Oct. 02--As we head into the last weekend of the baseball season, there are three teams battling for the second and final AL wild-card spot -- the Angels, Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins. (The Texas Rangers clinched at least a wild-card spot with their win over the Angels on Thursday and will win the AL West with another win or an Astros loss. The New York Yankees also clinched a wild-card spot Thursday).
There could be a two-way tie between Houston and Texas for the AL West title, and two-way ties between the Angels and Houston or Minnesota, or between Houston and Minnesota, for a wild-card spot. What would a tie mean for the Angels? Let's take a look:
If the Astros and Angels tie for the second wild-card spot
Tiebreaker game would be at Houston on Monday (because the Astros won the season series, 10-9).
If the Angels and Twins tie for the second wild-card spot
Tiebreaker game would be at Angel Stadium on Monday (because the Angels won the season series, 5-2).
If there's a three-way tie (Astros, Twins, Angels) for the second wild-card spot
There would be two games. The most likely scenario would be Minnesota at Houston on Monday, with the winner hosting the Angels on Tuesday. Reason: The Angels would have the best record, 14-12, against the teams they were tied with. Houston is 13-12; Minnesota 5-8. Therefore, the Angels have the choice of either potentially playing both tiebreaker games at home, or skipping the first game and playing the winner of Houston-Minnesota at that team's home park. If they choose the guaranteed home games, they would face Minnesota in Anaheim on Monday. The final tiebreaker would be played Tuesday, with the winner facing the Yankees at New York on Wednesday.
