In a sport historically resistant to change, Major League Baseball apparently isn’t afraid of progress anymore. Owners approved a tentative plan Thursday to add two more wild-card playoff berths — one in both the American League and National League. With the players association in favor of it, that could happen as soon as next season. But even if we have to wait until 2013, it was the right move. Why? Expanding the playoffs by two doesn’t water down the fall product. It just codifies what was already happening. Virtually every year now the final playoff spot is decided on either the final day of the regular season or in a one-game playoff for teams that are tied. This year ended with one of the great days in baseball history — the Rays came back from seven runs down to beat the Yankees as the Red Sox simultaneously choked away a game against the Orioles. Within minutes Boston had gone from three outs away from securing the AL wild card to walking off the field in despair to watching Evan Longoria’s playoff-clinching home run on the Camden Yards clubhouse television. It was great theatre.
And in the National League, the Cardinals and Braves both played their final games knowing if they lost and the other won their season was over. St. Louis prevailed, Atlanta lost and the Cardinals proved they were a championship-caliber team by winning the World Series. In 94 years of baseball, there were seven one-game playoffs needed to break tiebreakers for either a pennant or division title. Since the postseason expanded in 1995 it has happened six times, including in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
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And, of course, this gives just a little more hope to the Baltimores and the Kansas Citys and the Pittsburghs of the word. Can’t compete with the behemoths in your division? No problem. Shoot for a win total in the high 80s and you’ll have a great shot. That keeps interest alive in so many baseball towns where the season often ends when NFL training camps begins.
– Brian McNally
