A team close to clinching a title in baseball is said to have a magic number. A magic number? Where did this number come from and what does it mean?
Actually, it is a simple concept, which stands for the number of wins by the leading team or losses by the trailing team that will clinch the title. Once the magic number reaches zero, the race is over.
Example
A clear explanation can best be accomplished by a specific example: Consider the following baseball standings:
Indians 90-67
Tigers 85-72
White Sox 84-73
Note that in a 162 game schedule, each team has 5 games left to play. The magic number for Cleveland in this case is one over Detroit, and zero over Chicago, meaning that Chicago has already been eliminated.
For Chicago, even if they win their remaining 5 games, and Cleveland loses their five games, Cleveland will still win the division with 90 wins, compared to Chicago’s. 89.
One loss by the Tigers or one win by the Indians will result in Cleveland securing the title. With 85 wins and five games to play, any losses by the Tigers will mean the most victories they can reach is 89, short of the 90 Cleveland already has.
In the same way, any win by the Indians will put their total victories at 91, with the most the Tigers able to get to is 90. At this point either one win by the Indians or one loss will end it all for the division.
Other Factors
Although the concept of a magic number exists from the first day of the season, it generally is not mentioned until September in baseball.
Although the concept is usually reserved in baseball, the idea of a magic number is just as valid for any sport where total wins are the criteria for a title, and the number of games is a fixed. Perhaps it works best in baseball, where fewer teams reach the playoffs, and the attainment of a division title is more important than football, with multiple wild cards per conference, and basketball, where teams are seeded by conference.
Another important point is that if the first and second place teams play each other, the magic number will either stay the same, or be reduced by two depending on the outcome of the game. As an example, suppose the Red Sox lead the Yankees, with a magic number to clinch of five.
If the teams play each other, and the Yankees win, neither a Yankee loss or a Red Sox win will have occurred, and the magic number remains at five. However, if the Red Sox win, both conditions will have happened, and the magic number will drop to three.
The magic number is not really magic, just a fun and interesting way to focus attention on the pennant races.
