2024 MLB postseason: Magic number for Cleveland Guardians to make playoffs

The AL East was expected to be a very competitive division in 2024. However, many preseason predictions had the Guardians below the likes of the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins . Alas, here we are. With less than a month until the postseason begins, the Cleveland Guardians are back atop the AL Central, thanks in large part to tremendous offensive outputs from players like Jose Ramirez , Steven Kwan , and David Fry .

Despite immense competition from within their own division, the Guardians have remained one of the American League's most competitive teams. That said, with just 12 games to go, they still have not secured a spot in the postseason.

While their odds are incredibly high, the Guardians still need a few wins or key losses from other teams in order to reach the playoffs. Here is the Guardians' magic number for the postseason and division as of September 17.

What is the Guardians' magic number to make the 2024 MLB postseason?

• Guardians to reach MLB postseason: 2 (hold tiebreaker over DET)
• Guardians to win AL Central: 7

Latest MLB standings

American League:

AL East:

1. New York Yankees: 87-63
2. Baltimore Orioles: 84-66
3. Boston Red Sox: 75-75
4. Tampa Bay Rays: 73-77
5. Toronto Blue Jays: 72-78

AL Central:

1. Cleveland Guardians : 87-64
2. Kansas City Royals: 82-69
3. Minnesota Twins: 79-71
4. Detroit Tigers: 78-73
5. Chicago White Sox: 36-115

AL West:

1. Houston Astros: 81-69
2. Seattle Mariners: 77-73
3. Texas Rangers: 71-79
4. Oakland Athletics: 65-86
5. Los Angeles Angels: 60-90

National League:

NL East:

1. Philadelphia Phillies: 90-60
2. New York Mets: 82-68
3. Atlanta Braves: 81-69
4. Washington Nationals: 68-82
5. Miami Marlins: 55-95

NL Central:

1. Milwaukee Brewers: 87-63
2. Chicago Cubs: 77-73
3. St. Louis Cardinals: 75-75
4. Cincinnati Reds: 73-78
5. Pittsburgh Pirates: 71-79

NL West:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: 86-61
2. San Diego Padres: 86-65
3. Arizona Diamondbacks: 83-67
4. San Francisco Giants: 73-78
5. Colorado Rockies: 58-93

When does the MLB postseason start?

Although the MLB regular season finishes on Sunday, September 29. There will be one day between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason. The postseason will begin with the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, October 1.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 MLB postseason: Magic number for Cleveland Guardians to make playoffs