No offense, but how hard are magic numbers to comprehend? I am not singling you out at all LLF, but it just seems like no one understands the concept of it. All a magic number is is # of Cubs wins + # of 2nd place team's losses to clinch a division title/wild card. So a magic number can be reduced by a Cubs win or a Brewers loss for the division. A magic number 18 can be achieved by 18 Cubs wins, 18 Brewers losses, or 9 Cubs wins and 9 Brewers losses, or any combination in between.