Fit to be tied
While the Angels (West), Indians (Central), and Red Sox (at least a wild card) all have clinched AL playoff berths, the matter of which teams will have home field advantage has yet to be decided. It remains possible that two or all three of the division winners (whether it's the Red Sox or Yankees in the East) will finish with identical records. Aside from the fact that the wild-card team can never have the home field edge, here's how the AL postseason shakes out:
WHAT THEY'RE PLAYING FOR
Division winner with best record: Gets home field for division and championship series, and also gets to choose whether to start its first series on Wednesday (with three off days during the series) or Thursday (two off days). AL champ also gets home field for World Series because of league's victory in All-Star game.
Division winner with second-best record: Gets home field for division series, and could have home field for championship series if top team does not advance.
TIEBREAKERS
Red Sox and Indians tie: Red Sox win because of 5-2 edge in season series.
Red Sox and Angels tie: Red Sox win because of 6-4 edge in season series.
Yankees and Indians tie: Yankees win because of 6-0 edge in season series.
Yankees and Angels tie: Angels win because of 6-3 edge in season series.
Indians and Angels tie: The season series was even at 5-5, so Indians win by virtue of better divisional record (46-23 vs. Central, while Angels are 30-21 vs. the West).
Red Sox, Indians, and Angels all tie: Red Sox are No. 1 seed because they have combined 11-6 record vs. the other two clubs (Angels 9-11, Indians 7-10); Indians get No. 2 seed because their tie with Angels reverts back to two-team tiebreaker.
Yankees, Indians, and Angels all tie: Yankees are No. 1 seed because they have combined 9-6 record vs. the other two clubs (Angels 11-8, Indians 5-11); Indians get No. 2 seed because their tie with Angels reverts back to two-team tiebreaker.
THE MATCHUPS
The team with the best record meets the wild card, unless they are from the same division. In that case, the team with the best record plays the division winner with the worst record. So, the Red Sox could not play the Yankees in the divisional series.
