The Red Sox would clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Blue Jays on Thursday — but they might not even have to wait that long.

Boston beat Toronto 7-1 on Wednesday. That victory, combined with the Athletics’ 6-0 win over the Astros, left Boston three games up on Houston in the American League Wild Card standings with four games remaining for both teams. However, the Red Sox hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Astros, so they really have a four-game advantage in the standings.

Boston’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to one, meaning either a Red Sox win or an Astros loss over the final four games would push Alex Cora’s team into the postseason. And with Athletics and Astros playing their series finale Thursday at 3:35 p.m. ET, the Red Sox could punch their ticke

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