What Does Clinched Mean In Baseball?

If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve probably heard the term “clinched” used a lot. But what does it actually mean? Let’s take a look.

Definition of clinched

verb (used with object), clinches, clinch·ing.
to secure or settle (a victory, bargain, deal, etc.), as by decisive action or a final stroke: They clinched the deal with a handshake. He clinched the election by carrying the state.

How a team clinches a spot in the playoffs

When a team has mathematically eliminated all of the other teams from being able to achieve the same spot in the standings, that team is said to have “clinched” that spot.

Win the division

A team that wins its division is said to have “clinched”. It doesn’t matter how far ahead of the second place team a division winner is, once that team has more wins than any other team in the division, it’s considered to have clinched.

If two teams are tied for first place in a division at the end of the season, they play each other in a one-game playoff to decide who wins the division and who goes home.

The same thing happens if there’s a tie for the Wild Card spot. In this case, there’s a one-game playoff between the two Wild Card teams to see who goes on to play the division winner in the first round of the playoffs.

Win the Wild Card

In order to win the Wild Card, a team must have the best winning percentage among all the non-divisional leaders. For example, if two teams are tied for the Wild Card lead with 89 wins each, but one team played two more games than the other, the team with 89 wins and the lower winning percentage would be awarded the Wild Card. The team with more wins would not automatically win the Wild Card simply because it had more victories.

What happens if two teams are tied for a playoff spot

Clinched means that a team has mathematically qualified for the playoffs. If two teams are tied for a playoff spot, a one-game playoff will be held to determine who goes to the playoffs.

Head-to-head record

If two teams are tied with the same record they will compare their head to head record. If they played each other an odd number of times, the team with the better head-to-head record will win the tiebreaker. If they played an even number of times, they move on to the next tiebreaker, which is…

Intra-division record

If two or more Clubs are tied in won-lost-tied percentage, the winning percentage of the teams in head-to-head play is the first tiebreaker. If two or more Clubs remain tied after other Club’s winning percentages have been compared, then if one of the tied Clubs has won a greater number of games against the other tied Clubs, it shall be declared the winner; if not, ties shall be broken by applying the rule described inparagraph c. below (using both teams’ intradivisional and unbalanced schedules as a basis to compare their won-lost-tied percentages).

If two or more Clubs are still tied after all applicable tiebreakers have been applied, a Coin Toss shall be conducted by the Commissioner or his designee to break such tie(s).

Record in the last 20 games

In baseball, if two teams finish the regular season with the same record, the tiebreaker rules will determine which team wins the division or wild card berth. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. If the two teams didn’t play each other an equal number of times, or if they split the season series, then the next tiebreaker is record in the last 20 games.

Why do teams play out the season if they’ve already clinched a playoff spot

In baseball, a team clinches a playoff berth when it secures a place in the postseason. It can happen by winning the division or wild card, or by being one of the two best second-place teams in the league (if there are no divisions). A team can also clinch a spot if it is mathematically impossible for any other team to catch up to its record. Clinching early is not a new phenomenon; it has been happening since baseball instituted divisions in 1969.

The main reason teams continue to play even after they have clinched is that there is still something to play for. Home field advantage in the playoffs is determined by record, so teams are still trying to win as many games as possible to ensure they have the best possible chance of success in October. Additionally, players on the bubble of making the postseason roster may be playing for their jobs, and young players may be trying to impress the coaches and front office in hopes of earning a spot on the roster next season. Finally, even though a team has clinched a spot in the playoffs, it does not mean that it has clinched home field advantage or even a first-round bye; there is still work to be done.

What’s the difference between a clinch and a magic number

The key difference between a clinch and a magic number is that a clinch guarantees a team at least a share of first place, whereas a magic number eliminates the possibility of another team catching up. A clinched team has locked up at least a tie for first place, and cannot be caught by any other team. A magic number represents the fewest combination of wins by the leading team and losses by the second-place team that guarantees the leading team will finish in first place.