Does the current MLB playoff format need to change?
Following the elimination of the 101-win Mets, Braves, and 111-win Dodgers some are questioning baseball’s current postseason schedule with both the 87-win Philadelphia Phillies and 89-win San Diego Padres as the two teams remaining in the National League.
2022 saw the unveiling of a new format that expands the number of teams and the Wild Card round. Baseball increased the number of teams from 10 to 12 and the single-elimination Wild Card game (used from 2012-19 and 2021) was replaced by a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
If it weren’t for the rule changes the Phillies wouldn’t have made the playoffs nor would the now-eliminated Tampa Bay Rays.
There was no uproar following the Mets losing a three-game series to the Padres in the Wild Card. There were only questions when the Dodgers and Braves each lost in the Division Series that was the same format as before.
So did those two teams sit at home for too long? Were they rusty? Or, did they just get beat?
Here’s what the Mets, Braves, and Dodgers all have in common. They all only had one playoff win and none of them advanced.
MLB’s new playoff system is a train wreck. Division winners like the Dodgers, Braves, Cardinals, and Yankees should only be driven from the playoffs after losing a best-of-seven series.
ALREADY OUT
Dodgers— 111 wins
Braves— 101 wins
Mets— 101 wins— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) October 16, 2022
But is it a trainwreck? Or is it a case of small samples? Sure the argument could be made that seven-game series’ should be mandatory but looking on the other side of the bracket, each of the final two teams (Astros and Guardians/Yankees) won their division.
Baseball is weird. We know this. Look at the regular season. The Mets were swept by the 74-88 Cubs. The Braves lost series to the 69-93 Marlins and 74-88 Diamondbacks. The Dodgers were swept by the 62-100 Pirates.
Anyone can beat anyone. Usually, that gets evened out in longer series. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case in the National League this season. The Dodgers have made the playoffs for 10 consecutive years and have one World Series win from it. Winning in the playoffs isn’t easy.
Let’s check in on what Mr. Only I Can Have An Opinion On Baseball said.
I like the Phils way more than the Braves, I've come to dislike the Dodgers, and Bob Melvin is a friend of mine
But if the NLCS is a 3rd Place team that ended 11 out vs a team that ended 22 out, either the playoffs are screwed up or the season is there just to empty your wallet
— Keith Olbermann↙️ (@KeithOlbermann) October 15, 2022
There you have it folks. The playoffs are screwed up or the season is there to empty your wallet.
When baseball was popular and the World Series owned America for a week, it was because the best teams had been decided over a balanced 154 or 162 game schedule. Today, the World Series is a niche event only for fans of the two teams. It crowns the champs of a month, not a year.
— Keith Olbermann↙️ (@KeithOlbermann) October 15, 2022
I personally enjoy it when only two teams can compete for something. Why should I have hope? I know I’m a Mets fan but come on, just a little taste.
The playoff system isn’t broken because you didn’t get the desired outcome. That’s the joy of playoffs. It’s what makes a single-elimination event like March Madness so fun.
Anything is better than the single-game Wild Card and that’s a hill I’ll proudly die on.
Simply put, the Braves and Dodgers got beat. Now the Phillies and Padres will compete for the National League crown. Would anyone believe you if you told them that two months ago? No, unless you grew up with a poster of a Friar of Phanatic on your wall.
Enjoy baseball. There’s not much left. Don’t blame the format, blame your team and fight with strangers online instead. MLB loves money so don’t think they won’t find another reason to expand playoffs and when it benefits your team you’ll love it.