Magic number watch: Where MLB's pennant races stand

Tom Gatto

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Magic number watch: Where MLB's pennant races stand image

The magic number is the combined number of wins by the first-place team and losses by the trailing team that will eliminate the trailing team from winning the division.

Here is how the magic numbers for Major League Baseball's division titles look on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 5:

MORE: Worst September collapse of every team | Full standings

AL East

First-place team: Blue Jays

Magic number to eliminate:
2. Yankees (29)
3. Rays (19)
4. Orioles (18)
5. Red Sox (15)

AL Central

First-place team: Royals

Magic number to eliminate:
2. Twins (16)
3. Indians (13)
4. White Sox (11)
5. Tigers (8)

AL West

First-place team: Astros
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Rangers (26)
3. Angels (23)
4. Mariners (18)
5. A's (12)

NL East

First-place team: Mets
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Nationals (24)
3. Marlins (10)
4. Braves (8)
5. Phillies (7)

NL Central

First-place team: Cardinals
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Pirates (24)
3. Cubs (20)
4. Brewers (2)
5. Reds (Eliminated)

NL West

First-place team: Dodgers
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Giants (21)
3. Diamondbacks (17)
4. Padres (17)
5. Rockies (9)

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.