Red Sox Closing In as Playoff Magic Number Drops, Despite Angels Loss

The Boston Red Sox are getting closer and closer to clinching a playoff spot.

Sep 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) hits a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox are certainly still in line for the No. 2 American League Wild Card spot, despite the fact that the club just lost a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Boston entered the Angels series riding a four-game winning streak and extended it to five in Game 1 on Monday. The Angels series should've been a way for the Red Sox to close the gap in the standings between Boston and the New York Yankees, who have the top Wild Card spot.

Instead, the Red Sox lost 6-1 on Tuesday against Los Angeles and followed up with a 6-4 loss against the Angels on Wednesday. Now, the Red Sox are 80-67 on the season and four games behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot with 15 games left to be played in the regular season. There was a point when the Red Sox got the deficit down to two games, but it doubled against the 56-90 Angels.

The Red Sox Are Close To Clinching

Sep 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) hits a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Still, the Red Sox's magic number to clinch a playoff spot shrank during the Angels series. The magic number is a combination of both wins by the club, as well as losses by rivals. So, even if the Red Sox lose, their magic number can go down, depending on how things shake out in the standings elsewhere. For Boston, its magic number is down to nine.

After the Red Sox swept their four-game series against Baltimore heading into the Angels series, their magic number was down to 12.

One thing that is nice for Boston is the fact that the club has a day off on Thursday. The Red Sox had played 14 straight games without a day off before Thursday. Their last day off was on Aug. 27. Boston has been banged up recently and has had little time off, and yet it still has been winning games, for the most part. Now, Boston has two days off in five days. The Red Sox have a day off before a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals and then will have another day off right after it on Monday.

A playoff berth is a formality at this point. The Red Sox are going to make it, barring a historic collapse. These next six games will determine if the Red Sox still have any chance of moving up in the standings. Boston will play six straight games against teams below .500 before a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Angels series didn't go Boston's way. Now, Thursday is a day to reset and get back on track.