standings question

[banny]

Is percentage always the determining factor in baseball standings? For example, lead team is 17-7 .708
second place team is 14-8, .636 2games back. Third place team is 15-9, .625, also 2 games back. If season ended, would second place team take second based on higher winning pct?

[Second Base Coach]

In a word, yes.

[milladrive]

Is percentage always the determining factor in baseball standings? For example, lead team is 17-7 .708
second place team is 14-8, .636 2games back. Third place team is 15-9, .625, also 2 games back. If season ended, would second place team take second based on higher winning pct?

To give a little more elaboration, in cases such as these, the team with the fewer losses tends to be ranked higher on the bottom line. As Second Base Coach intimated, the highest percentage takes the lead. For instance, a record of 13-7, also two games out in second place, but with a .650 percentage, would beat both of your second-place examples.

[Jackaroo Dave]

You will sometimes see the percentage leader listed at the top of the standings when a half game behind, say 7-3 vs 9-4.

[milladrive]

You will sometimes see the percentage leader listed at the top of the standings when a half game behind, say 7-3 vs 9-4.

Yes sir, I too have seen that type of thing, usually in the beginning of the season.

[ipitch]

In 1942, the 5th place NL team had 2 fewer wins than the 6th place team.

[brett]

To give a little more elaboration, in cases such as these, the team with the fewer losses tends to be ranked higher on the bottom line. As Second Base Coach intimated, the highest percentage takes the lead. For instance, a record of 13-7, also two games out in second place, but with a .650 percentage, would beat both of your second-place examples.

What it one team is 8-9 and another is 7-8?

[milladrive]

What it one team is 8-9 and another is 7-8?

Excellent point. It seems to me that the "fewer losses" theory works when the W/L records are over .500, while the team with fewer wins takes it when under .500. And it seems to make sense from a mathematical standpoint. I'm imagining we don't think about the losing records as much because we also see it happen with .500 records, for which the team with fewer losses gets the higher berth.

In 1942, the 5th place NL team had 2 fewer wins than the 6th place team.

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