This season Major League Baseball restructured their playoff format. They added a three-game series featuring extra wild card teams. Now that meant that two of the division winners would receive byes and have some days off. It seems as though everybody liked this new format as it allowed more teams to compete for playoff spots, but apparently things didn't go as planned.
After receiving byes and having multiple days off the 111-win National League West winning Los Angeles Dodgers and the defending World Series champion and National League East winning Atlanta Braves were knocked out of the playoffs in the National League Division Series, which wasn't supposed to happen. Plus, the New York Yankees who also received a bye where stretch to five games in their American League Division Series with the Cleveland Guardians.
Now that all of this has taken place for the first time, I've actually heard people starting to complain about the way Major League Baseball changed the playoff format, but I think that they're a little off base.
Upset happen in Major League Baseball and the team that wins the most games in the regular season doesn't always represent its league in the World Series. It seems as though people have already forgotten that out of the five teams that made the playoff from the National League in 2021 the Braves had the worst record out of all five of those teams. As we know the Braves went on to win the World Series.
Of course, the question that's being brought up is did the bye affect the Dodgers and the Braves. Well, the Houston Astros also had a bye, and they swept their American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners. Like I mentioned early it did take them five games, but the Yankees moved on to the American League Championship Series.
Now it is possible that the bye may have had a little bit of an affect, but I doubt it would've lasted past the first game.
If a professional baseball player can't get themselves back into the groove for a playoff run because they had a few days off that seems to be on them. It's not the San Diego Padres or the Philadelphia Phillies fault that they played better than the Dodgers and Braves respectively and advanced in the playoffs.
I get that it's not the outcome that the media or the television providers wanted, but that's how it goes sometimes. Obviously, they wanted to see the Braves match up with the Dodgers and then the Dodgers advance to face the Yankees in the World Series, but that's not going to happen.
It will be interesting to see if Major League Baseball makes changes to the playoff format or if they stay with what they did this season. There is one thing that I would like to see them do and that's reseed after the wild card round. If you're the team with the best record in your league you should hypothetically have the easiest road to the World Series. That should be your reward from the regular season.
Now the National League Championship started last night, and the Phillies won the first game 2-0. Philadelphia scored their runs on two solo home runs. One by Bryce Harper in the 4th inning and one by Kyle Schwarber in the 6th inning. Zack Wheeler along with Seranthony Dominquez and Jose Alvarado limited the Padres to just 1 hit, a single by Will Myers in the bottom of the 5th inning off Wheeler. Now the Phillies themselves only managed 3 hits, but with two of them being solo home runs it was enough to win game 1 and take the lead in the series.
Game 2 of the national League Championship Series is this afternoon. The Padres will send Blake Snell to the mound to start as they look to even the series. Philadelphia is starting Aaron Nola in Game 2.
The American League Championship series gets started tonight in Houston. The Astros are going with Justin Verlander as their starting pitcher while the Yankees will go with Jameson Taillon as their starter.
Before I go let me know if you think there are any changes Major League Baseball should make to their playoff format.
You can also find me on Twitter, @Burketime
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