OT: MLB Wildcard

[jleves]

Anyone else have a problem with a one game wildcard playoff? I really don't like it. For the record, I have no particular interest in the wildcard teams this year.

Play 162 games and have your playoff potential come down to a 1 game almost coin flip.

I'd rather see the regular season end a week earlier by scheduling some double headers and a couple less days off and have time for a three game series over a week. One league plays Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and the other plays Wednesday, Friday, Sunday with the better record team having a home/away/home series. That would also allow the next series to start a few days earlier (Monday/Tuesday instead of Thursday/Friday) potentially avoiding some bad weather at the end of October.

I can't imagine that MLB wouldn't benefit from an extra 2 to 4 playoff games.

 

[JB75]

Anyone else have a problem with a one game wildcard playoff? I really don't like it. For the record, I have no particular interest in the wildcard teams this year.

Play 162 games and have your playoff potential come down to a 1 game almost coin flip.

I'd rather see the regular season end a week earlier by scheduling some double headers and a couple less days off and have time for a three game series over a week. One league plays Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and the other plays Wednesday, Friday, Sunday with the better record team having a home/away/home series. That would also allow the next series to start a few days earlier (Monday/Tuesday instead of Thursday/Friday) potentially avoiding some bad weather at the end of October.

I can't imagine that MLB wouldn't benefit from an extra 2 to 4 playoff games.

I agree ridiculous. One game decides 6 months of playing.

 

[NJHusky]

I love it! It's an add on...for years there was no wild card...then only 1 wild card and it was no different than winning the division..no home field..big deal. Now with a second wild card, there is instant excitement. If you don't want to play in the wild card game...win your division. Would you prefer there was no wild card?

 

[mauconnfan]

I love it! It's an add on...for years there was no wild card...then only 1 wild card and it was no different than winning the division..no home field..big deal. Now with a second wild card, there is instant excitement. If you don't want to play in the wild card game...win your division. Would you prefer there was no wild card?

Sometimes the best team ends up killing it 2nd half of the season maybe falls short due to injuries early. I get it win the division but please no reason for not having at least a 2 of 3. Play 154 games in the regular season.

 

[NatiHuskiFan]

I was bummed when MLB changed to this because it just seemed like a money grab at the time, and for a season that is already too long to begin with. I think Pittsburgh was knocked out a few years ago after having the second best record in all of MLB. They may have just had 2nd best in NL. Last year was ridiculous as well with the cubs being 3 or 4 games ahead of the Rockies and losing. I also feel it ruins the matchups in the division series because two aces aren’t going against each other in game 1

 

[the Q]

I was bummed when MLB changed to this because it just seemed like a money grab at the time, and for a season that is already too long to begin with. I think Pittsburgh was knocked out a few years ago after having the second best record in all of MLB. They may have just had 2nd best in NL. Last year was ridiculous as well with the cubs being 3 or 4 games ahead of the Rockies and losing. I also feel it ruins the matchups in the division series because two aces aren’t going against each other in game 1

Your last line is exactly what it was intended to do.

This is basically a punishment for not wining your division because too many wild card teams were advancing.

 

[jleves]

I love it! It's an add on...for years there was no wild card...then only 1 wild card and it was no different than winning the division..no home field..big deal. Now with a second wild card, there is instant excitement. If you don't want to play in the wild card game...win your division. Would you prefer there was no wild card?

No - I love the wild card idea - too many teams and too many games not to have 4 more in the playoffs. I just want the wild card matchup not be 1 game but best of three.

Sometimes the best team ends up killing it 2nd half of the season maybe falls short due to injuries early. I get it win the division but please no reason for not having at least a 2 of 3. Play 154 games in the regular season.

The owners would never agree to a 154 game season. Just compress the 162 games into a one week shorter season (easy to do - start a couple of days earlier, schedule double headers, have a couple off days removed).

 

[UConNick]

No - I love the wild card idea - too many teams and too many games not to have 4 more in the playoffs. I just want the wild card matchup not be 1 game but best of three.

The owners would never agree to a 154 game season. Just compress the 162 games into a one week shorter season (easy to do - start a couple of days earlier, schedule double headers, have a couple off days removed).

I feel the same exact way - love the WC round. It's great to get a couple extra teams into the postseason state of mind. But in a sport like baseball where there's 162 games, it's illogical to have it all come down to one game. Whenever I played MLB2k or the Show, I always changed the WC to a three-game set. Having to play in that round is good, being able to skip it really is an advantage for divisional teams. But on a separate issue, it's not fair to the two WC teams to have it down to one game. Make it 2 of 3, I'm sure they could figure out the scheduling. Although I want it to stay at 162. Been that way for so long picturing an MLB season with any other length just feels too weird to me.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

I actually love it.

 

[navery12]

Anyone else have a problem with a one game wildcard playoff? I really don't like it. For the record, I have no particular interest in the wildcard teams this year.

Play 162 games and have your playoff potential come down to a 1 game almost coin flip.

I'd rather see the regular season end a week earlier by scheduling some double headers and a couple less days off and have time for a three game series over a week. One league plays Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and the other plays Wednesday, Friday, Sunday with the better record team having a home/away/home series. That would also allow the next series to start a few days earlier (Monday/Tuesday instead of Thursday/Friday) potentially avoiding some bad weather at the end of October.

I can't imagine that MLB wouldn't benefit from an extra 2 to 4 playoff games.

Couldn't disagree more, I love it. You want to avoid your season coming down to 1 game? You have 162 games to win your division

 

[superjohn]

I always get a kick out of Stephen Strasburg pitching for the Torrington Twisters.

 

[2north]

That ending is why 1 game works, game 7 atmosphere every time.

 

[NJHusky]

I feel the same exact way - love the WC round. It's great to get a couple extra teams into the postseason state of mind. But in a sport like baseball where there's 162 games, it's illogical to have it all come down to one game. Whenever I played MLB2k or the Show, I always changed the WC to a three-game set. Having to play in that round is good, being able to skip it really is an advantage for divisional teams. But on a separate issue, it's not fair to the two WC teams to have it down to one game. Make it 2 of 3, I'm sure they could figure out the scheduling. Although I want it to stay at 162. Been that way for so long picturing an MLB season with any other length just feels too weird to me.

Having 1game makes it exciting from the outset. But more importantly 2/3 would be a major disadvantage to the div winner. Now u have to wait an extra 3 days in addition to the 3/4 days after the season ends not playing. Shouldn’t be easy /fair for the WC teams. They should be disadvantaged for not winning

 

[mauconnfan]

Disagree on the disadvantage because more than likely the wild card winner just used #1 and #2 on their staff and #1 won't be able to go at least until game 2 maybe even 3 in the next series. Rest is better than this option. The only thing about the best of 3 that's tough to figure is how do you give an advantage to the "home team" winner? I mean you can't play home-away-home too much time. Do you play 2 home on games 1 & 2 or look at games 2 & 3 for home field?

 

[the Q]

Disagree on the disadvantage because more than likely the wild card winner just used #1 and #2 on their staff and #1 won't be able to go at least until game 2 maybe even 3 in the next series. Rest is better than this option. The only thing about the best of 3 that's tough to figure is how do you give an advantage to the "home team" winner? I mean you can't play home-away-home too much time. Do you play 2 home on games 1 & 2 or look at games 2 & 3 for home field?

I’m fine with all 3 being in one spot.

But the issue becomes scheduling. Because you need that Monday off for any tie breaker games (like we had with chi/mil last year. So basically you would need to move everyone back another 1-2 days. Not sure mlb wants to do that

 

[NJHusky]

Disagree on the disadvantage because more than likely the wild card winner just used #1 and #2 on their staff and #1 won't be able to go at least until game 2 maybe even 3 in the next series. Rest is better than this option. The only thing about the best of 3 that's tough to figure is how do you give an advantage to the "home team" winner? I mean you can't play home-away-home too much time. Do you play 2 home on games 1 & 2 or look at games 2 & 3 for home field?

Wildcard teams also used their #1 / #2 in one game as Wash did yesterday. much less rest than if there were 2 more games plus an off day...that makes the #1 more avail for div winner. Plus you have an Oakland/TB series...the travel would be nuts for no reason....It's perfect now

 

[storrsroars]

As a Pirates fan, I should hate it, given we ran into consecutive years of Arrieta/Bumgarner buzzsaws, but I don't mind it. Yes, the Pirates won 98 games in 2015, second only to the Cards who had 100 (and only one game ahead of the 97-win Cubs). I went to the 2013 & 2015 WC games. The 2013 game was the single best live sporting experience I've ever had.

But if the format were to change, I think the best solution I've heard is a best of three with a DH at the 1st WC site followed by (if necessary) a 3rd game at the 2nd WC site. Get the thing over with in 4 days tops so as not to screw with days off/rotations of the actual division winners.

 

[McLovin]

As much as it sucks for the teams involved, it puts way more emphasis on winning your division. It was designed to keep division leaders playing more meaningful games by removing the safety net. I'm fine with it the way it is but would be open to tweaking it to the way Japan does their playoff... The wild card is a "3" game series but the 1st place wild card team starts the series with a 1-0 lead. So if they win the first game, they move on. If they lose it, they get a second chance. Both games played at home on back-to-back nights.

If they are going to change anything, I would like to see the division series moved to a 7 game series. Basketball and Hockey don't 5 game playoff series. Not a fan of this short of a series.

 

[NJHusky]

As much as I hope the yanks win it. Can you imagine the weather potential if Minnesota goes to a game 7 in the WS...then add on another 4-5 days...playing baseball in Nov just doesn't work for mr

 

[Dove]

That bottom of the 8th was epic. Hader was blowing fire but high, out of the zone. The patient Rendon got a walk and here comes uberStud Juan Soto, a lefty, who Hader totally dominates. But not Juan Soto last night. And then that fundamental gaffe by Trent Grisham to allow Rendon to score. Wow.

And then the Crew went down pretty quietly in the 9th. Game over.

The Nats and Brewers earned the 5th and 6th spot in the NL playoffs. A one game playoff is fine.

 

[UConNick]

I guess my issue is with how hard they push it as the "playoffs." Growing up, the playoffs meant you were in a series, that you'd have a shot over multiple games to prove you were better. Right now to me, the WC game feels like little more than a glorified game 163. It's peculiar for me to see teams celebrate like they've won a division only because they clinched a berth in a one-game format. Can it really be a playoffs experience if you're out in three hours? Shouldn't you at least get multiple games?

That's all just my opinion, I think overall the WC game has proven to be a welcome addition to the format, I just wish it was either tweaked to be a true "playoff" series or billed as something less, more like a play-in round.

 

[UConnStats]

Favorites in wild card games are 8-1 in the last 9 games played. Oakland is favored tonight. That being said, I still can't help but see more risk in Sean Manaea than Charlie Morton, especially considering that the Rays have Snell and Glasnow they can bring in behind him. Morton also has much more playoff experience. The rays were 5th in the MLB in OPS vs. LHP at .739... Give me the Rays in this one.

 

[storrsroars]

I'm with you. Gotta go with Chuck. Wish he was still a Pirate, always loved his stuff if not the actual results when he was here - he still hadn't figured out how to get LH hitters out.

Anyone actually ever see the guy pitch back when he was at Joel Barlow?

 

[superjohn]

Favorites in wild card games are 8-1 in the last 9 games played. Oakland is favored tonight. That being said, I still can't help but see more risk in Sean Manaea than Charlie Morton, especially considering that the Rays have Snell and Glasnow they can bring in behind him. Morton also has much more playoff experience. The rays were 5th in the MLB in OPS vs. LHP at .739... Give me the Rays in this one.

Charlie Morton is that dude. I had the Rays winning tonight because of him, he didn't have his command and just grinded to shut the A's down. One of the best CT. has ever produced.

 

[alexd]

It's still weird watching a team celebrate like little kids after winning one game.