The Red Sox were criticized by fans for what many felt was a quiet offseason after back-to-back seasons without a postseason appearance. Boston didn't tear down its roster, but meaningful additions that could propel the Red Sox back to October were minimal.
The results have predictably been mixed. The first half brought plenty of bright spots, including a breakout season by Jarren Duran and a surprise rookie breakthrough from Wilyer Abreu. A scorching-hot start to the year by Tanner Houck likewise inspired hopes the Red Sox might have an ace to anchor their rotation.
After floating above the wild-card cut line for a large portion of the season, however, Boston has struggled to keep pace in August and September. Rafael Devers' power has dipped in the second half, and the offense as a whole has declined.
As a result, the Red Sox have been eliminated from playoff contention.
MORE: Updated MLB standings, magic numbers
Red Sox updated MLB playoff picture, standings
With Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays, the Red Sox are officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Here are the latest wild-card standings: Standings updated after 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 25.
AL wild-card standings
- WC1: Orioles, 88-70 (.557), +4.0
- WC2: Royals, 84-74 (.532)
- WC3: Tigers, 84-74 (.532)
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- Twins, 82-76 (.519), 2.0 GB
- Mariners, 82-77 (.516), 2.5 GB
- Red Sox, 80-79 (.503), ELIMINATED
- Rays, 78-80 (.494), ELIMINATED
- Rangers, 74-83 (.471), ELIMINATED
- Blue Jays, 74-85 (.465), ELIMINATED
- Athletics, 68-89 (.433), ELIMINATED
- Angels, 63-95 (.399), ELIMINATED
- White Sox, 38-120 (.241), ELIMINATED
- White Sox, 37-120 (.236), ELIMINATED
Red Sox remaining schedule
The Red Sox close their season with a three-game series against the Rays.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Sept. 27 | vs. Rays | 7:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 28 | vs. Rays | 4:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 29 | vs. Rays | 3:05 p.m. |
MORE: Longtime Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione retiring
Red Sox MLB magic number
A magic number is the number of wins (by the leading team) and/or losses (by the trailing team) needed for a team to clinch a particular race. Because the Red Sox aren't currently in a postseason spot, they don't have a magic number.
Instead, Boston was trying to avoid an elimination number, but they are officially out of postseason contention.
MLB playoff tiebreakers
The expanded postseason format introduced in 2022 eliminated tiebreaker games, which were known as "Game 163." Instead, head-to-head tiebreakers are simply determined by head-to-head record.
If the record is even, the next tiebreaker is record within each team's division — even if they're in separate divisions. If that also fails to break the stalemate, the next tiebreaker is record within the league (American or National).
The process is a bit more complicated for three-team ties. If one team has a winning record against each of the other teams, that team wins the tiebreaker. If two teams have an identical record against each other but both have a better record against the third team, the third team is out and the head-to-head process would be used to split the remaining two teams.
Some tiebreakers won't be determined until more games are played. For example, the Mets and Braves are currently even in their season series at 5-5 and play during the final week of the regular season. The winner of that series is guaranteed to hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
