Magic number watch: Royals move closer to first division title since 1985

Jason Foster

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Magic number watch: Royals move closer to first division title since 1985 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 division titles look on the morning of Friday, Sept. 4:

AL East

First place team: Blue Jays
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Yankees (29)
3. Rays (20)
4. Orioles (18)
5. Red Sox (15)

AL Central

First place team: Royals
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Twins (17)
3. Indians (13)
4. White Sox (11)
5. Tigers (9)

AL West

First place team: Astros
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Rangers (28)
3. Angels (24)
4. Mariners (19)
5. A's (14)

NL East

First place team: Mets
Magic number to eliminate:
2. Nationals (24)
3. Marlins (10)
4. Braves (9)
5. Phillies (8)

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 (23)
3. Diamondbacks (19)
4. Padres (19)
5. Rockies (10)

Jason Foster

Jason Foster Photo

Jason Foster joined The Sporting News in 2015 after stops at various news outlets where he held a variety of reporting and editing roles and covered just about every topic imaginable. He is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and a 1998 graduate of Appalachian State University.