2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

Heh. The very first wild card game had the 88-74 Cards beating the 94-68 Braves in Atlanta. So you might be waiting awhile for change.

That game was pure evil.

[dubcity]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

It was a good night. Now St Louis needs to lose their series. #anti-establishment

[DrJones]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

The wildcard game will never be made into a best-of-3 or longer. Season is too long as is, a longer series negates the pitching disadvantage in the LDS, and division winners don't want that many off-days. (I can already hear teams moaning about "getting rusty".)

Much more likely is that the playoff field becomes 12 or 16 somewhere down the line. Be careful what you wish for.

[DrJones]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

That game was pure evil.

Infield fly rule, anyone?

[Majingir]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

The wildcard game will never be made into a best-of-3 or longer. Season is too long as is, a longer series negates the pitching disadvantage in the LDS, and division winners don't want that many off-days. (I can already hear teams moaning about "getting rusty".)

Much more likely is that the playoff field becomes 12 or 16 somewhere down the line. Be careful what you wish for.

12 wouldn't work under this current 30 team system.

12 or 16 though with a 32 team league,I could see happening. But obviously schedules would be messed up with how many playoff games would need to happen. So unless MLB expands to 32 teams AND reduces seasons schedule by a month or so, don't see anything like that happening.

[kehlis]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

The wildcard game will never be made into a best-of-3 or longer. Season is too long as is, a longer series negates the pitching disadvantage in the LDS, and division winners don't want that many off-days. (I can already hear teams moaning about "getting rusty".)

Much more likely is that the playoff field becomes 12 or 16 somewhere down the line. Be careful what you wish for.

I don't know if you saw my post earlier (not sure what thread it was in) but I heard a suggestion that makes a ton of sense after thinking about it awhile and am interested on your input.

The first wildcard team needs to win one of two games but the second wildcard team needs to win two of two.

Can get the games done in two days and move on to the division series in the normal timeframe with even more of a potential detriment to the wildcard winning team which I am 100% okay with.

[kehlis]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

Be careful what you wish for.

I prefer four teams, I never wished for five teams but since it isn't going away anytime soon I would just like to see something different than what we have.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

Jake Arrieta vs PIT this year: 5 GS | 36 IP | 3-1 | 0.75 ERA | 0.64 WHIP | .151 BAA | .209 BABIP

Jake Arrieta vs ROAD this year: 18 GS | 124 IP | 13-1 | 1.60 ERA | 0.87 WHIP | .186 BAA | .252 BABIP

Jake Arrieta at PNC Park this year: 3 GS | 22 IP | 2-0 | 0.82 ERA | 0.73 WHIP | .162 BAA | .211 BABIP


Gerrit Cole vs CHC this year: 4 GS | 25.1 IP | 2-1 | 2.13 ERA | 0.95 WHIP | .225 BAA | .331 BABIP

Gerrit Cole at PNC Park this year: 15 GS | 98.2 IP | 9-3 | 2.83 ERA | 1.08 WHIP | .243 BAA | .302 BABIP



So, yeah, it'll probably be a 12-10 final score

[steelerfan]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

Good time to be an Astros fan.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

I don't know if you saw my post earlier (not sure what thread it was in) but I heard a suggestion that makes a ton of sense after thinking about it awhile and am interested on your input.

The first wildcard team needs to win one of two games but the second wildcard team needs to win two of two.

Can get the games done in two days and move on to the division series in the normal timeframe with even more of a potential detriment to the wildcard winning team which I am 100% okay with.

This is pretty much the only thing that can happen to make this system even slightly less stupid. Still incredibly dumb because it would force a team that was better over 162 games to play 2 more games for no reason other than MLB says it should be so. Arbitrary nonsense.

Too bad it can't be where WC2 needs to make up as many games as they were behind WC1 at the end of the year then break the tie with another win to be able to move on. Obviously logistics would not allow.

[kehlis]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

This is pretty much the only thing that can happen to make this system even slightly less stupid. Still incredibly dumb because it would force a team that was better over 162 games to play 2 more games for no reason other than MLB says it should be so. Arbitrary nonsense.

Too bad it can't be where WC2 needs to make up as many games as they were behind WC1 at the end of the year then break the tie with another win to be able to move on. Obviously logistics would not allow.

In theory they wouldn't necessarily have to play two games. If they won the first game that would be it. But if they lost the first one they would have a chance at retribution with a second game which to me is fair since they were the better team of the two in the regular season.


As an A's fan, I thought they had no business being in the one game playoff with the Royals last year. That would have been a crime if they stole that wild game.

[Jr.]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

ESPN's guess at the Cubs lineup for tomorrow. I'm not sure what I think

Dexter Fowler, CF
Kyle Schwarber, RF
Kris Bryant, LF
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Starlin Castro, 2B
Miguel Montero, C
Addison Russell, SS
Jake Arrieta, P
Tommy La Stella, 3B

Schwarber was pretty bad the last month+ of the season. Coghlan is noticeably absent, and 3 guys are out of position on D. We'll see.

[DrJones]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

I don't know if you saw my post earlier (not sure what thread it was in) but I heard a suggestion that makes a ton of sense after thinking about it awhile and am interested on your input.

The first wildcard team needs to win one of two games but the second wildcard team needs to win two of two.

Can get the games done in two days and move on to the division series in the normal timeframe with even more of a potential detriment to the wildcard winning team which I am 100% okay with.

*shrug* I guess.

I'll be honest with you, I really like the one-game Wild Card format and was calling for it over a decade ago. Division titles mean more in MLB than the other leagues; I like having wildcards sweat it out in a winner-take-all game.

I know that some people hate the format, and I understand why, but... it works for me.

[DrJones]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

It was a typo. I meant to say 7 game difference.

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[dubcity]

Re: 2015 Wild Card Games Discussion Thread

I think we should wait and see how bad the ratings are for some of these early division series games before talking about expanding the WC playoff. I'm not sure the demand is there. It's not like college football, which could turn its postseason into a 16 team playoff and make one hundred trillion dollars.