Magic Number Counter: Astros get big win while two more teams clinch playoff spots

Meanwhile, Shohei makes history in Miami

Regular Season Standing

Wild Card Standings

50/50 is unheard of, literally, until now. That win for the Dodgers clinched their spot in the playoffs, all while another team clinched with their second walk off win in a row.

Let’s look around the league as we get into the final week of the season on Magic Number Counter.

Houston Astros (83-70): 3, Los Angeles Angels (62-91): 1

With the Mariners win earlier in the day, Houston only had a chance to lower their number by one and that is exacting what they did. Their bats were cold the entire game, not being able to back up Kikuchi’s fantastic performance on the mound, until the end.

Angels got things started with the first batter of the game, Taylor Ward, left the yard on the sixth pitch her saw for a leadoff home run, giving the Angels the 1-0 lead. That was matched though in the fourth by the Astros.

After an error and a hit got two people on, Victor Caratini blooped one into center, scoring the runner from second and tying the game. Both teams bats went cold again after that, with another run not crossing the plate till the eighth inning. Those runs came curtesy of Jon Singleton.

With the bases loaded, all from walks, and two gone, Singleton stepped up and hit a line drive double into right-center which scored two runs and gave the Astros the lead and the 3-1 win.

That win brings the Astros magic number to five to clinch.

Seattle Mariners (78-75): 3, New York Yankees (89-64): 2

With one team having already clinched their spot in the postseason and one team trying to, this game was a must win for one of them. And that is what they managed to do.

Right off the rip, the M’s got the bases juiced with one-out and allowed Justin Turner, Jorge Polanco and J.P. Crawford to all get RBIs in the first inning can put them up 3-0 right away.

Although they didn’t put up any more runs the rest of the game, their pitching staff balled out, only allowing six hits and three walks the whole game. Two of those hits came in the third inning. After a single from Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm pimped a homer to right field, putting the Yankees on the board and bringing the score to 3-2.

That was all the offence from either team though, combining for just four more hits the rest of the game and getting the Mariners the 3-2 win. That win keeps them from calling out of contentions in the Wild Card race and keeps them just five games back of Houston for the division.

Cleveland Guardians (89-65): 3, Minnesota Twins (80-73): 2

One of the two teams to clinch the playoffs yesterday, the Guardians got a huge, comeback win yesterday over the Twins, bringing them a game back and tying them with the Tigers in the Wild Card.

After a Kyle Manzardo homer in the first gave Cleveland the early lead, Minnesota answered back with two runs of their own in the fifth. A leadoff double and a walk allowed Manuel Margot to score one on his RBI double and another one came in on an error in center, putting them up 2-1.

Just an inning and a half later though, Cleveland responded to the runs with a bases-loaded sac-fly to tie the game at two. This score led the game all the way into extras where, after having bases loaded with one out, the Twins couldn’t make anything happen, bringing up Cleveland.

After a leadoff strikeout and a one out walk, Andes Gimenez walked off the game with a single into right, scoring the runner from second and clinching their spot in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Twins are now tied with the Tigers for the final Wild Card spot, with the Mariners just two games behind the two of them.

Other games that matter

Los Angeles Dodgers: 20, Miami Marlins: 4

While this game has no effect on the Astros directly, this win made the Dodgers the fourth team in baseball to clinch a playoff spot. Now tied with the Phillies for the one seed in the NL, the Dodgers are still only four games up on the second place team in their division, meaning they only clinched a playoff spot, not their division yet. In this game though, we witnessed history. DH Shohei Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to go 50/50 with stolen bases and home runs.