Will Red Sox Clinch Playoff Berth on Sunday? Here's How They Can Do It

The celebration was delayed on Saturday...

Sep 19, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock (22) walks to the clubhouse after he gave up the game winning RBI hit to Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Richie Palacios (1) after he during the ninth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps getting walked off by the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday created some delayed gratification for the Boston Red Sox.

If Boston had defeated the Rays, who won 2-1 on a ninth-inning bloop single from Richie Palacios, they would have eventually clinched their playoff berth when the Houston Astros lost to the Atlanta Braves. But as it stands, the magic number sits at one as gametime approaches on Sunday.

That means the Red Sox have a pair of clinching scenarios at their fingertips as they send Patrick Sandoval to the hill for their rubber match with the American League East-leading Rays. Let's run through them in brief.

Red Sox have multiple paths to wild-card clincher on Sunday

Sep 18, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Members of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after getting the final out against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Red Sox beat the Rays, they're in. Nothing anyone else does will matter, as they'll get to 85 wins and guarantee themselves one of the six best records in the AL. But thanks to the Astros' recent slide, a loss by Houston on Sunday would also send the Red Sox to the playoffs.

The Red Sox would have had a tough time getting a champagne celebration in on Saturday if they'd won, since the Astros game wrapped up three hours after theirs did. The two games start only half an hour apart on Sunday, so although a win would be preferable, there's a world where the Red Sox lose, then pop bottles anyway.

On Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays-Texas Rangers game meant something to the Red Sox. But due to Texas jumping Houston in the AL West standings, the finale between the Jays and Rangers has no bearing on the Red Sox on Sunday.

The Red Sox have already been eliminated from division title contention, so they'll be in a wild-card series no matter what. There's probably a 99% or better chance that they'll head to New York a week from Tuesday to take on the New York Yankees for a rematch of last year's first-round defeat.

Win and in, and if not, there are six more games on the table to do the same. It would be the worst collapse of all time if the Red Sox somehow missed the dance, but the sooner they can clinch, the more they'll be able to treat the upcoming week as a tune-up for October.