The Magic Number

canyoubelieveit

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Apr 8, 2006
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Both these guys have already been shown separately, but not together in this special moment:



...and on a day that featured Brandon Phillips and Brandon Workman, it seems appropriate to show Tim McCarver's old friend Brandon Arroyo too.
 

JohnnyTheBone

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May 28, 2007
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Surprised and honored to have the privilege of posting this perfect pop song to commemorate the Red Sox magic number.
 
Last edited:

SirPsychoSquints

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Jul 13, 2005
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17 is the Mariners's elimination number, which should also be the A's magic number.

Edit: Oh, to get home field over the Yankees? Looks like 25 to obtain a tie. I haven't looked at the tie-breakers.
The A's & Yankees have split their season series. Wikipedia thinks the second tie-breaker is your division record, even if you're in different divisions.

Oakland is currently 30-34 and have 12 games left against division opponents. The Yankees are 34-26 and have 16 games left against division opponents. If the A's tie the Yankees on record (picking up 3.5 games), this could go either way.

The next tie-breaker is against AL opponents - the A's have a better inter-league record than the Yankees do, and there are no more inter-league games left for either, so if the two teams are tied, the Yankees will have a better record against the AL.

Edit: So I think 26 is the appropriate magic number for the A's to get the #1 WC slot. OTOH, if they accomplish this, there's a decent chance they pass Houston as well, who the MFY control the season-series tie-breaker with.
 

m0ckduck

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Jul 20, 2005
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Sam Ray Not

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Jul 19, 2005
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17 is the Mariners's elimination number, which should also be the A's magic number.

Edit: Oh, to get home field over the Yankees? Looks like 25 to obtain a tie. I haven't looked at the tie-breakers.
Hmm, head-to-head is tied 3-3, so it looks like the next tiebreak is intra-divisional record, where the MFY have a pretty solid edge (34-26 to the A's 30-34). So I guess I'll stick with a Boggsian magic number of 26, to be safe.

(Edit: what you said!)

Back on the Sox, another fun, fairly magical number: a 55.5 game lead over the Orioles.
 

Humphrey

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Aug 3, 2010
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Apologies if he was already posted, didn't spot him. Aside: when he played he looked huge muscle-development-wise compared to his opponents. Would be average nowadays if that.

 

TeddysBonefish

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Jul 26, 2006
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It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The magic number sat
In the cedar-limbs.
 

JohnnyTheBone

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Actually someone got there hours before you: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/the-magic-number.24597/page-10#post-2992565

But, whatever, it deserves to be posted twice. Maybe three times.

(I rolled out of bed, saw the Yanks had lost, immediately came here to post it but found to my satisfaction that it had already been taken care of).
Hot diggity damn, you are absolutely correct. Not sure how I missed it. Makes sense, as I was stunned not to see it this morning. Well, let me provide a bonus track, then...
Consider it my penance.