AL Wild-Card Race Tightens

Bo Bichette #11, Reese McGuire #7, and Danny Jansen #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrate defeating the Tampa Bay Rays during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on September 15, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The American League wild-card race couldn’t be any tighter with four games left in the 2021 MLB regular season. Four teams are separated by just two games as they fight for the AL’s final two postseason berths.

Every wild-card contender gained ground on the New York Yankees Wednesday. The Toronto Blue Jays kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating New York 6-5. The Boston Red Sox took care of business against the Baltimore Orioles. The Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics, officially eliminating the A’s from contention.

Heading into the final game of their series in Toronto Thursday, the Yankees have a one-game lead atop the wild-card standings. The Red Sox are the last team in the latest playoff picture, barely clinging onto the second wild-card spot. Seattle is a half-game behind Boston, and Toronto is a full game behind the Red Sox.

_ CURRENT AL WILD CARD STANDINGS _

New York 90-68
Boston 89-69
Seattle 89-70
Toronto 88-70
Oakland 85-74

This was fun already. It's getting better. A's are out, so the dream of a five-way tie is gone, but today went a long way toward making this a glorious next four days.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 30, 2021

Robbie Ray, front runner for the AL Cy Young Award, faces the #Yankees tomorrow night in the rubber match of this series. Corey Kluber goes for NY.

Toronto's season is on the line. New York's lead in the Wild Card race is on the line.

Biggest game of the year for both teams.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) September 30, 2021

The betting odds suggest that the Yankees will hold onto a wild-card berth. DraftKings Sportsbook gives New York -650 odds to make the playoffs.

Boston is also favored to make the postseason at -160. Seattle has +250 playoff odds, a massive jump from their +700 postseason odds just a couple of days ago. Needing some help to get a wild-card spot, Toronto has +210 odds to end up in the final playoff picture.

All of the wild-card contenders end the regular season against an opponent who has nothing on the line in their final series.

The Yankees will host the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series from Friday through Sunday. Tampa Bay has secured the No. 1 seed in the AL but can’t finish with the best record in baseball.

The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mariners are all scheduled to play teams that have been eliminated from the playoff hunt for a while and will finish below .500.