Baseball’s “Magic Numbers” In a Year of Pandemic

This is, as many have said, a baseball season like no other.¹  Sixty games (hopefully) in a little over two months, and half the teams (actually, more than half; 53⅓% to be exact), make the playoffs.  While people often say the playoffs are a new season, this will be even truer this year.  Especially since no one knows how helpful home field advantage (which you get from having a better record) will be with no fans in the stands and with some people saying the postseason, or at least part of it, ought to be played in a bubble.  That would mean that having the best record just gets you last bats more often. 

But more than last bats, what baseball in 2020 is all about is October.²  Having the best record in the regular season is nice, and winning is always fun, but it means even less than normal this year.  In other words, fans (and players), don’t stress out over the regular season.  Your “magic number” this year isn’t about winning the division or having the best record.  It’s just being one of the sixteen teams getting to the postseason.  Thirty wins (assuming you play all 60 games) is probably all you will need to do that.

This year the real magic number is just in October, and it’s thirteen.  And that magic number is about getting hot in October, not what you did in July, August, and September.
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¹ Well, except 1878, when the National League (the American League wasn’t around yet) also played 60 games, though it took them four and a half months to do so.  (The National League teams also played 60 or slightly fewer games in 1877.)
² Assuming we get there.