Yankees will play Red Sox if crazy AL wildcard scenario happens

A tie at four for the American League wildcard would send the Yankees to Fenway Park on Monday to face the Red Sox for a 163rd game and the right to be a true wildcard, with the Blue Jays and Mariners facing off in Toronto in the other competition.

On Saturday, the four teams involved in the unprecedented wildcard hunt made their selections for the potential of all by finishing with identical records of 91-71. This would happen if the Yankees lost to the Rays, the Red Sox to the Nationals, the Blue Jays beat the Orioles, and the Mariners beat the Angels.

The teams are ranked according to their collective head-to-head records against the other three clubs, which results in:

1. Red Sox (24-21)
2. Blue Jays (22-22)
3. Yankees (22-23)
4. Sailors (9-11)

Unsurprisingly, as seeds, the Red Sox and Blue Jays have chosen to host the prelims. Then the Yankees, as the third seed, had to select their opponent. They chose to go to Fenway to face the Red Sox, which they swept in Boston last weekend.

The Mariners then reunited with the Blue Jays at Rogers Center.

The winners of both matches advance to Tuesday’s AL wildcard match, which will be played at the club’s venue with the best head-to-head record. The Yankees lose such a tiebreaker against the Red Sox and Blue Jays and win it against the Mariners.

The Yankees also made their selections in these other scenarios:

– If they match the Blue Jays and Mariners for second place, the Yankees will host the Mariners on Monday, and if they win, they will host the Blue Jays on Tuesday to qualify for the Red Sox on Wednesday at Fenway in the game joker.

– If the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are tied for both wild card slots, the Blue Jays will face the Red Sox on Monday at Fenway Park, with the winner getting a wild card, and the loser will face the Yankees on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, the winner getting the other place. The wild-card game would be Wednesday. Since the Yankees lost the tiebreaker to the Red Sox and Blue Jays, they would play this game on the road.

–If the Yankees, Red Sox and Mariners are tied for the two wild cards, the Yankees would play the Red Sox at Fenway on Monday, with the winner advancing and the loser visiting the Mariners on Tuesday. The two winners would face off in the wilds game on Wednesday; the Yankees would welcome him against the Mariners and play Fenway against the Red Sox.