Red Sox's Playoff Magic Number After Brutal Mariners Series

Sep 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) hits a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Red Sox's Playoff Magic Number After Brutal Mariners Series

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 3, 2026 7:46 AM ET

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The Boston Red Sox didn't have the series that they wanted to have against the Seattle Mariners.

Seattle has had a disappointing season, to say the least. The Mariners made it all of the way to the American League Championship Series last season, but they entered the three-game set against the Red Sox sporting a 64-73 record and the worst offense in baseball. In fact, the Mariners have scored the fewest runs in baseball with 555. Still, the Mariners took two out of three against Boston at Fenway Park and now Seattle has a 66-74 record.

Boston's record dropped to 75-65 after the series loss.

Now, Boston has just 22 games left in the 2026 regular season. Despite the tough series, the Red Sox still have a cushion in the standings over the Cleveland Guardians for the No. 2 American League Wild Card spot. Right now, the Red Sox have a 4 1/2-game lead over the Guardians. The Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles are on the outside looking in on the Wild Card race and are all six games behind Boston. For Boston to miss the playoffs, it would take a significant losing streak at this point.

Boston doesn't have a playoff spot clinched yet, but it'll come. Right now, the Red Sox's magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 17. In comparison, the magic number was at 21 heading into the four-game series against the New York Yankees over the weekend. Boston lost three out of four games against the Yankees and then two out of three games against the Mariners, and yet it dropped by four.

The Red Sox Are Going To Be Alright

Boston's magic number to clinch the No. 2 American League Wild Card spot is 18.

This is the type of metric that puts things into perspective at this time of the year. It's easy to get caught up in every loss. In a perfect world, the Red Sox would've swept the Yankees and followed up with another series sweep against Seattle. But that wasn't the reality. Still, things are going to be alright for Boston.

The Red Sox aren't even close to full strength right now with Willson Contreras , Tyron Guerrero, Justin Slaten, Masataka Yoshida, and Garrett Crochet all on the Injured List. Plus, Adley Rutschman has a banged-up elbow.

The regular season is going to wrap up on Sep. 27 for Boston. Between now and then, the Red Sox should get closer to full strength, especially with Contreras. Boston is going to be just fine, Red Sox Nation.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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