# Can you spot the possible mistake in MSN MLB standings page \[it's been fixed\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [April 4, 2024, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-possible-mistake-in-msn-mlb-standings-page-its-been-fixed/999809 "2024-04-04T07:29:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-possible-mistake-in-msn-mlb-standings-page-its-been-fixed/999809/21 "2024-04-05T17:01:39Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > They all play the same number of games. If a game is missed because of weather or other circumstance, it will always be made up. They will sometimes skip a makeup game but only if it doesn’t matter in the final standings Correct. If there happens to be a tie within a division at the end of the regular season, the division winner is determined by head-to-head matchup. Since divisional rivals play each other an odd number of times (13 this season), one of those tied teams will win the tiebreaker. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-possible-mistake-in-msn-mlb-standings-page-its-been-fixed/999809/22 "2024-04-05T17:43:16Z")
Back when I was still following baseball and reading the standings in a dead-trees paper, GB (games behind) was always the order of ranking. And by that measure, the 3-0 team would be half a game behind the 5-1 team, despite having a better winning percentage. These differences rarely happen outside the first few games of the season, when not only do extreme W/L percentages crop up, but a combination of weather issues and more open dates result in one team having played three or four more games than another. But the 3-0 team would be half a game ahead of the 4-2 team, so as you said, the 3-0 team would lead either way in that scenario. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-possible-mistake-in-msn-mlb-standings-page-its-been-fixed/999809/23 "2024-04-05T20:22:06Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Back when I was still following baseball and reading the standings in a dead-trees paper, GB (games behind) was always the order of ranking. And by that measure, the 3-0 team would be half a game behind the 5-1 team, despite having a better winning percentage. Now that you mention it, perhaps it was ranked the other way around, ie by games behind instead of winning %age. Or maybe some sources did it one way and others another. But what you say rings a bell. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-possible-mistake-in-msn-mlb-standings-page-its-been-fixed/999809/24 "2024-04-05T20:43:50Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > And by that measure, the 3-0 team would be half a game behind the 5-1 team, despite having a better winning percentage. Yes, and we would see a strange listing in the standings, with the 3-0 team in first place, but 1/2 game behind the 5-1 team. Standings are always ordered by win percentage. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-possible-mistake-in-msn-mlb-standings-page-its-been-fixed/999809/25 "2024-04-05T21:23:48Z")
3-0 is indisputably better than 4-2 by any measure anyway. It’s a better winning percentage, and it’s half a game better by the games ahead method. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-possible-mistake-in-msn-mlb-standings-page-its-been-fixed/999809.md?page=1)