As the Chicago Cubs have inched closer to a playoff berth, many outlets (including NBC Chicago) have been counting down to that momentous day by using a figure called a “magic number.”
While the concept has been around for many years, it always pays to have a refresher course on what the magic number symbolizes, and how the figure is calculated.
For starters, the magic number represents how close a team is to clinching a playoff spot. The number is a combination of the number of wins (by the team in first place) and losses (by the team in second place) that would create a scenario where a team is mathematically incapable of being overtaken in the standings.
But how exactly is the magic number calculated? Here is the formula for baseball purposes:
163 – (1st place team wins) – (2nd place team losses) = Magic Number
For a real world example, the Cubs currently have 89 wins on the season. Meanwhile, the second place team in the Central Division, the St. Louis Cardinals, have 65 losses. Therefore:
163 – 89 – 65 = 9
Chicago Baseball
If the magic number gets down to one, then it means that the best the second place team in the scenario can manage is a tie, but once the magic number hits zero, then the first place team has clinched a playoff berth.
