1985 (with a 99-62 record) when they went on to lose in heart-breaking fashion to the Kansas City Royals in the AL Championship Series, and the World Series championship seasons in 1992 (96-66, tied with Oakland A’s) and 1993 (95-67).
Finishing with the league’s best record is important as it would give that team home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
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Magic number
The magic number is the combination of wins needed by the Jays and losses by its closest competitor.
The top two teams in the league would skip the wild-card round and head straight to the division series.Â
Toronto’s magic number to clinch the AL East drops to six after both the Jays and New York Yankees hung on in the ninth inning to win. The Yankees had a 10-1 lead after four innings against the Minnesota Twins and held on to win 10-9.
The Jays’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth drops to three after the Guardians won.
The shortstop will likely be back when the Jays play in the post-season, especially if º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍø
AL standings snapshot
º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍø(89-62) has a four-game lead over Detroit (85-66) in the league standings.
The Yankees (84-67) remain five games back of the Jays and the Boston Red Sox (82-69) are seven games back.
Because the Jays hold the tiebreaker over the other three teams, º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøin reality has a five-game lead over Detroit, a six-game lead over New York and eight games over Boston.
Blue Jays
Remaining games:Ìý11
Home games: 6 — Red Sox (3), Rays (3)
Road games: 5 — Rays (2), Royals (3)
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Yankees
Remaining games:Ìý11
Home games: 6 — White Sox (3), Orioles (3)
Road games: 5 — Twins (1), Orioles (4)
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Red Sox
Remaining games:Ìý11
Home games: 5 — A’s (2), Tigers (3)
Road games: 6 — Rays (3), Blue Jays (3)
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Tigers
Remaining games:Ìý11
Home games: 5 — Guardians (2), Braves (3)
Road games: 6 — Guardians (3), Red Sox (3)
Patrick Ho is Deputy Sports Editor for the Star. He is based in
Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: .
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