The absurd playoff system in MLB

milagros317;4861743 said:

The current playoff system in MLB is grotesque and absurd.
All three teams in MLB with over 100 wins are done, home for the winter. Two of them eliminated in the NLDS's and one in an ALCS.

The World Series will be played by two teams that won 84 to 90 games each; teams that won 100, 101, and 104 games will not be there. This is, as I've said, both grotesque and absurd.

I have a modest proposal to restore integrity to the MLB postseason. It would both reduce the number of regular season games, from 162 to 154, and reduce the number of rounds of postseason play, from four to two. Thus, it would reduce revenue to MLB, both TV revenue and attendance. So, its probability of being adopted is exactly zero.

Nevertheless, I want to illustrate that it is possible to restore integrity without shrinking back to 16 teams, as there were in my childhood.

There should be four leagues of eight teams each. (The two new teams are marked with an asterisk.)
A regular season of 154 games would be played in each league. Every team would play the other seven teams 22 times each, 11 at home and 11 on the road. Perfect symmetry in the regular season with no schedule advantage for anybody.

The four pennant winners would then play two rounds, the semi-finals and the World Series. Each series would be best four out of seven games.

One novelty that I would introduce: The team with the best record out of the 154 games gets to pick its opponent in the semi-finals; the other two pennant winners play each other.

The leagues are roughly geographical:

MLB West

LA Dodgers
LA Angels
Arizona Diamondbacks
Oakland A's
SF hated jints
SD Padres
Seattle Mariners
*Calgary, Alberta
_______________________

MLB Southeast/Texas

Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
Houston cheating bastros
Texas Rangers
Washington Nationals
Baltimore Orioles
*San Juan, Puerto Rico
__________________________

MLB Northeast/Penn/Ohio

NY Yankees
NY Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians

_______________________

MLB Central

Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Colorado Rockies
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals

The key fact: To reach post season, you must win the pennant in your league. Second place is worthless.

Click to expand...