# Baseball/Math Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2000, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108 "2000-09-05T17:13:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/1 "2000-09-05T17:13:33Z")
Can somebody please tell me what the Cardinals’ magic number is? Mrs. Rastahomie needs to know this. Neither the Cardinals’, Major League Baseball, nor Yahoo! Sports’ websites were of any help, and running a search under “Cardinals+magic+number” gave me a Vatican phone directory :rolleyes: . Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/2 "2000-09-05T17:17:48Z")
Take the maximum wins that the current second place team could possibly have (162 minus their current losses). Add one. Subtract the number of wins that the Cardinals currently have. This is the magic number. ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/3 "2000-09-05T17:20:23Z")
You’d have to also factor in the number of times that the Cardinals played the second place team. They both can’t win the games they play each other. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/4 "2000-09-05T17:23:10Z")
It happens to be 17 as I post this. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/5 "2000-09-05T17:37:10Z")
Actually, Major League Baseball does have the formula on its website. It’s just not in a logical place. It was located in the same section where it tells you how to figure out averages and such. > [@](#): > > Magic Numbers: Determine the number of games yet to be played, add one, then subtract the number of games ahead in the loss column of the standings from the closest opponent. > > The Rangers are 67-45 with 50 games remaining. The A’s are in second place with a 61-52 record. So here’s Texas’ magic number: > Games remaining (50) +1=51. 51-7=44. The Rangers’ magic number to clinch the AL West is 44. Note that it’s the loss column that factors in to this. Once your team has lost more games than the team ahead of you can possibly lose, you’re screwed. The number of times that the two teams play each other isn’t relevant. If the team in first beats the team in second, then its magic number goes down by 2. The magic number is the total of wins by the first place team and/or losses by the second place team needed to clinch the title. ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/6 "2000-09-05T17:38:22Z")
**Steve-o,** The factor that you cite has no impact on the magic number. The magic number is the amount of your wins plus opponents losses need to win. If you have games against the second place team each win in those games will take two off the magic number. But the magic number itself does not reflect this. ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/7 "2000-09-05T20:48:12Z")
\<------ corrected ---
**Author:** ![jcgmoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jcgmoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcgmoi)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/8 "2000-09-05T21:27:52Z")
Here’s an equivalent method I use that’s always seemed easier to me. Add leading team’s wins and trailing teams losses, subtract the total from games in a season, add one. Cards 78-58 Reds 69-67 78 + 67 = 145 162 - 145 = 17 17 + 1 = 18 Generally I combine steps 2 and 3: 163 - 145 = 18. You can also use this to figure when other teams will be eliminated. For Pittsburgh, it’s 6. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/9 "2000-09-05T21:44:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jcgmoi \* > \*\*Here’s an equivalent method I use that’s always seemed easier to me. > > Add leading team’s wins and trailing teams losses, subtract the total from games in a season, add one. > > Cards 78-58 > Reds 69-67 > > 78 + 67 = 145 > 162 - 145 = 17 > 17 + 1 = 18 > > Generally I combine steps 2 and 3: 163 - 145 = 18. > > You can also use this to figure when other teams will be eliminated. For Pittsburgh, it’s 6. \*\* That’s the exact same method I use. (basicly mine is 163 - second place losses - first place wins, but that is really the same thing) Of course, I came up with 17 instead of 18 because I used the current standings. Cards 79-58 Reds 70-67. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/10 "2000-09-05T22:03:31Z")
My method, as well as **jcgmoi’s** is mathematically identical to the method given on the major league baseball page. (by that I mean using the same records for the two teams you will get the same majic number no matter what method you use. Here’s how I derived mine for those of you with free time. Assume that the second place team is going to go undefeated the rest of the season. How many wins will they end up with. That is equal to: 162 - Team 2 Losses To win the division Team 1 must win one more game than that, or: 162 - Team 2 Losses + 1 or 163 - Team 2 Losses The difference between this number and Team 1 wins is the magic number. 163 - Team 2 Losses - Team 1 Wins ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-math-question/32108/11 "2000-09-06T05:47:52Z")
BTW As of the time of this posting, the Card’s magic number is 15. However, in an effort to avoid moderator smackdown, I will not continue to post the Cardinal’s or anyone else’s magic number. I imagine that when it gets under 10 you’ll be able to find it on their web page or the MLB web page.