The Cincinnati Reds have a new magic number to make the MLB playoffs with six games remaining in the regular season.
With six games left to play, the Reds hold the last wild card spot in the National League. Recently, they swept the Chicago Cubs in a four-game series to tie with the New York Mets in the wild card standings at 80-72 but hold the head-to-head tie breaker going 4-2 against New York in the regular season.
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The Reds have two in-division series to close out the 2025 season: three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates starting on Sept. 23 at home, and three on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers starting on Sept. 26.
Keep reading to learn about the Reds’ magic number to make the 2025 MLB playoffs and more.
What is a magic number in Major League Baseball?
In MLB, the phrase “magic number” is the result of a formula used to determine how close team is to clinching either a playoff spot or a division title. The number itself is the combination of team wins and opponent losses by the closest competitor to clinch a specific playoff spot or division title.
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With six games remaining on their schedule, the Reds still have a magic number in play for both the division title and clinching the playoffs.
Formula to determine magic number: (Total games played in a season) +1 – (Total wins for Team A – total losses for Team B).
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan (64) and Cincinnati Reds catcher Jose Trevino (35) react after the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2025.
What is the magic number for the Cincinnati Reds to make the 2025 MLB postseason?
The Reds’ magic number to clinch the MLB postseason is 6. The Reds hold the third-place wild card with a tiebreaker over the Mets, who share an identical record.
The 6 refers to the toal of Reds wins and Mets losses that would solidify Cincinnati a wild cart spot. For example, if New York does not lose any of their six remaining games, the only way for Cincinnati to punch their ticket is to win all six of their remaining games.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cincinnati Reds’ magic number to make 2025 MLB playoffs explained