Magic Number In Baseball (A Real Life Example)

October baseball is magic.

So many indelible memories have been pressed upon fans over the years due to the trials, triumphs and tribulations brought about by postseason baseball. Bill Mazeroski’s homer to end the 1960 World Series brought elation to the steel city of Pittsburgh while it knocked the air out of the never-sleeping metropolis of New York.

 

Meanwhile, some October performances are so stirring, that even the defeated ballclub has to stand up and applaud the victor. Take for instance Madison Bumgarner’s five inning save of game seven of the 2014 World Series. It was a save that came on the heels of his dominating victories in games 1 and 5 of that same series. Although the pain was real, Kansas City fans were forced to tip their caps to “MadBum” and his San Francisco club.

 

But even before the magic of October begins, there is enchantment that occurs during the final month of baseball’s regular season. The storylines thicken as the regular season closes down during the waning half of September. Some players rise to the mounting pressure while others plunge under the duress of knowing that their individual performance could gain their team entry or ultimately bar their squad from the postseason. So much human interest goes into these final weeks of the regular season. So much can be dissected. So much information can crush seasoned and novice fans alike.

 

But there is an element that can simplify a team’s march to the postseason: the Magic Number.

 

 

What is the Magic Number in Baseball?

To answer directly, Major League Baseball defines a magic number as the following:

“the combination of wins needed by [your] team and losses by its closest competitor to clinch a given goal.”

And if you want to calculate a Magic Number on your own you can do so following the formula below that is outlined by the website Omni Calculator:

[Mɴ = Tɢ - Wᴛ - Lo + 1]

• • Mɴ = Magic number
  • Tɢ = Total number of games in season (for MLB; this is always 162)
  • Wᴛ = Total number of games won by your team
  • Lo = Total number of games lost by your closest opponent

A Real-Life Case Study From 2023 Season

 

Ultimately, it shook out that Houston took all 3 games of their final series against Arizona. Meanwhile, Texas won just 1 game while losing three against the Seattle Mariners to close out their final four games of the season. 

 

When you add up Houston's wins (3) and Texas' losses (3) from the end of Septmber 27th through the end of the regular season, you'll see that Houston's Magic Number of 6 to win the division was met.

 

Those that follow professional baseball closely will know that Texas ultimately got the last laugh as they did get into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. From there they eventually met up with Houston in the American League Championship series and won. Thus, they advanced to the World Series and in five games, took down the Arizona Diamondbacks for the MLB title.

 

 

When Does It Make Sense To Start Looking At Magic Numbers?