Wild Card Teams

Congrats to the Marlins on their World Series win over the Yankees.

I really don't think the top dogs in baseball envisioned a wild card team winning the world series back to back and three out of the last seven years when they implemented this system in 1995.It really seems unfair when a team wins say 105 games and a division one year and a wild card team wins say 89 games and then the two teams are placed in a best of five series all even.The only advantage the division winner gets in this example is home field advantage in that best of five series.That does not seem right after the division winner wins 16 more games than their opponent.

There must be a penalty accorded to the wild card team for not winning their division.I like this solution to the problem.Let all three division winners move forward to the playoffs along with the next two teams with the best record that do not win their division.In other words let there be two wild card teams in each league.Make the two wild card teams play a one game series on monday the day after the regular season ends.The winner of this game advances in the playoffs with the three division winners.

This would force the two wild card teams to probably pitch their aces in this one playoff game to advance.This means the wild card team that advances would only have their ace for one game at the most in their best of five series.This would be their penalty for being a wild card team and not winning their division.

This would just make it tougher for a wild card to advance and play for all the marbles in the world series.

Baseball will probably just have a deaf ear to this wild card problem just like they have to the steroid problem in the game.

 

once again i disagree with you. how surprising.

the wild card is the best thing to happen to MLB in a long damn time. MLB now has the BEST playoffs of any major sport, so why mess with that?

in response to your "one team wins 16 more games than the other and all they get is home-field advantage" i'll say this. if you think that is stupid, then what is 2 teams playing all season for a wild card only to have it decided in one game gonna do for you?

personally, i happen to like seeing the aces of each staff dueling it out more than once in a series. postseason baseball, to me, means i'm watching the best baseball of the season. why dilute it with your little one-game wildcard idea?

MLB should leave it alone. don't fix something that ain't broke. besides, you're just a yankees fan that is frustrated that your guys got beat by a better TEAM with 1/3 of your payroll. i guess that goes for last year too. your opinion is jaded right now. give it a month or so.

 

I agree completely. K-town, this is just your frustration talking right now. Nothing else.

The wild card has added so much to baseball that I don't ever foresee them changing it. By adding a wild card to the playoffs, a lot more teams are "in it" longer than otherwise.

This year was a perfect example. The Marlins were the best team since from May on - even better than the Yankees. Problem was that they had an amazing team in their own division, the Braves. With the wild card, they were able to get into the playoffs and the rest is history.

K-town, just so you don't think that the Marlins just lucked out - they were BETTER than the Yankees this year. The Marlins didn't win on fluke hits or lucky plays, they beat they Yankees. 4 games to 2.

When you get over your frustration, you'll see it differently.

P.S. Didn't the Yankees win a World Series a few years ago after qualifying as the wild card? I can't remember well but it seems like they did.

 

Also, since May, the Marlins did have the best record in baseball. They were just the best team this year, no ifs, ands, or buts.

I think with their pitching they'll be competitive for some time. I know they have some FAs, but they should be in the mix with Beckett, Penny, and Willis.

 

Turbo.....I'm not saying drop the wild card team.I'm saying add another wild card team to the mix.This gets even more teams battling for a playoff spot at the end of a season.TV gets a wild card play in game....more money for MLB.

No...the Yankees have never won the series as a wild card team.Only Florida,Anaheim,and Florida again have won as wild card teams.

Yes....even though the Yankees outhit and scored more runs in the series the Marlins won,and that is what counts.

I'm still proud of the Yankees season.They won more games this year than any other team....110 wins.BTW...the Braves place 2nd with 103 wins this year.

Once again congrats to the Marlins.I'm especially happy for Burlington,NC native Jack McKeon.It could'nt have happened to a nicer guy.

 

Who won the Al East in 1996? Were the Orioles the wild card team?

 

Oh yes, I was confused. In 1997, the Yankees went to the playoffs as the wild card team. They lost to the Indians in the ALCS.

The Indians, of course, went on to lose to the Marlins in the World Series.

I knew that Yankees had qualified as a wild card team. I just couldn't remember whether they went on to the big dance or not.