Decades ago, the best teams in each league (American and National League) got to play the World Series at the end of the MLB regular season.
At one point, teams didn’t really have much to play for if they were too far from the league leader, so the league started to introduce divisions, and then the Wild Card.
The current MLB format has six teams making the postseason in each league, with the Wild Card, Division, League Championship, and World Series.
That’s four rounds of thrilling entertainment that also, as a bonus, have the potential to yield unexpected World Series every once in a while, like the current showdown between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers.
Some people, like analyst Nate Silver, don’t like the current setup.
They say it’s not always fair.
“This is the least compelling World Series matchup in a long time, maybe ever. MLB made a lot of great and overdue changes this season but it’s time to contract the playoffs and give the regular season more meaning,” he tweeted.
This is the least compelling World Series matchup in a long time, maybe ever. MLB made a lot of great and overdue changes this season but it’s time to contract the playoffs and give the regular season more meaning.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 25, 2023
The vast majority of fans don’t think like him and say these playoffs have been thrilling and exciting.
It might not always be fair, but it does highlight one message: an 84-win team can win it all, and has reasons to be competitive.
The current format entices teams on the verge, or close to being what people call contenders, to go for it and make the necessary additions to compete.
Giving the regular season more meaning could, in the end, be more “fair”, but it won’t be as exciting.
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