This October, the two-team Wild Card system will most likely expose Major League Baseball’s flawed playoff structure. Arguably the best team in baseball right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have won 96 games, are at risk of only playing one postseason game this October. They have the second-best record in the MLB, behind only their division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.
In an ideal sports world, the “best” team wins it all the majority of the time. This is far from true, however, in the MLB. Compared to the other major professional leagues, the MLB has the fewest teams that make the playoffs. Just three years ago, it implemented a two-team Wild Card system, giving a post-season berth to five teams in each league instead of four.
In both leagues, the two Wild Card teams play in a one-game elimination contest where the winners go on to meet the team in their league with the best record. Most fans consider this play-in game an extension of the regular season rather than the postseason. Although this system does bring more teams into the playoffs, it puts the first-place Wild Card team in jeopardy of only playing one postseason game.
During the course of the 162-game season, the Pirates have been outstanding, but their chances of playing in a postseason series are left in the hands of one game. In baseball, a sport where the best teams win less than 60 percent of their games, you need a longer series to get the right winner.
I propose a three-game series for both Wild Card matchups. Opponents to this argument worry that it would make the season too long, which is already a concern since Game 7 of the World Series is scheduled for Nov. 4. However, the playoff schedule allots several days for travel, which is unnecessary.
There is an efficient way to end the regular season in October and still have a three-game series after the regular season is over. The MLB could also get creative and make a couple of Sundays during the regular season mandatory double-header days for all teams. This would add more excitement to a sport with a diminishing fan base.
The three-game series also gives division-winners the advantage of resting their arms before their first-round series. Winners of the Wild Card game seem to get hot and then make a run in the playoffs. For example, the two World Series teams in 2014, the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals, were both winners of the one-game Wild Card.
In an attempt to prevent giving the Wild Card teams an advantage, I would be open to making the first two games of the three-game series in the Wild Card a double-header. This would kill two birds with one stone, making it a disadvantage to be a Wild Card team while also shortening the long baseball season. Furthermore, it would give another incentive to the first Wild Card team because they would get all three of the Wild Card games at home.
If the MLB season ended today, the three best teams would all be from the National League Central division. As a result, the Pirates and Cubs would play each other in the Wild Card matchup.
A mild way to fix this is to change which teams play in the postseason. The same five teams that make the playoffs would stay the same: three division winners and the two Wild Cards. However, then the fourth and fifth best records play in the Wild Card game and the winner plays the top-seeded team. Not only is playoff re-seeding more balanced, but it also guarantees drama to end the season with teams playing for which seed they receive.
Outside of the NFL, which only has a 16-game season, the other three major leagues (the NHL, NBA and MLB) all have best-of-seven series. The series format increases the chances that the “best” team will win, which in theory is the team that should be crowned champion at the end of the season.
The idea that one three-hour baseball game should dictate the outcome of a team’s fate that has played more than 1400 innings of baseball during the season is insane. This system devalues the importance of the regular season for the best teams in the league.
The idea of having a double-header in the proposed Wild Card playoff series would not appeal to old school baseball fans. However, these same people were also against any form of replay and now nobody debates that rule change.
Making this change to the Wild Card system would impact the dynamics of the playoffs, appealing to a younger audience interested in exciting change. Since the MLB is already trying to appeal to the younger generation, this would represent another step in that direction.
