MLB postseason format kinda sucks

[Senser81]

See if you follow this reasoning...

MLB regular season is 162 games, NFL regular season is 16 games...so 10 MLB games = 1 NFL game

A seven-game MLB postseason series would be like an NFL playoff games being 3 quarters long, then declaring the winner.

A five game MLB postseason series would be like an NFL playoff game being a half, then declaring a winner at halftime.

The one game MLB "wild card" game would be like an NFL playoff game lasting 6 minutes, then declaring the winner.

So you can see how easy it is for "underdog" teams to excel in the MLB postseason. Its not really set up to get true results.

[Warner2BruceTD]

...and here we go!

[EmpireWF]

So by your logic, the NBA and NHL have the perfect playoff systems since the winning team may play up to 28 playoff games?

[Senser81]

So by your logic, the NBA and NHL have the perfect playoff systems since the winning team may play up to 28 playoff games?

Sometimes when you post stuff, I can't tell if you are being serious or not. Its like your post sort of makes sense, but then you throw in a caveat to make the overall statement completely retarded.

Don't see how my logic can be carried on to say that the NBA and NHL have the perfect playoff systems. I do think the NBA/NHL playoff systems are more conducive to the best team actually winning the championship.

[EmpireWF]

Sometimes when you post stuff, I can't tell if you are being serious or not. Its like your post sort of makes sense, but then you throw in a caveat to make the overall statement completely retarded.

Don't see how my logic can be carried on to say that the NBA and NHL have the perfect playoff systems. I do think the NBA/NHL playoff systems are more conducive to the best team actually winning the championship.

Your OP's assumption has the MLB playoff format being a piece of shit because it's so easy for the lower seed teams to win (doesn't this happen more than a few times in the NFL?) because they play fewer games than you would prefer.

NBA and NHL seasons are only 82 games, basically half of MLB. So 5 NBA/NHL games = 1 NFL.

Each post-season series in the two sports are 7 games.

So each NBA/NHL playoff series are about 1.3 NFL games…the opposite of your complaint with MLB playoff games…thus, your line of thinking has NBA/NHL playoffs as the optimal format.

[DoubleDeuce]

So each NBA/NHL playoff series are about 1.3 NFL games…the opposite of your complaint with MLB playoff games…thus, your line of thinking has NBA/NHL playoffs as the optimal format.

I don't think you know what optimal means.. or at least you're bad at drawing conclusions.

[Warner2BruceTD]

The World Series used to be a best-of-nine.

MLB Playoffs are largely a crap shoot, always have been. I guess you can 'build' for the postseason with dominant starting pitching and a dominant back end of the bullpen, but the Cardinals keep winning 86 games with neither and keep going to the World Series, so I guess not.

[NAHSTE]

Hmm, that's interesting. You know, I haven't thought much about this subject. Gonna have to do some research and get back to you with my official stance.

[Villain]

I'll offer an opinion for dissection:



The MLB postseason does seem to be the opposite of the MLB season. The MLB season is a marathon with a "don't worry, we'll get 'em tomorrow" attitude thanks to a 162 game season. Then you have 162 games boil down to just one game for the 4 wildcard teams. I think the Wildcard game should be at least a best of 3.

I also dislike that the playoffs happen in October. Again, it seems to go against the way the majority of the season is played out. Baseball happens in summer, outside, in warm weather (mostly). Then you're going to decide the champion of a summer game in the miserable weather of October. The pitchers hands are freezing and the outfields are soaked with water.

Chop a month off the season, have the playoffs in September and the division races in August (the most boring month of sports). As it is right now, the World Series competes with the NFL, NCAA Football, and the first week of NBA and NHL (well not this year) games.

[Senser81]

Your OP's assumption has the MLB playoff format being a piece of shit because it's so easy for the lower seed teams to win (doesn't this happen more than a few times in the NFL?) because they play fewer games than you would prefer.

But you would expect the NFL postseason to be more of a crapshoot, because they play so many fewer games in the regular season, and the regular season schedules can vary greatly in difficulty. Teams in the NFL can go 10-6 and never defeat a winning team all year.

The MLB's playoff is a piece of shit because the ratio of regular season to postseason games is so skewed. Why play so many regular season games if you are going to be allowing the 11th and 12th best teams in the league (Tigers & Cards) to compete in the postseason? And if you allow teams like the Tigers and Cards to compete in the postseason, why make it so easy for them to advance?

NBA and NHL seasons are only 82 games, basically half of MLB. So 5 NBA/NHL games = 1 NFL.

Each post-season series in the two sports are 7 games.

So each NBA/NHL playoff series are about 1.3 NFL games…the opposite of your complaint with MLB playoff games…thus, your line of thinking has NBA/NHL playoffs as the optimal format.

Yep, I have no complaint with the NBA/NHL playoff format. I think their systems are wrong, because, similar to the MLB, if you are going to play 82 games in the regular season, you shouldn't be allowing the 15th and 16th best teams into the postseason. Oh well.

[EmpireWF]

The 1 game wildcard is great because it puts a ton of emphasis on winning your division.

[Villain]

The 1 game wildcard is great because it puts a ton of emphasis on winning your division.

A 3-game series wouldn't?

[EmpireWF]

A 3-game series wouldn't?

Not as much as sudden death.

[Senser81]

The 1 game wildcard is great because it puts a ton of emphasis on winning your division.

Detroit Tigers won their division by going 88-74, while the 94-68 Atlanta Braves got stuck playing a 1-game "series" against a team who finished 6 games worse than them and kinda got screwed by the umps. There should be no emphasis on winning your division when the divisions are so unequal.

[NAHSTE]

The 1 game wildcard is great because it puts a ton of emphasis on winning your division.

The Cardinals finished 10 games out of their division.

EMPHASIS

Detroit Tigers won their division by going 88-74, while the 94-68 Atlanta Braves got stuck playing a 1-game "series" against a team who finished 6 games worse than them and kinda got screwed by the umps. There should be no emphasis on winning your division when the divisions are so unequal.

Would thank again.