September 26, 2004
Dodgers Win
Gagne got the first five batters he faced, but Bonds hit an infield single and Snow worked Gagne hard to draw a walk, fouling off a number of pitches. Eric finally got Cruz on strikes to end the game. Throwing 35 pitches, Gagne will probably need a day off tomorrow.
The Dodgers had a good weekend, reducing their magic number by four. They've also help tighten the wild card race, with both SD and Houston gaining a game over the weekend. The Dodgers go home to finish the season, and a four game series vs. the Rockies gives the Dodgers a big chance to have the NL West over before the Giants come into town next weekend. LA's magic number is down to five.
Posted by David Pinto at
07:50 PM
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I always forget how this works, but MLB's website says that the Dodgers magic number is 5, not 4.
I say the Dodgers magic number is five (last sentence). You may be confused by the previous sentence in which I imply that the Dodgers can wrap up the West with their four game series against the Rockies. If the Dodgers win 3, for example against the Rockies and the Giants lose two against the Padres, the NL West is over.
As for magic number calculations:
Let
S = Number of scheduled games
A = Wins by team A
B = Losses by team B
Then
Magic number to clinch a win =
(S+1) - (A+B)