Does extra WC spot truly add intrigue?

[Angel Oracle]

In 2011, if the 2 WC teams system was in place, the Red Sux would have made the WC game despite the beer and chicken fueled collapse. It would not have been as big of a news item.

In 2014, both leagues have pretty much determined all 5 post-season teams.

Under the old format, both leagues would have furious 3 team battles going on with 2 post-season spots at stake (Central champ and WC spot).

[Torridd]

I think it does, but I think there should be more thought to change the one and done premise especially if there's such a disparity in wins in the 1st and 2nd wild cards.

[AngelsAndRamsFan]

I don't think it does.

[Jay]

I think it sucks, there should be one WC who goes to the LDS.

[Chimi]

I don't think the wild card team should get a free pass into the Division Series. There should be a penalty for not winning your division. However, I do think the wild card game should be a best of three series. have all three games at the stadium of the team with the better record. That way it puts more incentive on winning the first wild card spot and it cuts down on wasted days spent traveling.

[Angel Oracle]

Chimi's thought is solid.

They should further penalize the WC teams by starting the 3 game series right away on Monday and then the winner doesn't get much rest. That way the team the WC winner plays in the LDS doesn't have to sit around waiting for far too long.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Angel Oracle

[floplag]

it isnt just intrigue, its also making it more of a penalty to be the WC

dont get me wrong, i hate it, but the extra play-in game makes people have to make very difficult choices on their pitching selections and puts a premium on winning the division to avoid that 1 game crapshoot.

that having been said i think it adds a little to what might otherwise be a rather uneventful final week.

[gurn67]

It was set up to punish the Wild Card teams. I don't know how many wild card teams other than the Angels, Red Sox and Cardinals won the World Series, but too many as far as Bud and his bosses in the Bronx were concerned. I liked the system the way it was, I just hate the one and done part. Even a 2 out of 3 would be better  but then if a Wild Card were to win, they would say the division winners had too much time off between games and lost their edge.

[Jay]

The season is long enough already, we don't need to add another week to decide who the wild card is.

[nate]

I think it is lame.  That one game probably makes MLB a couple million dollars though.

[Sully151]

I don't know how lame I would think it was if the Angels were in that position instead of where they are.

There were a lot of people on the board who thought we would be fighting for that second WC spot.

[Guest]

I'd rather see a closer to balanced schedule, a single wild card berth, and the division round be made best of 7.

 

Part of the reason for going to two wild cards (instead of one) was complaint about unequal strength of schedule due to some divisions being weaker than others. This problem would be somewhat reduced if the schedule were more even

 

instead of 19 games vs teams in the division and 6-7 games/each against other teams in the same league they should do 13 games against division rivals and 9 games against the others, with 20 games left over for interleague.

[19HALO71]

No day's off for the wild card teams. Regular season ends and the next day they start a best of 3 series. Then the very next day they play in the LDS.

[Guest]

No day's off for the wild card teams. Regular season ends and the next day they start a best of 3 series. Then the very next day they play in the LDS.

problem is they need to leave a day off for possible tiebreakers and makeup games. If you want to do best of three without the division winners sitting around too long do it as a planned doubleheader, then rubber game the next day. Allow full expanded rosters to participate. Then if you make the divisional round 7 games there will still be a handicap due to the WC team using up pitchers but it wouldn't be too ridiculous.

[Lou]

The season is long enough already, we don't need to add another week to decide who the wild card is.

 

it would be 1 or 2 days longer.

[dimitrig]

I don't care for it given the length of the season. Shorten the season by half and then okay.

[fan_since79]

The season is long enough already, we don't need to add another week to decide who the wild card is.

 

Have some day/night doubleheaders during the season, which would help to shorten it by several days at least. Then have a best-of-3 WC series.

[tennischmp]

It really doesn't matter. Some seasons it is going to be like this year where the 2 wild card spots are clinched before the last weekend and some are going to be like last year where it came down to a tiebreaker game. Had there not been a second spot last year, the TX/TB wildcard game wouldn't have happened. 

[Chimi]

They could still have an off day on a Monday and have the best of three wildcard series on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Make the Thursday game a day game to allow the winner to travel that night. Then start the Division Series on Friday.

It's not that big of a deal. If you look at the NLDS this year, they don't start until Friday. So the NL division leaders are getting 4 days off this year from the end of the season to game 1 of the NLDS. It would work the same way if there was a wildcard series.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Chimi

[SoCALkid]

Yes........no.

[Jay]

I don't care for it given the length of the season. Shorten the season by half and then okay.

 

The season never gets shorter... only longer, longer, longer...

[Stradling]

I would start the season the end of March like this year not April 4th or 5th like next year. Then I would have scheduled double headers one Sunday a Month, followed by those teams having the next day off. That would cut a week off the schedule. Then the Tuesday after the regular season start the three game WC series. Then the ALDS and NLDS starts on Friday. Maybe you can have the first 3 games of the ALDS at the home team of the division champs, or no travel day between game two and three.

[Angel Oracle]

In any event, never, eeever again play baseball in November!

[Stradling]

The Answer is not less games because of revenue. The answer is not fewer days off because they hardly get any to begin with. The answer is one of three things, scheduled double headers (maybe you allow an extra pitcher on the roster for those games), start in March in warmer areas or in some stadiums, or play in November.

[Glen]

I keep hearing about "punishing" the WC teams.  WTF is the point of having a team get into the playoffs and then punishing them?  

 

I liked the WC with one team.  Two is pushing it.  I don't want to see the MLB playoffs turn into the Stanley Cup tournament.