The Arizona Diamondbacks still have everything to play for.
They’re trying to chase down the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Wild Card standings, and they’ve got a legitimate chance to do so.
Both teams have two games remaining in the regular season, and the Phillies hold a one-game lead.
The margin was narrowed on Friday, when the Diamondbacks beat the Padres and the Phillies lost to the Rays.
That brings them to a pair of games each — on Saturday and Sunday — the Phillies at home against the Rays twice, while the Diamondbacks play their two in San Diego.
There are still a few different permutations of how this can play out, including a decently possible scenario in which the two teams have the same record.
And if that happens, the tiebreaker rules matter.
Who Holds Diamondbacks-Phillies Tiebreaker?
The tiebreaker here is held by the Diamondbacks.
If they finish with the same record as the Phillies, the Diamondbacks will be the team in the postseason.
MLB Tiebreaker Rules
The first tiebreaker in standings between teams with the same record is their head-to-head record this season.
That doesn’t work for Arizona and Philadelphia, though. They split six games, 3-3.
That leaves the second tiebreaker: intra-division record. That means a team’s record in its own division.
And in that tiebreaker, the Diamondbacks hold a comfortable edge.
It would be fair to wonder why that tiebreaker makes sense, given that it doesn’t compare the same divisional foes to two teams from different divisions. But that’s how it works, and so if Arizona and Philadelphia are tied after 162 games, it’ll be the Diamondbacks moving on.
Diamondbacks Playoff Scenarios
With that in mind, Arizona simply needs to tie the Phillies in record, not pass them, because a tie is essentially a win for the Diamondbacks.
With Philadelphia up by a game, that leaves two possible paths.
In one, the Diamondbacks win both of their remaining games and the Phillies split with the Rays. That’s playoffs for Arizona.
Or the other, in which the Phillies lose both to the Rays, and Arizona needs just one win against San Diego.
What can’t happen is a Phillies 2-0 finish to the season. If that happens, Arizona cannot make the postseason.
The opponents of these teams, the Rays and the Padres, have both clinched playoff spots already. San Diego can still play for seeding, but Tampa Bay can’t move in its bracket positioning at all, so maybe that will affect these series this weekend, too.
You know it’s suspenseful when there’s the possibility that after 162 games, two teams competing for the league’s final playoff spot could have the same record. So get ready for a photo finish.
Diamondbacks-Phillies Tiebreaker: How Arizona Can Make Playoffs With Same Record