The NL Wild Card, heading into Sunday, still sees three times fighting for two spots. The Atlanta Braves<\/a> (88\u201371) currently have the best record of the trio, with the New York Mets<\/a> (87\u201372) and Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> (88\u201373) close behind. Here is what must happen for each of the teams to clinch a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n Recall that a Magic Number is the combination of Team A wins plus Team B losses that will make it impossible for Team B to finish the season ahead of Team A. Click\/tap here to see the calculation method.<\/a> When you\u2019re finished, hit \u201cback\u201d in your browser to return to this article.<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks have one game remaining, hosting the San Diego Padres<\/a> Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n Both the Braves and Mets have three games remaining. On Sunday, the Mets play a road game against the NL Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> as the Braves host the Kansas City Royals<\/a>. The Braves and Mets finish their regular season slate Monday with a make-up double header in Atlanta.<\/p>\n Since the Braves hold the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks, we don\u2019t need to add one to our formula. Therefore\u2026<\/p>\n 162 \u2013 88 \u2013 73 = 1<\/p>\n \u2026their Magic Number is one. If the Braves win one more game or the Diamondbacks lose one more, the Braves are in.<\/p>\n The Mets also hold the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks. Therefore\u2026<\/p>\n 162 \u2013 87 \u2013 73 = 2<\/p>\n \u2026their magic number is two. Any combination of Mets wins or Diamondbacks losses equaling two gets the Mets into the playoffs.<\/p>\n Since the Diamondbacks are currently not in playoff position, we must calculate their magic number differently.<\/p>\n Both the Braves and Mets hold the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks, so we must add one to the formulas. For the Diamondbacks to get in at the expense of the Braves\u2026<\/p>\n 162 + 1 \u2013 88 \u2013 71 = 4<\/p>\n \u2026the magic number is four. This is only possible if the Diamondbacks win Sunday and the Braves lose all three of their remaining games. For the Diamondbacks to get in at the expense of the Mets\u2026<\/p>\n 162 + 1 \u2013 88 \u2013 72 = 3<\/p>\n \u2026the magic number is three. This gives the Diamondbacks more possibilities \u2014 a win plus two Mets losses or three Braves losses gets them in. Plus, if the Diamondbacks win Sunday and the Braves and Mets both lose, one of those two scenarios is guaranteed to happen, since one Mets loss or two Braves losses are guaranteed Monday. If the Diamondbacks lose, they can still make it, but only if the Mets fail to win another game.<\/p>\n Isn\u2019t this fun?<\/p>\nMagic Number Definition and How to Calculate<\/h3>\n
Magic Numbers for Each Remaining Team<\/h3>\n
Atlanta Braves<\/h4>\n
New York Mets<\/h4>\n
Arizona Diamondbacks<\/h4>\n
Quick Reference for All Sunday Scenarios<\/h3>\n
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