Braves Are Out- Again- And The Format Is (Part Of) The Problem
Another year, another stellar Braves team (regular season version) is out of the tournament after one round. Again this year, the Phillies did the deed, needing four games to dispatch the same Atlanta team that bested them by 14 games in the race for the East division crown. Ok. It happens. Teams get upset. Underdogs prevail. Ask the Dodgers. Ask Baltimore.
There are many factors involved in these outcomes The debate will carry through the off season. The early losers and their fans have focused on the ” off-week” that comes with a clinch. This rest period comes while the two wild card entrants engage in a best- of-three to see who advances.
In my mind, it comes down to this. Does MLB care if they undervalue a Division title, incidentally or otherwise? Rob Manfred and company oversee a playoff structure that minimizes the reward for winning a division title.
I believe that the 162 game schedule is a strength of baseball and that winning that marathon ought to bring more value than it does at present.
If the division title is to be more meaningful, here are two suggestions.
1) Have the winner of the wild card round play the NEXT day in the LCS. (and no more superfluous off-days as happened this year on Sunday Oct 8.) Those off days allow the lower- seeded teams to reset their pitchers and thus minimize the “advantage ” that is supposed to go to the higher-seeded team.
2) ditch the 2-2-1 playoff format for the LDS. Instead, go to a 2-1-2 format that gives the higher- seeded team a more significant home field advantage as reward for outperforming that opponent. With a 2-1-2 format, the lower-seeded team will get one home game only. And if they happen to win the series by sweeping the higher- seeded team, that will be a clear cut prevail over the disadvantaged start point that they had created for themselves with their regular season performance. For the higher seeded team, they will have earned– yes, EARNED– up to four home games if the series goes five. That’s a more fitting reward for six months of relatively superior play.
With the current scenario, and acknowledging the uniquely important role of starting pitching in baseball, a single winning performance that comes in Game One or Game Two for the underdog immediately negates the narrow advantage that it took the higher- seeded team 6 months to earn.
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The 2-1-2 format for the Division series would better support the currently thin value of winning the regular season Division title or having a better regular season record.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com