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Game 162

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"Game 162" is a MLB term used to describe the final day of a MLB regular season. All teams (with some exceptions) will play their 162nd & final game of their regular season schedules. All 30 teams will play their respective games in the series finale of Series #52 at relatively the same time at 3pm ET. "Game 162" is Day 186 of a MLB regular season.

This day is the direct opposite of Opening Day.

Beyond "Game 162" is the MLB postseason.

If there are any wild cards or divisions remain unclinched because multiple teams have the same record, then a tiebreaker (mostly 1 or maybe more) will take place after "Game 162". This tiebreaker is usually called "Game 163" because it is technically not in the postseason but an extension of a regular season (still take place).




2021[]

MLB final regular day

The "Game 162" day is on Sunday, October 3, 2021.

Into the "Game 162" Day[]

  • The Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies will play their respective 161st game because of a postponement (actually a cancellation) in Atlanta on September 16, 2021. Since the Braves have won the NL East already and there is nothing they can do to improve their playoff positioning, these teams will end up playing only 161 regular-season games in 2021 and that makeup game (scheduled for October 4, 2021) will not be played at all.
  • The NL West is still unclaimed. The Giants have a 1 game lead over the Dodgers.
    • If the Giants win or the Dodgers lose, the Giants will win the NL West (and the best record in NL & MLB) and the Dodgers will get the 1st NL Wild Card.
    • If the Giants lose and the Dodgers win, there will be a Game 163 tiebreaker in San Francisco (the Giants have 1 more win head-to-head against the Dodgers) to determine the NL West and the playoff seedings.
  • The 2 AL Wild Card spots are still unclaimed. The Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mariners are still in contention. The Blue Jays and Mariners are just 1 game behind the Yankees and Red Sox.
    • Yankees clinch spot in Wild Card Game with win or losses by Blue Jays and Mariners
    • Yankees clinch top wild-card spot with win and Red Sox loss
    • Red Sox clinch spot in Wild Card Game with win or losses by Blue Jays and Mariners
    • Red Sox clinch top wild-card spot with win (due to head-to-head tiebreaker with Yankees)
    • Blue Jays force Game 163 tiebreaker with win and loss by Yankees or Red Sox
    • Mariners force Game 163 tiebreaker with win and loss by Yankees or Red Sox
    • If the Blue Jays and Mariners both win and the Yankees and the Red Sox both lose, there will be a 4-team Game 163 tiebreaker scenario with 2 tiebreaker games.
      • If this really happens, more details will come.
    • A loss by the Blue Jays or the Mariners will eliminate a team from playoff contention.
    • A loss by the Yankees or the Red Sox will not eliminate a team, but it may have to play "Game 163" if either the Blue Jays or the Mariners win.
MLB 2021 Game 162 scenarios

Possible Scenarios

Games[]


After "Game 162"[]

  • There will not be a "Game 163" because the "simple" conditions are met that do not require tiebreakers.
    • The Giants simply won their own game, so they clinched the 2021 NL West division crown, the best record in the NL & the MLB, and the home-field advantage throughout the whole 2021 MLB postseason.
      • The Dodgers have also won, but they will settle for the 1st NL Wild Card spot. Therefore, the Dodgers have to host a single-elimination NL Wild Card Game against the Cardinals.
    • Both the Yankees and the Red Sox won their respective games and clinched both of the previously-unclaimed AL Wild Cards, so the Blue Jays and the Mariners are officially eliminated with no regular-season games remaining.
      • Although the Blue Jays have also won, they are unfortunately eliminated because they are still 1 game behind but they have no more regular-season games left to play in 2021.
      • The Mariners are not in the playoffs for 20 straight years (2002-2021). They currently have the longest postseason drought in all 4 major sports as of right now.

Highlights[]

2022[]

MLB final regular day (2022)

In the 2022 MLB season, the original "Game 162" day was supposed to take place on Sunday, October 2, 2022. Because of the MLB lockout took a little longer than expected, this "Game 162" day will be delayed by 3 days to Wednesday, October 5, 2022. All games for that day are from the original Series #1 (supposed to be from March 31 to April 3).

All games on October 5 will start at 4pm EDT.

Games[]

2023[]

The final day of the 2023 MLB regular season is on Sunday, October 1, 2023.

Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/whats-at-stake-final-day-of-2023-season

Games[]


Notes[]

  • The Miami Marlins and the New York Mets have their suspended game on Thursday, September 28, 2023. This game may or may not be resumed on Monday, October 2, 2023; that's after the day of Game 162 for 2023. It depends on whether the Marlins have locked in a certain wildcard spot. The Marlins have clinched their playoff berth on Saturday, September 30, but they do not have a definite seed before Sunday, October 1, 2023.
    • If the Marlins win OR the Diamondbacks lose on October 1, then the Marlins will clinch NL Wild Card #2 (and the D-backs clinch NL Wild Card #3) and the suspended game on October 2 will not be played at all.
      • The Mets will win the suspended game and the Marlins will lose, but the Marlins maintain NL Wild Card #2.
      • Both the Mets and the Marlins have technically played 162 games.
    • If the Marlins lose AND the Diamondbacks win on October 1, then the suspended game will be played on Monday, October 2. If the Marlins win that suspended game, they will clinch NL Wild Card #2 (D-backs NLWC3); otherwise, they will clinch NL Wild Card #3 (D-backs NLWC2).
  • In the American League, there are still the AL West title and the lower 2 wild cards left unclaimed by the end on Saturday, September 30, 2023.
    • Here is the scenario:
2023 AL playoff scenario







2024[]

2024 Game 162


The final day of the 2024 regular season is Sunday, September 29, 2024.

[AllGamesHighlights]

Notes[]

  • The Mets and the Braves will play their 160th game this day because of Hurricane Helene threatening the South. Both of these teams will play in Atlanta (or in neutral site if feasible) on Monday, September 30, 2024. That day is between the regular season and the postseason. Both or only one of these games in a straight doubleheader on September 30 will be played if both the Mets and the Braves are still in contention for a Wild Card after September 29.
    • This also depends on where the Diamondbacks are and whether they clinched a wild card after September 29.
    • Even though both the Mets and the Braves have clinched (with the Diamondbacks eliminated), they may still play in both or only one of the rescheduled games to determine seeding.
    • MLB has a discretion to see if technical tiebreakers are in lieu of these rescheduled games.
  • Here are the scenarios for the last 2 NL Wild Card spots for the Braves, Mets, and Diamondbacks.
    • 2024 tiebreakers
    • The Braves have the head-to-head tiebreaker over both the Mets (6-5) and the Diamondbacks (5-2).
    • The Mets have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks (4-3).
    • Both the Braves and the Mets still have 2 regular-season games that may be played on Monday, September 30, 2024.
      • This may not be necessary for seeding.
        • It is not necessary if the Diamondbacks are eliminated on Sunday, September 29, 2024. Therefore, the Braves and the Mets are both clinching postseason berths.
Results from the Notes[]
  • The "HOU @ CLE" game is PPD due to rain. It will not be made up, so it will be canceled because the postseason seedings will not change upon completion of this game. Therefore, the 2024 Houston Astros (the AL West champs with 88 wins and locked into #3 in the AL playoffs) and the 2024 Cleveland Guardians (the AL Central champs with 92 wins and locked into #2 in the AL playoffs) will finish with only 161 games in the regular season.
    • Jose Ramirez does not have a chance of a 40-40 season (he has 39 home runs). Also, he does not have a chance for a 40-40-40 with 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 40 doubles.
  • The Diamondbacks have won their own final game (their own Game 162), but they are not clinching the postseason berth yet because the Mets also have won their own game (not Game 162). The Braves lose but the Braves have 2 more games in this regular season, so all of these 3 teams do not clinch yet as of the end of Sunday, September 29, 2024. This is illustrated as the 5th scenario.
    • Therefore, the Braves and the Mets must play both of the makeup games on Monday, September 30 in Atlanta.
    • This is the 4 possible scenarios for the Braves and the Mets when playing their doubleheader while the Diamondbacks will only watch.
      • 2024 tiebreakers 9-30-24
    • The Mets have won Game 1, but the Braves have won Game 2.
      • This is illustrated in the 2nd scenario.
    • All the 3 teams have finished with the 89-73 record. The Braves are going to the postseason as the 2nd NL Wild Card. The Mets are also going to the postseason as the 3rd NL Wild Card. The Diamondbacks are eliminated from postseason contention because they lost more against the Braves and the Mets.
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