September 1, 2009

Massive Tie Scenario

As September dawns, here’s an early look at a potential massive tie scenario in the National League this season. While a four or five way tie for the wild card is more likely, a scenario involving division winners and wild cards is much more fun, as it presents an extra day or two of playoff games. The following results produce a three way tie for the NL East and NL West, with all six teams tied for the wild card.

  • Dodgers 18-12
  • Phillies 21-13
  • Rockies 24-7
  • Giants 24-7
  • Braves 27-4
  • Marlins 28-3

I believe that the highest winning percentage possible that results in a tie. Since the Marlins and Braves play six more times, if Florida goes 29-2, the Braves at best would finish a game behind Florida.

The team that can do the most to make this happen is the Giants. They play the Rockies three times, the Phillies three times and the Dodgers six times. Next is the Marlins with six games against Atlanta and six against the Phillies. In fact, if the Marlins, Braves and Giants can win all 12 of their games against the Phillies, they’ve pretty much pulled them back to the pack.

In reality, there’s zero chance of the Braves and Marlins winning that many games. If the Marlins go 21-10, however, the Dodgers drop to 11-19. There’s only a 1% chance of the Dodgers finishing that poorly. We’ll see how this one looks in a few more days.

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