Perspective: Upsets are among the best things about sports, and baseball’s new playoff format has already produced a thrilling month, Barry Svrluga writes.
This is the first season of Major League Baseball’s doubly expanded postseason — not just with two wild-card. And with the league championship series almost upon us, there’s angst that the regular season produced four 100-win teams — and three of them are out?Sports are a meritocracy. So what if the baseball postseason is a compressed version? Results over a 162-game season don’t need to conform to results in five- or seven-game series. Often, they don’t. If they did, it would be boring.
The Dodgers won those 111 games — more than any team in a regular season since 2001 — and they’re supposed to needadvantages once the playoffs arrive? The extra advantages are baked in — their talent and experience. Failing to advance isn’t the fault of the format. Failing to advance is the fault of the team. Prefer to move on? Don’t blow a three-run, seventh-inning lead in Game 4.The NBA playoffs are “fair,” right? All four rounds are seven games, and the No.
That’s fair? That’s dull. Why have so many teams in the playoffs if only half of them have a shot at winning? Money, obviously, because more games mean more product for TV, and that’s a force that’s undefeated. Still, only one No. 8 seed in the NBA has even reached the Finals, and none have won. They’re fodder.
The baseball playoffs are not just different. They’re better. The most recent, just-changed format began in 2012, when a second wild-card team was added to create Octobers that began with two one-game playoffs — two Game 7s to start everything off. In the nine seasons of that format , wild-card winners went on to win the best-of-five division series nine times and lose nine times.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Girls Soccer Top 20, Oct. 18: Historic tourney upsets create absolute chaosSix new teams are in the statewide ranking after a crazy weekend of games.
Read more »
The new MLB playoff format isn't to blame for Dodgers, Braves upsets. It's just the playoffs, stupidIf you want to make a prediction that's sure to be right, here are two simple rules: DON'T forecast the results of MLB playoff series, no matter how good or bad the teams are. DO expect a certain subset of baseball fans with very large megaphones to be reflexively hostile to change.
Read more »
Explosive-laden suicide drones bombard Kyiv; landmark trans youth care trial to begin; MLB, NFL recapsThings to know today: Waves of suicide drones strike Ukraine's capital; landmark trial over trans youth care to begin; highlights from MLB playoffs, NFL Week 6.
Read more »
Explosive-laden suicide drones bombard Kyiv; landmark trans youth care trial to begin; MLB, NFL recapsThings to know today: Waves of suicide drones strike Ukraine's capital; landmark trial over trans youth care to begin; highlights from MLB playoffs, NFL Week 6.
Read more »
Phillies-Padres: Game time, channel, how to watch and stream MLB PlayoffsFox announcer Joe Davis said the atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park 'exceeded even my wildest expectations.'
Read more »
Guardians vs Yankees ALDS Game 5 Odds, Picks, & Predictions Today — Making ContactWIN OR GO HOME. The Yankees or Guardians are punching their ticket to the ALCS tonight. Game preview + Best Bet ⚾️ Odds page to get the value on your bets ⚾️ Numbers you NEED to know 📈👇
Read more »