Bottom of the 6th Inning: Major flaw with MLB playoffs

Editor’s Note: Doug believes baseball is broken and would like to fix it. He plans to discuss an issue a week for the coming weeks. Read here for the topics he plans to help baseball fix.

Since we can all assume Commissioner Selig doesn’t care what changes I’ve made in the first 5 innings that led to the 6th inning, let’s improve the post-season within the confines of the way MLB is currently structured. Since you’re so nice to me to read my 9 inning baseball project, I give you the Bottom of the 6th inning as I go for extra credit.

The major flaw with the baseball playoffs is MLB has never figured out they’re in a competition. So often sports looks through the narrow prism of their own game instead of a broader view. MLB competes with every sport, every activity, even our daily lives to grab our attention. So why not change the system to make it easier to fit in to our lives.

The hard core baseball fan will watch the playoffs no matter what. MLB has lost or is losing everyone else to football. Since MLB’s post-season takes place in the heart of the NFL season, the casual sports fan hasn’t been engaged enough by the time October gets here. MLB must realize fans have left during the regular season to get what they’re looking for somewhere else. The NFL gives them weekly drama. Worse, fans know the characters by the time the MLB playoffs start but aren’t interested in the plot because they left the sport months ago.

MLB should end the season sooner to ramp up excitement for the end of the season before MLB losses all relevance at the start of the football season. Either go back to the old days of Sunday double-headers during the regular season if you want to keep 162 games or play only 140 games. Either way, Labor Day would be the end of the season.

Even baseball players talk about the “dog days” of August. Do you ever hear NFL players talking about how hard it it’s to get through November? No. In the NFL the second to last month of the season is revered as everyone knows you’re in an intense fight for the playoffs. In baseball, players just try to get through August. If the players lack intensity, how can MLB expect the fans to have any?

If the season ends in August, football hasn’t stolen any thunder. The playoffs start at the same time football’s regular season begins. Now MLB has the entire stage.

To make the playoffs the most exciting in sports, steal elements of every other sports’ post-season so MLB’s has everything to offer. Take advantage of the NCAA tourney by having a one-game playoff. Steal the 6 team NFL format. Reward regular season greatness like college football does and MLB used to. Keep the drama of a multiple-game series like MLB has always had and the NBA uses currently.

The current system is just too boring to compete with football. If you’re going to have a Wild Card (which I hate—see the 5th inning blog) then why stop at one? The advantage of winning your division is completely diminished with only one Wild Card. There’s no difference between the Wild Card winner and the third best division winner.

Since MLB won’t implement my system of changes, the bottom of the 6th adds more Wild Cards to increase the advantage a division champion receives.

#1 seed (first place in division and league): bye in first round; four home games in best of 5 second round and even chooses which game it will give up as the road game; four home games in best of seven LCS.

#2 seed (first place in division but fewer wins then one seed): bye in first round; three home games in best of 5 second round; four home games in best of seven LCS unless facing the #1 seed.

#3 seed (first place in division but third among division winners): must play in first round but receives three 1st round home games to beat the #6 seed twice; 2 home games in best of 5 second round; three home games in best of seven LCS unless playing a lower seed.

#4 seed (best second place team): hosts a one-game all or nothing 1st round game vs. #5 seed; gets only one home game in best of 5 versus the #1 seed in the second round or two home games in best of 5 vs. #2 seed; three home games in best of seven LCS unless playing a lower seed.

#5 seed (second best non-division winner): must travel to

#4 seed for a one-game all or nothing 1st round game vs.

#4 seed; gets only one home game in best of 5 versus the

#1 seed in the second round or two home games against the

#2 seed; three home games in best of seven LCS unless playing a lower seed.

#6 seed (third best non-division winner): 0 first round home games in a best of 3 series at the #3 seed; gets only one home game in best of 5 versus the #1 seed in the second round; three home games in best of seven LCS.

The post-season starts the Tuesday after Labor Day. The division winners are seeded 1-3 based on record. The Wild Card winners from each league are seeded 4-6.

In order to give the regular season the respect it deserves, the #1 and #2 seeds each earn a bye in the first round. The three seed deserves respect as a division winner so they get to play a best of three series with all three games at home. The #6 seed can’t host a playoff game until the second round.

The #4 and #5 seeds have the challenge and opportunity of a one-game playoff. I’m stealing the greatness of the NCAA tourney to add excitement to the playoffs. Although it adds great pressure, a one-game playoff also saves a bullpen from a previous series. As soon as you win, you’re on to the next opponent.

There’s no time between the playoff series other than waiting to see who wins. Just like the NFL, there is no bracket. The highest remaining seed travels to the lowest seed. This stays consistent through each round.
The first Tuesday after Labor Day is game one of the Wild Card Round. The #6 seed travels to the #3 seed. Game 2 is a day game on Wednesday. Wednesday night is the thrilling one-game elimination of the #4 and #5 seeds. If there are any games remaining from the #3 v #6 series, they are played Thursday night.

This works perfectly for two reasons: coverage and rest. I’ve completed a lightening fast playoff round that dominates the week of headlines during the same week that is normally reserved for NFL hype due to their season beginning. Of course the NFL would get huge coverage and numbers like they always do but baseball wouldn’t disappear in September like it does now. Now, MLB has anywhere between 9-12 cities wrapped around their finger during a time formally owned by the NFL.

The second positive about the format is I’ve given the #1 and #2 seeds plenty of rest without destroying their rhythm. They would have played their last game of the regular season on Monday, had three days off—similar to the All-Star break—and they’re back at it on Friday.

I accept the fact that the weekend will be owned by football. My format sets up games 1 and 2 of the LDS on Friday and Saturday. I don’t fight the NFL giving it Sunday and MLB would get its first off-day in the playoffs. Now I’ve had a whole week of momentum going into my game 3’s on Monday night. Since the second round is best-of-5, I get the nation’s attention right back after a weekend of football because the second round is almost over.

The LDS’s would end after the second week of September. It would take just a hair over a week to complete the LCS. In late September, the World Series begins. I realize football is king but under this format, MLB is taking over September. Why let football get rolling and then try to steal attention. MLB should never give up control of the American sports fan. If the entire baseball post-season is played in September and only the first few days of October, you also avoid the bad weather of the Northeast and Mid-West that has plagued some of the recent Fall Classics.

The current leadership of baseball doesn’t have the foresight to figure out a way to take football head-on. The way to do it is to not let football get started. Make the first month of the NFL season compete with a re-designed fast paced post-season and watch the fans come back.

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