MLB standings if the result of every 1-run game was flipped

You’ve seen the regular MLB standings. Now, let’s look at how the standings would look if the result of every team’s one-run games were flipped.

The 2023 MLB season has gone on for over two months. As of this writing (June 19, 2023), there are a couple of weeks until the All-Star Game in Seattle, and over a month until the Aug. 1 trade deadline, where buyers will look to bolster their rosters for a postseason push, while sellers will opt to trade away players to build for the future.

Considering we have reached mid-June, fanbases of winning teams are believing they can win the World Series this year, while those of losing or underperforming organizations feel that the season is over and done with. That is all based on how the team is playing, and where they fall in the standings, whether that’s divisional or Wild Card.

There are ways to look at certain aspects of the standings and wonder, “What would the standings look like if so and so happened?” Perhaps one that fans lament about often throughout the campaign is one-run games. What would have happened if their favorite team had won those one-run games that they lost?

Let’s look at how the MLB standings would look if the results of every one-run game were flipped. These standings are based on this Reddit post.

MLB standings if the result of every 1-run game was flipped

Below are the standings for every single division, which includes the new overall record, the flipped record in one-run games in parentheses and the current standings in brackets.

AL East

1. [1] Tampa Bay Rays: 51-24 (13-13)
2. [3] New York Yankees: 42-30 (13-10)
3. [2] Baltimore Orioles: 40-31 (8-12)
4. [5] Boston Red Sox: 39-33 (12-10)
5. [4] Toronto Blue Jays: 33-40 (6-12)

AL Central

1. [1] Minnesota Twins: 42-30 (13-7)
2. [2] Cleveland Guardians: 37-34 (17-13)
3. [4] Chicago White Sox: 32-41 (11-10)
4. [3] Detroit Tigers 27-43 (8-11)
5. [5] Kansas City Royals: 20-51 (9-8)

AL West

1. [1] Texas Rangers: 48-23 (9-5)
2. [4] Seattle Mariners: 41-29 (14-8)
3. [3] Houston Astros: 40-32 (8-7)
4. [2] Los Angeles Angels: 39-35 (10-12)
5. [5] Oakland Athletics: 22-52 (14-11)

NL East

1. [1] Atlanta Braves: 41-31 (8-13)
2. [5] Washington Nationals: 33-37 (14-8)
3. [4] New York Mets: 33-38 (12-12)
4. [3] Philadelphia Phillies: 29-43 (7-16)
5. [2] Miami Marlins: 28-44 (5-18)

NL Central

1. [4] Chicago Cubs: 37-34 (11-7)
2. [5] St. Louis Cardinals: 37-35 (16-8)
3. [2] Cincinnati Reds: 35-37 (13-15)
4. [3] Pittsburgh Pirates: 31-39 (7-10)
5. [1] Milwaukee Brewers: 30-41 (4-11)

NL West

1. [4] San Diego Padres: 42-29 (12-5)
2. [1] Arizona Diamondbacks: 42-30 (10-11)
3. [2] San Francisco Giants: 40-31 (8-7)
4. [3] Los Angeles Dodgers: 40-32 (8-7)
5. [5] Colorado Rockies: 26-48 (8-11

When looking at each division, the first-place team remains the same except in the NL Central and West with the result of every one-run game flipped. However, there are instances where very unlucky teams could have had much better fortunes.

Take the Seattle Mariners for example. With the results flipped, they would have gone 14-8 and been in second place in the AL West. That’s right, over the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels, who are currently battling for second behind the Texas Rangers.

Then there are the St. Louis Cardinals, who are perhaps the most disappointing team this season. From NL Central champions last year, to sitting in last in the division. If their one-run game results were switched, they would have gone 16-8 and would be in second place in the division. Cardinals fans have to be punching air right now.

Oh, what could have been so far this MLB season. Fans should take a look at the standings at the end of the regular season and see how their favorite teams’ year would have gone if those one-run games they played had gone differently.