MLB Playoff Picture: How New York Yankees & Houston Astros Can Win Divisions, Avoid Wild Card

By Damon Salvadore Sep 25 2015, 13:43 PM EDT

The 2015 Major League Baseball season is nearing its end.

At the moment the Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers all lead their respective divisions. If the season were to end today, the New York Yankees and Houston Astros would face off in a "winner take all" wild card game. However, let's not cement that just yet. The Yankees and Astros can still finish as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the American League.

How you ask? Let's break it down.

The Yankees are presently 84-68, which is good enough for second place in the American League East. Unfortunately for the Bronx Bombers, they are 6-13 against the Blue Jays this season. That means in order for the Yankees to win the AL East, they must have a superior record because the Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker.

The Yankees have 10 regular season games remaining, as do the Blue Jays. Because the Yankees are three wins behind the Blue Jays, it means they would have to win four more matches than the Blue Jays in the final 10 games. That's asking quite a bit, but it's not impossible. For example, if the Yankees finish the season 7-3 with a 91-71 record, they could win the AL East if the Blue Jays finish 3-7 in their final 10 games for a 90-72 mark.

Grabbing a top three seed is critical because it ensures you don't play in the wild card game, where anything can happen.

The Astros are in a similar boat. The Astros, like the Yankees, don't control their own destiny either. The Astros are currently 80-73 with just nine games remaining. The surging Texas Rangers now lead the American League West with an 83-69 mark with 10 games to play.

The Astros are still very much in this despite the fact that they are 4-8 against the Rangers this season. The Astros begin a three game series against their interstate rivals beginning Friday. This is a huge opportunity for the Astros to reclaim dominance in the AL West. On the other hand, if the Rangers sweep the series, they will clinch the division.

In order for the Astros to win the AL West and grab a top three seed, they, like the Yankees, must also out-duel their opponent by four wins in the finals 10 games. The Astros have a bit of an advantage over the Yankees in the fact that they will have three more opportunities to play their division leader, and they do have an ace pitcher in Dallas Keuchel.