History indicates the Sox should concentrate on winning the wild card instead of the Central Division. Since the beginning of divisional play in 1969, excluding strike seasons, teams that began August 4 to 5 1/2 games behind overcame those deficits only 11 percent of the time, according to a New York Times analysis. And teams that began the month 6 to 7 1/2 games behind came back only 4 percent of the time. The Sox were 7 1/2 games back on Aug. 1.
Concentrate on winning the next game. A postseason trip isn't tied to a Division title.
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