The Orioles magic number is now one, meaning that with a win tonight against the Boston Red Sox, the team could win the American League East. A win would also give the team 100 wins for the first time since 1980 and the #1 seed in the American League, giving the Orioles home field advantage in the Division Series (three homes games of a five-game series) and Championship Series (four home games in a seven-game series), if they advance.
The Orioles have a 99-59 record with four games remaining, all against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
With a magic number of one, the team only needs one more win or one more Tampa Bay Rays loss to win the division. The Rays are off tonight and have three games remaining against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend at Rogers Centre in Canada.
The Orioles also have an outside chance to clinch the overall top seed in Major League Baseball, which would give them home field advantage in a World Series appearance over any National League team (four home games in a seven-game series). The Atlanta Braves have a 102-56 record with four games remaining against the Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have a 98-60 record with four games remaining against the Colorado Rockies. All other National League teams have less than 90 wins.
If the Orioles fail to win the division, they will host the Wild Card Series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards starting on Tuesday, October 3rd. The Division Series will begin on Saturday, October 7th.
The Orioles are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They will also host playoff games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the first time since 2014 when the team was eliminated in the American League Championship series.
Photo from an ALDS game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 2014
