For all the hemming and hawing, tiebreaker scenarios and hypotheticals, the end result of the chaotic American League wild-card race was the simplest outcome: it's the Red Sox and Yankees.
Boston and New York each took care of business on Sunday, each doing so in dramatic fashion. The Red Sox faced a 5-1 deficit after five innings on the road against the Nationals, but rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning and eventually went ahead for good on a two-run home run by Rafael Devers in the ninth inning. The Yankees and Rays were locked in a scoreless tie until the bottom of the ninth inning, when Aaron Judge delivered a walk-off single that scored Tyler Wade.