MLB postseason format kinda sucks

[Slateman]

If you want to be hardcore about it, cut it to 2 leagues and no divisons. The pennant winners play a best of 7 and be done with it.

Better idea

Cut it to one league with 8 teams. Everyone plays everyone else 20 times. 4 five game series. Best two teams play a best of 21 for the championship.

[killgod]

Since we're kind of on the topic, I think the MLB should change their whole idea of a regular season. 5 game series, with the series wins/losses as your team record. Sweeps would be factorerd in as a tie break to ensure games without meaning, although could prove to being games to get prospects game time in the bigs.

The better team doesn't always win a single game, but the better team wins a series more often. A truer representation of who the best teams are.

From a fan persepective, you'd get amped crowds for series clinching matches, more drama and excitement to build upon. You face a whole team's rotation, or perhaps an Ace twice if the series is critical to making the post season.


I'd love to see a league, personally I think baseball is the one that should, turn it's format on it's head like that.


This could render the postseason less exciting however by taking away how it was different. The concept of eliminating teams could be changed. I think the MLB season process could be a lot more appealing in a more dramatic setting, under a different format.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Let's not get too crazy, here.

Fundamentally, baseball is structured just fine aside from what really amounts to minor discrepancies over playoff format.

[EmpireWF]

It's almost impossible to get little things like replay in action and KG wants to change the fundamentals of the sport. lol

[Glenbino]

2 leagues...

4 best records from each league regardless of division, seeding based on record. Best of 7 throughout.

Baseball fixed.

[Glenbino]

Also, end interleague play.

[EmpireWF]

Also, end interleague play.

Booooooo!

[Glenbino]

Booooooo!

It was fun for awhile but all it has really done was make a schedule that was already imbalanced much worse.

[NAHSTE]

It was fun for awhile but all it has really done was make a schedule that was already imbalanced much worse.

Interleague is here to stay with 15/15. We get it every day now! YAY!

Next up, universal DH!

[Guest]

The whole idea was to get fans, and also keep their interest up. You can't tell me that didn't work. Hardcore fans like us will always watch. Granted, over the past 10 years I've boycotted the Orioles as far as merch and attending games, but I've always watched and followed the team. We aren't who they are trying to please and attract to watch and attend games.

[Senser81]

The Cardinals may be one game from the World Series, but they overcame the disadvantage, so what can you do?

HUH? What "disadvantage" did the Cardinals have to overcome? Disadvantage #1 would have been for them not to even make the playoffs, as a non-division winner with the 12th best record in baseball. Disadvantage #2 would have been for them to have played an actual series against the Braves, not a one game crapshoot where anything can happen (usually bad umpiring). Disadvantage #3 would have been for the Cardinals to beat a 10-game superior Nationals team 4 times in a 7-game series. As it stood, the Cardinals had to win 4 games to advance 2 rounds in the postseason. Compared to the NFL postseason, that would be like team playing well for the 1st quarter of a playoff game and most of the 2nd quarter.

[Senser81]

If baseball went back to the pre division setup of two leagues with the winners playing in the World Series, we'd all be bored out of our minds because there would be seasons where nothing past the end of August meant anything.

If we had the two league setup this year, the NL would have had the Nationals, Reds, Braves, and Giants all competing into the final week. The only "race" we would have missed out on would have been the Cards and Dodgers 'fighting' for the #2 WC spot.

The AL would have been even closer, with the Yanks, Orioles, A's and Rangers battling in the final week. Again, the only "race" we would have missed out on would have been the White Sox choking away their division to the equally bumbling Tigers.

[Senser81]

And while we all sit here and feel bad for Atlanta, please remember that the Braves would not have even made the postseason in something like 90% of all baseball seasons with that record.

So tell me again how they got screwed? I mean jeez, MLB puts these postseason spots on a platter for these teams now. I don't want to hear about being screwed. If you have a top three record in either league, you are guaranteed a playoff spot. If you are a good club, you are making the playoffs, unlike those "good 'ol days" when teams would win 90, 95, 99, 100+ games and go home after 162. So you can't tell me out of one side of your mouth things aren't fair, while out of the other pine for tradition.

Thats missing the point. I'm not saying that teams are "screwed" by not getting into the postseason, I'm saying the postseason format itself kinda renders the regular season meaningless.