The absurd playoff system in MLB

[milagros317]

The current playoff system in MLB is grotesque and absurd.
All three teams in MLB with over 100 wins are done, home for the winter. Two of them were eliminated in the NLDS's and one in an ALDS.

The World Series will be played by two teams that won 84 to 90 games each; teams that won 100, 101, and 104 games will not be there. This is, as I've said, both grotesque and absurd.

I have a modest proposal to restore integrity to the MLB postseason. It would both reduce the number of regular season games, from 162 to 154, and reduce the number of rounds of postseason play, from four to two. Thus, it would reduce revenue to MLB, both TV revenue and attendance. So, its probability of being adopted is exactly zero.

Nevertheless, I want to illustrate that it is possible to restore integrity without shrinking back to 16 teams, as there were in my childhood.

There should be four leagues of eight teams each. (The two new teams are marked with an asterisk.)
A regular season of 154 games would be played in each league. Every team would play the other seven teams 22 times each, 11 at home and 11 on the road. Perfect symmetry in the regular season with no schedule advantage for anybody.

The four pennant winners would then play two rounds, the semi-finals and the World Series. Each series would be best four out of seven games.

One novelty that I would introduce: The team with the best record out of the 154 games gets to pick its opponent in the semi-finals; the other two pennant winners play each other.

The leagues are roughly geographical:

MLB West

LA Dodgers
LA Angels
Arizona Diamondbacks
Oakland A's
SF hated jints
SD Padres
Seattle Mariners
*Calgary, Alberta
_______________________

MLB Southeast/Texas

Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
Houston cheating bastros
Texas Rangers
Washington Nationals
Baltimore Orioles
*San Juan, Puerto Rico
__________________________

MLB Northeast/Penn/Ohio

NY Yankees
NY Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians

_______________________

MLB Central

Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Colorado Rockies
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals

The key fact: To reach post season, you must win the pennant in your league. Second place is worthless.

 

[Mitchell]

I actually agree with this.

I also think that maybe, to reach the later rounds/World Series, you could design a system, where only wild card teams or lesser teams like the "Now wild card teams" have to play each other in playoff series.

Then, the division champions IE 90 to 100 win teams play each other, and then everyone advances.

The term "Anything can happen in a short series" was no more true than unfortunately for the Dodgers and Braves.

The absurd "commissioner" of baseball, Mister Rob Manfred, said he is in "No hurry" to change the playoff scenario.

Why? For the same reason as most anything in pro sports.

"The Alnighty Buck"

The teams that already make billions a year, dont have enough, so they have to be greedy, and get more and more.

Oh , well. On to 2024 for the Braves and Dodgers.

Most unfortunate, considering how fantastic both teams played in the regular season, winning 100 or more games each.

 

[Secretlee]

I will be honest, I do not fully understand why people are so upset about the new playoff format. The reasoning of "the teams with the most wins are not winning" is not a good reason, especially when some of the best teams had obvious flaws. I know that older baseball fans are used to the old playoff system, but I don't see how the older system is necessarily better. If you're the better team, you win the series in the playoffs, regardless of how many wins you got in the regular season. In general, more playoffs are more exciting. Obviously there is a line where its not fun if everyone makes the playoffs, but I think where its at is pretty good. Having more playoff teams also makes the trade deadline more interesting, since more teams are willing to try and make a push for the playoffs.

 

[milagros317]

If you're the better team, you win the series in the playoffs, regardless of how many wins you got in the regular season.

I disagree. The 1988 Mets were a better team than the 1988 Dodgers, but the Dodgers had a starting pitcher going through the best hot streak of his life (Orel Hershiser), so they won the NLCS.

The 1988 Oakland A's were a much better team than the 1988 Dodgers, but the Dodgers had a starting pitcher going through the best hot streak of his life (Orel Hershiser), so they won the World Series.

For that matter, the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers were one of greatest teams of all time (take a look at their roster), but they lost the 1953 World Series to the inferior Yankees.

In general, more playoffs are more exciting. .

More playoffs mean more revenue, both TV revenue and revenue from attendance, for the infinitely greedy, greedy, greedy owners of MLB teams.

 

[milagros317]

@Secretlee

PS: Do you also like the "gift runner" on second base in extra innings?
I believe that that is an abomination.

 

[wolfman28]

It's not really a thing over here, but does it have a) the tribalism, over here rival fans are kept apart in case there are punch ups and b) the social side, do you go and have a few beers before and after the game?

 

[Secretlee]

What I mean by my argument of the best team wins the series is that it doesn't matter how good you are on paper or how good you have been all season, when you lose a series, the other team was better than you at that time. I am a Mariners fan, and so the 2001 Mariners were one of the best teams in the history of baseball and they did not even make the world series. The Yankees beat them, so at that moment the Yankees were the better team. The San Diego Padres over the last couple of years have had one of the best rosters on paper, but it clearly has not mattered for them, especially this season. You prove that you are the best by winning the world series. Unless of course you happen to cheat by banging trashcans........

I know that more playoffs means more money for the MLB and the owners, and I have to agree regarding their greediness. But, more money has led to more pay for players as time has gone on, which I believe to be a good thing. I also think that playoffs are more exciting than non-playoff games on average, given the stakes, so having more than 4 teams make the playoffs is more exciting.

For the ghost runner rule, I do not like it. I understand not wanting to have games go to crazy lengths, but I would rather them go back to not having the ghost runner for extras, although the longer it exists the less I dislike it.

 

[milagros317]

What it comes down to is that we have different definitions of "the better team." You mean some variation of "the winning team," while I mean "the more talented team." I have no quarrel with your definition but it means you won't agree with me that the 2001 Mariners were a better team than the Yankees, even during the ALCS that year.

One of the two Japanese pro baseball leagues had a rule which would work perfectly during the regular season to prevent very long games. (I don't know if they still use this rule.)

It was quite simple: If the score is still tied after 12 innings, then the game is over and is a tie game. It is not replayed; it counts as 0.5 wins and 0.5 losses in the standings.

It solves the problem. Yes, you might find your team with a record of 90.5 wins and 71.5 losses at the end of the regular season, but that is not a problem to me.

PS: I was in Dodger Stadium for over 9 hours (including time after walking in and before the game started) on October 26[sup]th[/sup], 2018. It was worth it when I saw Max Muncy hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning.

 

[milagros317]

And so the National League is represented in the World Series by a team that was 84-78, barely above .500, and finished 16 games out of first place in its Division.
To me, this is a disgrace.

I will root for the Diamondbacks because I almost always root for the NL, the obvious exception being when the hated jints are in it. Nevertheless, if they win, then they join the list of illegitimate World Series winners, those that came up through a Wild Card.