If history were to repeat itself in the exact same fashion this fall — a virtual impossibility, but for the sake of exhibition — the Boston Red Sox would not be headed for their winter vacations. Instead, if the same scenario arises, the Sox will be headed to Tampa for a one-game playoff to determine who advances to the ALDS.
Major League Baseball announced last night that it has expanded its playoff format to ten teams. An extra wildcard team will make the playoffs on each side, and a one-game wildcard round will be played in both the American and National Leagues.
What are the pros and the cons of this new format?
Starting with the pros, as I just mentioned, it can give a shot to teams who might deserve it. I'm not saying the Red Sox deserved it. But teams like the Atlanta Braves last season in the National League can be given a shot that they fell just short of. In the American League, it can finally give a chance to someone outside of the American League East division to be that final team into the ALDS round. After all, it's nearly always some combination of two out of the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays these days.
The cons, though, are the ones that really jump out at me. Whenever a change like this is made, I can't help thinking about the repercussions that could come with it.
For one, I hate the notion of regularly deciding a playoff round in baseball with a one-game series. I already hate the idea that a team has to play a five-game series — a mere three wins — after a season which called for 162 games to determine the most worthy clubs. That long schedule is a clear indication that baseball requires a large sample size to determine who the best ball clubs are. So you allot teams a mere five-game series to prove it in the playoffs? And now a one-game series just to get there? I really dislike the idea of a single elimination in a sport like baseball. A tie-breaker is one thing, but we're talking about the first round of the playoffs now.
That leads me to my second big concern about this system. In many cases, this game will be similar to a tie-breaker. The two teams will be very close — if not identical — in the win-loss columns. In those cases, it can be somewhat of a toss-up and a one-game playoff is simply the equivalent of breaking the tie between those two teams. But what if it isn't so close? What if the Red Sox come in with a dominant record — say they have won 99 games — but trail the Yankees, who won 100. The next best wildcard team, for instance, may have only won 85 games. Boston finished 14 games ahead of this random fifth team, but they now have to bring their season down to a one-game playoff against them? What if the Red Sox, because of days rest, have been forced into a situation where their fourth or fifth starter is going up against the opposition's first? The situation can get pretty dicey.
Having said all of that, the change has been made and there is nothing that can be done. One thing that will definitely be a positive effect from the change is that winning your division has become much more meaningful. At the end of the regular season, we will now see teams — the most notable example, again, being the AL East — fighting to the finish line to win their division. Because the bottom line is this. If you don't win your division, you're playing a one-game playoff.
We won't see the rules in action until the fall, obviously. There is still a long summer of baseball ahead of us. But as we reach the end of that long summer and start turning the pages into the autumn season, these rule changes will unquestionably lead to a slightly different brand of baseball being watched from August through October.
How do you like the new rules? Vote 1 if you hate them more than you hate LeBron James. Vote 10 if this is the best thing since sliced bread.
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