Padres Magic Number (Updated Sept. 22): Series win puts San Diego in driver’s seat

UPDATE: Following their series victory over the White Sox, the Padres’ magic number is now two (2) as they aim for a sweep on Sunday.

Now that the San Diego Padres have resumed their winning ways, it is time to really consider when they will be able to secure a playoff position. While chasing down the Dodgers in the NL West remains a possibility, given their four-game lead on September 20, San Diego’s far more likely playoff road will be through one of the NL wild card places.

Fortunately, by looking at the Padres’ magic number, supporters can easily comprehend what needs to happen for them to go to the postseason.

Padres Magic Number (updated September 22): San Diego is closing in with the historically bad White Sox heading to town.
When it comes to wild card races, it can be confusing because numerous teams are involved, but a team’s magic number is essentially the total number of Padres wins and competitor losses required to secure a playoff place. In this situation, the Diamondbacks and Mets will be the focus for the remainder of the season, as they are now deadlocked for the National League’s final two wild card places.

Given the Padres’ lead in the wild card race, they could clinch a playoff position in the coming days. The Padres’ magic number for a playoff position is now at five. The Padres have a three-game set against the absolutely poor White Sox this weekend before challenging series against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, giving them a great opportunity to seize control and then make some noise in the division battle.

Again, the magic number problem can become complicated when looking at certain playoff seeds. Even if the Padres secure a postseason place shortly, the exact seed will likely remain unknown until the final weekend of the season. There is a The Padres’ series versus Arizona will determine who wins the tiebreaker between the two teams. San Diego will win all ties with the Braves, Dodgers, and Brewers, but will lose on tiebreakers to the Mets and Phillies. Stay tuned, Padres fans, as things are heating up quickly in the last weeks of the 2024 season.