2011 Major League Baseball wild card chase

The 2011 Major League Baseball wild card chase was a dramatic playoff chase between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in the American League, and the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League.

On 2 September, the Red Sox led the American League wild card race by nine games, while the Braves were ahead by 8½ games in the National League. However, in their next 24 games, the Red Sox managed only seven wins, losing 17, while the Braves went 8–16. In contrast, the Rays and Cardinals each won 16 games during this period, bringing them level with the Red Sox and Braves in the wild card standings. By 28 September, the final day of the 2011 regular season, the playoff fate of these four teams was still undecided.

In the American League, the Rays secured the wild card berth after defeating their division rivals, the New York Yankees. Key moments included a dramatic home run by Dan Johnson in the 9th inning, followed by an extra-innings walk-off homer by Evan Longoria. Their victory was sealed after the Red Sox were beaten by the Baltimore Orioles on a walk-off single. Meanwhile, in the National League, the Cardinals won the wild card berth by defeating the Houston Astros, as the Braves were eliminated following their loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Both the Red Sox and Braves made history by becoming the first teams to squander leads of eight games or more in September and fail to reach the postseason. Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci described the events of 28 September as "the most thrilling 129 minutes in baseball history." The Cardinals carried their momentum through the playoffs, ultimately winning the NLDS and NLCS before defeating the Texas Rangers to claim their 11th World Series title.

This marked the final season of the single wild card format, as Major League Baseball introduced a second wild card team for each league starting in 2012.

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