For baseball fans, the pinnacle of the six-month grind awaits on the horizon.
With only a few weeks left in the regular season, it’s hard not to let the mind drift to October baseball, playoff drama, and the crowning of a new World Series champion.
Currently, three divisions stand all but settled.
The Minnesota Twins have a six-game lead in the American League Central, the Cincinnati Reds have a seven-game lead in the National League Central, and the Texas Rangers sit eight games up in the A.L. West.
That leaves us with three divisions up for grabs.
The New York Yankees are a half-game back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the A.L. East after losing their fourth straight.
The Philadelphia Phillies hold a one-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the N.L. East.
And the San Diego Padres are a half-game up on the San Francisco Giants with the Colorado Rockies only two-and-a-half games back in the N.L. West.
If there’s a God, we will get to enjoy the best thing other than Game 7 of a World Series: a one-game playoff to decide the division. A 163rd game, if you will.
In anticipation of our wish, we are ranking the top “tiebreakers” of all time.
There’s only been 13 of these gems ever.
Keep in mind, one-game playoffs are only used to decide divisions and wild cards today. But prior to 1969—the year the League Championship Series debuted—these tiebreakers also decided league pennants.
Here’s the best eight tiebreakers ever played.