ATLANTA (AP) - The Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals would be home if tiebreaker games are needed to decide wild-card berths in the playoffs.
The Cardinals would host Atlanta in a tiebreaker on Thursday because the Cardinals won the season series 5-1. Atlanta and St. Louis both lost Monday, leaving the Braves ahead by one game with two games left.
In the American League, Tampa Bay's 5-2 win over the Yankees and Boston's 6-3 loss at Baltimore moved the Rays into an AL wild-card tie with Boston with two games to go. Tampa Bay won the season series with Boston 12-6, giving it the right to host a Thursday tiebreaker if the teams finish 162 games with identical records.
First pitch for an American League tiebreaker between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., is scheduled for 5:07 p.m. The Cardinals and Atlanta Braves would start at 8:07 p.m. in St. Louis.
Times would not change if only one game is needed.
The AL wild-card winner will then play Game 1 of the division series Friday night in the early slot, 5:07 p.m. The New York Yankees will host the late game, starting at 8:37 p.m.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
