Their magic number for clinching the division is down to two, despite a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday, after the second-place Cleveland Indians were swept in a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals.
Despite having all but sewn up their second consecutive postseason appearance, the Sox still have plenty to play for down the stretch: playoff seeding.
MLB returned to its 10-team playoff format — five teams from each league — this year after expanding the field to 16 for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The three division winners will be seeded 1-3 based on records, while the two teams with the next-best records will earn the wild cards and play one game for the No.