Was This Game Really Necessary? The New Wild-Card Rules Say Yes

The Angels won the season series against the Mariners, 7-5, so why did the teams have to meet Monday in a one-game playoff to determine the American League’s final playoff representative? Because the New York Yankees had a better record than both teams to earn the wild-card berth.

According to a predetermined league format, when there is a tie for a division championship and the breaking of that tie will result in the losing team not being the wild card, that tie will be broken with a one-game playoff, the home team determined by coin flip.

Had the Yankees finished behind the Angels and Mariners, the Angels would have advanced to the playoffs as the West champion by virtue of their regular-season record against the Mariners, and Seattle would have been the wild-card team.