As the MLB regular season draws to a close, teams vying for a playoff spot are approaching their “magic number.” But what exactly does that mean?

Below you will find an explanation of a team’s magic number and how it is calculated.

What is a magic number?

A team’s magic number is how close it is to earning a playoff spot. The magic number can also be how close the team is to winning the division or securing a wildcard spot.

How do you calculate a magic number?

The formula for a team’s magic number is as follows:

163 – (total playoff team wins + total playoff team losses) = magic number

or

Remaining matches + 1 – (second place team loses – first place team loses) = magic number.

A team’s magic number represents the combination of wins that team needs and losses to its nearest rival that will mathematically secure that team a spot in the play-offs.

Every time a team wins, the magic number drops by one. And every time that team’s closest rival for the division title (or wild card spot) loses, the magic number also drops by one.

Here’s a hypothetical example:

Team A is 87-69 and currently in a playoff spot with six games remaining in the 162-game MLB regular season. Team B is 84-72 and trails Team A by three games in the standings.

Team A’s magic number to eliminate Team B and secure a spot in the play-offs is:

163 – (87 + 72) = 4

– or –

7 – (72 – 69) = 4

This means that a combination of four wins for Team A and losses for Team B will earn Team A a spot in the play-offs.

What is the origin of the magic number?

The first known use of the term “magic number” occurred during the 1947 pennant race between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. An article in The Washington Post on September 12, 1947 stated: “The Yankees narrowed the magic number down to four. That is the combination of games the Yankees must win or the Red Sox must lose to secure the flag for the Yankees.”

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