Are the MLB Playoffs Broken?

[@thisguy8368]

I feel like nobody has a problem with it until their team loses to one with a worse record. I personally like how unsuspecting teams are able to make a push. It makes it interesting how any team can break out. Edit: To those pointing out how the 162 game season means less by allowing more teams in, that’s actually a valid point. Just because a team barely makes wild card and then gets hot at the right time doesn’t necessarily mean they deserve to be there. I left this comment right when the video came out before even watching it and did not expect a whole debate below it haha

[@guyincognito320]

Playoff baseball is obviously special for some reason, so increasing the number of games is a good thing. You just can't have 162 also, it's too many games period. I hate how long and pointless the regular season is. Sick of seeing the Dodgers win 105 games only to get bounced by some inferior team. Cut it back to 144 and then you can expand the postseason a little bit further still. The 3-game series are kind of stupid imo.

[@MidnightScout]

@@guyincognito320If the Dodgers are so good they shouldn’t be getting bounced by an “inferior” team Maybe they should get their shit together in October instead of blaming it on a playoff format

[@draneym2003]

​@@MidnightScoutThat's such horseshit it's amazing. They did get it together. All season. Which is why they're the #2. But we've got clowns like you who think 5 games means more than 162.

[@PKdororo]

I guarantee you if a big market team like the yankees went on a run as a wild card like the rangers or diamondbacks, we wouldn't be seeing the media suddenly questioning the playoff format and calling it unfair.

[@nopenope2550]

@@guyincognito320 The Dodgers have choked for a decade straight, it ain't the playoff format that's the issue here.

[@MatthewThomas1344]

One part of this I don't get at all is why MLB doesn't put all the playoff games in prime time. Are they really so interested in the mega-fan who's going to sit down and watch the entire quadruple-header on a Tuesday that they're willing to accept a fairly high probability that fans who have full-time jobs might be unable to catch _any_ of the games in their team's postseason run?

[@8stormy5]

Exactly. Can't believe the outpouring of people saying I don't deserve to watch baseball because I am employed.

[@daddygrasshopper]

Yup we couldn't get a game on Friday or Saturday but we're doing a Monday afternoon game here in a bit...

[@danielmoore8695]

they had 4 games on one day, they didn't want to put all 4 games on at 7 and 8 o'clock so they spaced them out at 2 o'clock, 4:30, then 7:00, then 8:00

[@santumi2298]

​@@danielmoore8695Which would be fine, if it was like, Friday / Saturday / Sunday games.

[@SonicMegaKing]

No one cares about Baseball enough to warrant networks putting it in primetime slots. There's better content for that that'll actually be watched by wider audiences.

[@TomorrowNobody]

I'm an NFL guy, but baseball content creators are so good. Between this channel, Jomboy, and Foolish, baseball fans are eating good.

[@landonpatton7997]

Bro facts all of theses guys are killing it!

[@warlordofbritannia]

The playoffs are really just “any given Sunday” but in a five or seven game series

[@MrBertstare]

Love jomboy and this channel, don’t even watch baseball! Never checked out foolish. Thanks for the rec.

[@holker_]

That used to be me, but the channels you listed single-handedly got me WAY more into baseball than I ever was the NFL. This year I’ve watched exactly ONE NFL game. I’ve stopped following football almost entirely at this point. Baseball is just the superior, more entertaining sport in every single way.

[@andtheywillriot]

Jolly Olive has been killing it too, if you're looking for even more baseball content!

[@drewh5422]

As someone from tampa, the problem with the Rays is that the field is an hour and a half from downtown tampa. They are across the bridge in St. Petersburg and trying to get there during rush hour is unimaginable. I moved to Tampa in 2005 and Tropicana field has not changed since at least then. Also the Rays don’t engage the fans as much, with the Tampa Bay Lightning, they do a lot more to keep the crowd engaged and make the fans want to come back. The Rays seem to show up, play a game, and you go home. It lacks the experience of going to a game so nobody wants to go

[@Anonymous79379]

If the owner was not so cheap the rays would be so much better

[@JesusFollower2311]

@@Anonymous79379Jesus loves everyone

[@cidmontenegro8225]

The Rays are not situated to maximize their fan base. They are in St. Pete, basically on the coast. If they had moved to Ybor, if you consider a 1 hour drive to the game, they would have increased potential fans by a million. It is unfathomable why they stayed in St. Pete and didn't move to the East or North east side of Tampa. You really open up the Wesley Chapel and Brandon areas, where there are a lot (biggest growth areas) of families. Lakeland and WInter Haven are opened to the east. That was some back room dealings right there to stay in St. Pete.

[@srafferty1]

I was surprised you didnt talk about the Home and Away structure of a series. Havine a 2-3-2 structure is a HUGE advantage to the lower seeded team. If they can manage to steal just one game in the first two games at the home of the higher seed, then having the major advantage for the next three games is in sane to me. The NHL and NBA's structure of 2-2-1-1-1 because its fair and then it gives the home advantage for the higher seed on game 7 if needed.

[@Tin5674]

did you watch the playoffs this year? 😅 away team won all the games in the alcs and az had to win two on the road to finish their series. the higher seeded team still has the home field in game 7s with the current set up

[@Fly-The-W]

You still get 4 games at home as the higher seed with 6/7 at home, its fair. 1-1-1 would absolutely suck for the travel of the players

[@srafferty1]

@@Fly-The-W hockey players and basketball players do it. Both are more physically demanding games

[@Fly-The-W]

@@srafferty1 I dont get why they would change it when its fine as is

[@tmzz3609]

The NBA actually does a 2-3-2 for the finals. It makes makes it more likely that the higher seed is at home for the deciding game. Almost half of NBA finals have ended on Game 6 over the last 20 years. Without the 2-3-2, this would mean the higher ranked team winning their championship and "celebrating" on the other teams court in front of the other team's fan on Game 6 wins.

[@MaskOfAgamemnon]

This channel got me back into baseball so much that I attended 6 games this year and followed the season. Wouldn't have happened without BDE. The MLB should be subsidizing him.

[@AreEnTee]

⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

[@Jay-gf8tm]

Me too honestly

[@wetwrkinc.5122]

He's almost got me. Nobody to go with though. Is a solo trip to a Baseball game worth it? Honest question.

[@Jay-gf8tm]

@@wetwrkinc.5122 if you like the game, yes. Just get a good buzz going and talk to the people near you. I went with friends and they annoyed me because I was trying to watch my Cubbies and they were constantly talking to me lmao

[@redluke8119]

For real

[@BJ-pb3tr]

Another issue regarding the Rays and sports fandoms in Florida as a whole I really wish people not from Florida would realize is that most Floridians are not from Florida. A state of 22 million people with probably only like 1/10th of that population being actual native Floridians, you're not gonna find a lot of passionate fans of Florida teams unless they are uber successful like the Lightning, Heat, and our biggest D1 colleges. Fans of the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Chicago teams, etc. will move to FL but refuse to give up those fandoms which have like a century years' worth of traditions and passion associated. Baseball in FL is great for training & Northern teams to have a vacation but not for developing a fanbase.

[@crystalp7242]

I’m a first-generation Floridian (meaning I was born and raised in Florida, but my parents were from other states; my mom was born in Maine and raised there and Massachusetts and came to Florida as an adult, while my dad was born in Indiana and moved down to Florida when he was about 10 years old), and this is actually pretty true when it comes to Florida sports. Just using my family as an example, the only Florida sports teams I’m actually a fan of are the Miami Dolphins (primarily because my dad grew up a fan) and the Orlando Magic (which is the only major professional sports team in Central Florida, where I’m from). Otherwise, most of the teams I tend to support are either from Boston (Red Sox for baseball, Bruins for hockey) or Chicago (primarily the Cubs, which was my paternal grandmother’s favorite team; she sadly didn’t live to see them break their World Series curse). My dad is a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan because he came to Florida when that was the only baseball team broadcasting their games in Central Florida. Before the late ‘80s or so, the only major sports teams in Florida were the Dolphins and the Buccaneers. Point being, most of the sports leagues haven’t had teams here long enough to really develop a fan base across Florida, and because so many of us have only had our families here for a couple of generations, there isn’t really much generational fandom of the Florida-based teams, and we tend to gravitate more towards teams from states or regions where we have family roots. You’re more likely to see a Red Sox or Yankees fan in most parts of Florida than a Rays or Marlins fan (unless you’re right in the vicinity of Tampa - and the city’s name is Tampa, *not* Tampa Bay - or Miami).

[@npierce14]

lol I just moved to Orlando area and your spot on or in my areas case a lot of the residents are Latinos who mostly don’t care about our sports let alone speak English

[@tweezerjam]

Agreed thats not talked about enough

[@whocarsdo]

soooo true!

[@ianfeuerhake1859]

Totally. I’ve been saying that forever, and I’m 4th generation. Spring training has always been a big deal in FL because snowbirds could see their local teams play with palm trees in the background. I went to 4 Rays games this year, and probably half the fans were wearing the colors of the visiting team. MLB just doesn’t work here, I’m sad to admit

[@aunch3]

It’s crazy how quickly it’s over. You dominate all year, plan all season for the playoffs, go through the long grind and marathon of a season, and then in 2 days it’s over and you go home. That being said, baseball playoffs have always been unpredictable and wild card teams often win it all.

[@foggy_popcorn47]

bc they got nothing to lose so they don’t got that much pressure.

[@davidkelty7688]

The wildcard team winning it all used to be impressive though. The Marlins actually had to fight and earn their spot in the wildcard. They then went on to beat division winners along the way to winning two World Series. These modern World Series will never be as impressive bc of this watered down format smh.

[@SuperBigZX]

"The postseaon partially explained why baseball was so uniquely resistant to the fruits of of scientific research... It was that the season ended in a giant crapshoot" - Moneyball

[@zacharycox697]

Facts. As a Cardinals fan, the best Cardinals team of my life was probably the 2004 team who were swept in the WS. Then in contrast the 2006 team had the worst record of any team to ever win the WS. They were ice cold heading into the playoffs. Baseball being unpredictable is what makes the playoffs so fun to watch. It has always been anyone’s game once you get in.

[@Fly-The-W]

@@davidkelty7688 How is it not impressive? If anything it should be more impressive. Its a worse team than the old format but still beating the monster teams. Playoff format is no excuse for getting dominated. Good teams show up in big games. Astros aren't complaining because they show up. Its simple as that. Teams beat better teams all the time in baseball, that's what makes baseball and the playoffs so unpredictable and exciting. To blame the losses only because days off is crazy. No teams would willingly chose to be in the WC games and potential elimination vs getting the rotation lined up.

[@paull5564]

I was lucky enough to be in Clearwater for work during the Rays playoff games, then I found out all the games were at 3pm and couldn’t go. 15 minutes away from the Trop. That start time killed me.

[@benitofranklyn4237]

It seems the MLB makes enough money and doesn't care about the fans at all. Why wouldn't they just make it a 16 team post season? Since this would mean more tv and ticket money for the league, and more playoff games, a higher chance for your team to make it to the playoffs for the fans.

[@rickybobbysdriver555]

Due to this channel and a few others, my love for baseball returned. So much so, that I decided to watch my former team, the Atlanta Braves and see what all the fuss was about. Four games later they were out. So thanks for reminding me how much hurt my Braves used to give me. Too bad I didn't see them win the world series a few years ago. This channel is awesome.

[@markchalled3976]

You touched on a lot of great points: The 'rest' issue, talking smack about another team/player, Tropicana Field, and the playoff structure. They even played the playoffs with a rest day between games. Not done in the regular season. Some players thrive off challenges. No reason to get one of the best players fired up. Especially in the post season. No matter how you structure the post season, the teams that come up short will complain.

[@ericciaramella1984]

You mean fired up by pointing out the biggest mistake of his career. A mistake that little leaguers are taught not to make, is that what gets a player mad? Pointing out that he's an idiot?

[@lovesgucci1]

And Blooper shouldn’t of started a war with Phillies fans that he couldn’t finish!

[@atlnla4112]

That was a rogue reporter putting out something that should not have been. Something they were doing among teammates in the heat of the moment. NOT meant to be taken out and shared with the public.

[@ericciaramella1984]

@@atlnla4112 someone never getting locker room clearance from the braves ever again. A piece of shit if you will

[@Benisuber1]

​@@atlnla4112 Absolutely false. If you talk shit in a room full of reporters and cameras, you don't get to whine if it gets out. There are many places and times where reporters aren't around if you don't want remarks to be made in public. Spencer Strider is the only person with the guts to call it like it is. If you want to move on, play better. The rest of the nonsense coming from the Braves and their fans is just whining because you got your doors blown off in the playoffs. Best offense in baseball shit their pants, talked shit and then cried about that too.

[@elcee3292]

As a Tampa native I keep having to tell everyone it's not that we dont care. It's that we aren't even in the same vicinity as our team. There's only 2 bridges that are packed constantly connecting st pete and tampa. You literally gave to plan your entire day around getting to the park. I live in Tampa and im 1.5 hours from the stadium 😢

[@ryanchase9332]

The drive hurts, but there aren't many Rays fans anymore. Too many people turned off by an awful stadium and a ownership group that is cheap.

[@mrraven7445]

​@ryanchase9332 location is definitely everything. We (the Rockies) have arguably one of the worst owners, awful product on the field, but because we have one of the most easily accessible stadiums because of our public rail whose hub is right in front of the stadium. We'll always have fans in the stands assuming the weather isn't shit.

[@DynastyDayTrader]

Lmk when the stadium gets moved. Traffic is an issue. I'm a drays lifer but never lived in Tampa, and even I know this. Its f-ing annoying bro. No one understands how much of an issue just getting into and out of the stadium is. That's the #1 reason why we have such shitty numbers in the stands.

[@lf2334]

​@@ryanchase9332cheap and constantly the best or one of the best teams in baseball. Amazing that someone would even consider critiquing arguably the best franchise in NA sports.

[@MountainFisher]

I live here and I'd rather go to St. Pete than Ybor, you gotta be kidding right? Last time I counted there are three bridges crossing over from Tampa and another coming from the South. Also St. Pete isn't on an island.

[@jackylegs4941]

Honestly as someone who got into baseball after hockey, the fact that any playoff round is less than a best of 7 is insane to me. 162 games in the regular season only for a best of 3 to determine a winner. Ridiculous. No problem with a wider playoff field, good teams will still rise to the top. Houston didn't have a problem making it through WC and DS... And maybe Philly pushing through the braves two years in a row says something about them being good lol

[@aaronsmith1474]

When I heard the Brewers were "swept" in two games, I realized why I stopped watching baseball decades ago. Nothing in this sport at the professional level makes sense. I'll just stick to hockey (lets be real here -- the superior sport).

[@Hick25]

having anything other than 1 game is insane to me, why the fuck do they need the best of 3,5 or 7?

[@aaronsmith1474]

@@Hick25 I look at it this way: One game decides who's the best team in that moment, A 7-game series will tell you who the better team is overall. These 3-game series end up being showing people the worst of both one game eliminations and 7 game series.

[@1Plebeian]

I like 5 game series. You see every starting pitcher and bullpen depth. If every series was a 7 game series it would be hell on the pitching staff and make for an absurdly long postseason with a wierd schedule as teams win at different times.

[@memate2644]

❤

[@Yallcheatin]

Admittedly as an os fan, when you have a horse in the race it feels different but as unbiased as I can be, the playoff orioles were not the same team from the regular season. The dodgers and braves clearly looked off too. Yes, upsets happen but these aren’t really upsets, they’re blowouts. If players and coaches are saying it feels like a problem, even guys who aren’t in playoffs, than I think it’s at least warranted

[@1Plebeian]

What is the problem? The extra time off? So play simulated games and stop complaining. Try losing your division instead? Boohoo.

[@brandonsolis6911]

Players and managers are emotional after a loss and going to look for excuses. Long term data is really the only thing reliable to look at in these instances.

[@theoneandonly7060]

Stop. Texas beat O’s in regular season too.

[@oasisman]

dodgers were not planning on going all in this year and jettisoned cody bellinger and trea turner. plus trevor bauer curse

[@nickorsini7239]

I mean our pitching was horrendous and first big flaw, if that was better think we could've held on to some momentum better, so mostly referring to that those sunday and tuesday games.

[@wilfordbrimley6938]

A 1 game playoff and a 3 game regular series is insane to me... especially after 162 games. I was so hyped for the Brewers.. they looked like such a complete team and it meant absolutely nothing 💔

[@MatthewGross87]

I'm fine with the super short series for the Wild Card round (and would actually even prefer the one game single elimination format to the three there), but I don't want teams who win their division to get subjected to the super short series. So yeah, it's crazy that the Brewers didn't even get a chance to play in the LDS round despite clearly being the best team in their division and winning more games than any of the teams left in the playoffs. I want shorter series for team who get in as Wild Card (exposing them to the randomness) and longer series for the division winners.

[@JeromeAnselmo-c5e]

​@@MatthewGross87that's the reward you get for ending with the best or 2nd best record. The Brewers and Twins won weak divisions and ended with the same or less wins than some of the wildcard teams.

[@TheTonyStark3000]

They had a best of 3 series (2 games possibly 3)and choked. I'm a brewers fan and was there (unlike you) and I was hurt but not once blamed the format. They have choked for years. I've seen it before. Anyone that starts out a comment with the phrase that ends with "is crazy" is a complete dumbass

[@MadSpace]

the 3 game series is at least better than the 1 game wild card. that was horrible

[@FAITHandLOGIC]

12 fucking teams in the God damn playoffs after 162 fucking games is insane to me. You play 162 mother fucking games and they punish the best teams by shitting all over their momentum and then let in mediocre clubs who can just get hot at the right time.

[@Welcometomyworld4754]

The Rays franchise made a huge mistake by doubling down in St. Pete. They would at least be selling out playoff games in Orlando. They would retain whatever tiny fan base they already have in the Tampa area, and Orlando wants them. The Blue Jays are also trippin' by doubling down on Schneider as their manager for '24

[@ibench405]

right on

[@CarnivoryHODL]

Spot on comment

[@sammiller3242]

At least move actually into Tampa, make the drive from Orlando less than an hour instead of adding 40 minutes to get to st pete

[@Defx10]

Orlando is a terrible place.

[@ps2vhs223]

Orlando would be far worse than Tampa.

[@cardboardempire]

Toronto's big trades sent 9.4 WAR away to obtain 5.3 WAR. Amazing!

[@rghnwfeov]

taking jose berrios out for yusei kikuchi

[@kidcrumpet3333]

We can’t judge a trade for a couple years but still. I miss Moreno a lot

[@kidcrumpet3333]

@@rghnwfeovour offense still put up 0

[@JustMeELC]

Jays gm Atkins traded away the cleanup batter, lineup protection, & most rbi's on the team, didn't replace any, & when the problem was OBVIOUS at the trade deadline refused to address the issue HE CREATED! He can't go soon enough! It will take YEARS to repair the damage he has done to the franchise 🤬

[@JustMeELC]

​@@kidcrumpet3333 Because of the flawed lineup Atkins put together & refused to fix at the trade deadline 🙄

[@justin_watson1]

The only issue I’ve had with the playoffs is the horrific time slots they choose to play the games. You pointed out Rays-TX, the first playoff series and you scheduled both games mid afternoon. As I rangers fan I was furious bc I had to listen to the games while at work rather than sitting down on my couch to watch. Then Orioles series game one is scheduled at noon on Saturday, right in the middle of TX-OU. It’s like MLB doesn’t care about tv ratings at all…next day scheduled mid afternoon during NFL Sunday. I understand there’s going to be some conflict this time of year, but it’s like they went out of their way to compete with football. Another awful example, they scheduled both ALDS games back to back on FOX, well what happened? Rangers- Orioles got delayed, so now Astros and Twins have to get pushed onto FS2 when they could have just had one of their NLDS games scheduled and there would have been no issues. Absolutely foolish by MLB.

[@sslocke]

They also put Astros-Twins at 7 in competition with SNF with the Cowboys. Course that game wasnt much of a watch but still why would you willingly try to compete with SNF?

[@scotttild]

@@sslocke Which is why MLB needs to be done by September. They lose fans to the NFL and people stop caring about MLB. Its too long a season.

[@shorewall]

@@scotttild 1000%. MLB, NBA, and NFL are all too greedy, trying to stretch out their seasons to the detriment of the product.

[@joeybagadonuts5774]

Excellent points.

[@christophersmith8316]

You can't play baseball in November at night.

[@kmmaloney1]

It’s a joke that the diamondbacks are in the playoffs in the first place. They barely played .500 ball, but they get a chance to play for a championship? What’s the point of playing 162 games? What are we even doing here?

[@Cloudz6446]

I think it personally makes it more interesting that smaller teams can still make the playoffs 🤷

[@Molly98Pitcher]

In the Ray's defense, the first playoff game of the season was scheduled at 3pm on a weekday. They were screwed from the start on attendance. Speaking from my experience, most of my coworkers were pissed they missed going to the game and also couldn't even watch the broadcast cause we were all AT WORK. I know a few people that bought tickets before they announced the time, and then ended up getting a refund cause they couldn't miss work. Just poor timing on MLB's part. Kinda unfair to Rays and Rangers fans :/

[@lookitslau]

Also a huge factor in appearing to look so empty was opening the 300s without knowing our timeslot. This spread out the 19k (myself included) horribly, for no good or real reason.

[@The_ZeroLine]

How dare people in TB work?! Here in LA, it’d likely have been a sellout.

[@eyeofhorus99]

Last year, Game 1 between Cleveland and Tampa was a noon start time, during the weekday and The Jake was sold out. No excuses for Tampa.

[@lookitslau]

@@eyeofhorus99 reminder it's TAMPA BAY not Tampa :) they play in St Pete, and I'm not making excuses I made it to both games. There's no good will towards the 20k people who did make it happen lmfao.

[@MeneTekelUpharsin]

@@lookitslau What do you mean by "opening the 300s" is that an area of seats that wasn't open before?

[@TB-gp7kx]

I personally think the last playoff format was the best one because it put an emphasis on the importance of being on top of your division after 162 games. You win the division, you are rewarded with a bye - you win a bunch of games but can't finish in first, you are allowed in, but have the pressure of winning an "anything goes" one-game playoff to advance. A division title is something special for fans of multiple teams who don't win so often and should be rewarded. The current playoff format emphasizes solely winning, where the only way of getting a bye is to finish in the top two in your league. It works with the NFL's 17-game season but is not appropriate for the grueling MLB schedule in my opinion. MLB got it right with the two-team wild card format but screwed up by adding the third wild card.

[@Mieslk2]

I agree division titles should be a big accomplishment across such a grueling season but it doesn’t even matter now

[@burntoburn42]

Keeping fans of several more teams engaged for a month or so at the end of the year seems like a great thing.

[@kaylafiee]

@@Mieslk2 but the regular season never meant anything in the playoffs. it’s a completely different game and way to play. if you can win 100+ games in the regular season then why did you lose to a 91 team to begin with? both sides are understandable

[@Mieslk2]

I never said it did. All I said was that the division title is not advantageous anymore because they include about 45% of the MLB in the playoffs. what's the point of winning your division when you can just squeak with a mediocre record and hope to get hot and catch the division winner off guard? @@kaylafiee

[@Spartan0430]

@@Mieslk2 the twins would like a word with you

[@thh1899]

The seeding could make more sense, but coming from a lifelong Braves fan, it doesn't really matter if your bats don't show up when it matters most. I would like 7 game series all the way through though...

[@juanserrano3628]

cant agree more

[@breonknight6516]

Yeah I agree and I'm not a Braves fan but 7 games is all I ask for. A 162 games season shouldn't be defined by a 5 game series.

[@howard2031]

We would've lost to the phillies anyway.But I agree with your point. 7 games please.

[@SoSickRick]

There is a reason the bats didn’t show up for 3 of the 4 teams with 5 or more days rest and the one that can hit is the one that was caught cheating 7 years ago.

[@fryncyaryorvjink2140]

I agree on the 7 game series, except wild card, that should go back to 1. So much more exciting. And quit staggering the al/nl games, make it all line up!

[@fpgmatthew]

This has been known, it feels like I’m living in la la land with ppl only now talking about this. As a Nats fan, I watched this happen in 2012, 14, 16, and 17. Each year they won the East, waited 4-5 days, then lost in the NLDS. In 2019, they went through the wild card, and ended up winning the WS Not saying the format should change, but hitters can easily go cold on a rest

[@EpsilonUnitGaming]

Yeah and unless I misheard he quoted teams with 2 days or more of rest being successful historically. 2 days of rest is probably good. 5, definitely not. It’s a poor comparison to make in the article, and then reference it.

[@patrickmcisaac3142]

the format was different, there was only 1 wild card play in game back then. and in 2012 you played against the defending champion cardinals... the Phillies won 102 in 2011 and lost to the cardinals... it happens. its not a format thing. I visited the hall of fame this weekend and there is a quote from 1982 that they are 2 different sports: The summer game and the autumn. One is the leisurely pastime of our national mythology. the other is not so gentle. anything can happen and that is a great thing

[@Fly-The-W]

Yeah im sure teams would willingly rather play the WC games and risk elimination vs getting the by and pitching lined up.... Im sick of people blaming the format completely when their 'better team' loses. That's baseball, even the worst teams win 60 games. Anything can happen in the playoffs, that's what makes baseball so interesting. Not saying the format is perfect but good teams show up and deal with it. Astros aren't here complaining.

[@Bloodreign1]

@@Fly-The-W They Astros are even feeling it now, they are facing a team white hot, a team they dominated in the regular season.

[@ericplatham]

I stopped watching baseball a few years ago. This format does not reward the best teams during the entire season, but only rewards those teams who get hot the last month.

[@TheBBCSlurpee]

Womp womp

[@gradyjones7017]

6 of the last 7 World Series winners won at least 90 games (Dodgers would have over the course of a full season in 2020), and 4 won 100 games (again, the Dodgers definitely would have). Just because two wild card teams have won it doesn’t mean they were bad

[@benitofranklyn4237]

One would have to check the stats from 2012-2022. Did the Wild Card team usually beat the Division Winner? If so, how could the MLB not have thought of this, this would be absolutely ridiculous. Also why wouldn't they just make it a 16 team post season? Since this would mean more tv and ticket money for the league, and more playoff games, a higher chance for your team to make it to the playoffs for the fans.

[@parkersperry6904]

@@benitofranklyn4237 they can’t add more teams because people watch baseball till the end to see what teams fight their way to the postseason which means adding more spots ruins the aspect of it

[@zielbeats]

I feel like changing the DS rounds to a 7 game series instead of 5 will mostly fix this “issue”. It allows the rested teams to get in a groove and more accurately shows who the better team is.

[@Shoprestorationthe]

No. The best playoff format was eight teams, with a five game division series and one wild card team per league, then a seven game LCS, then WS. We do not need any more than that.

[@abtwopoint0]

you should also take into account that Florida got smacked with hurricanes this year. I'm sure a lot more fans would have loved to attend but they simply couldn't do the financial burden of the weather they had to endure. just my 2 cents

[@bubbaman12289]

Nope I as well as 200k fans signed a petition to get the new stadium built across the bridge but the dumbass owners are building a new one right next door literally no one wants to cross the bridge for any reason. I hope they build this 100 million dollar stadium and lose their asses

[@JustLikeHeaven77]

Ticket sales are nothing. TV deals are where the money is. More people watched on TV, so more money. Teams just sell tickets for the fans.

[@rickyrougs]

also at least one of those games was on 3pm on a weekday. lots of people i know wouldve gone if it wasnt during work

[@jdpxxprcxxswr]

Never have I seen with a bigger home field advantage then what the Phillies right now. Citizens bank is the most electric place in the country when the Phil’s play!

[@Kaboose-fb7bk]

Only in the post season. Regular season they struggle to break 20k. Fair weather fans.

[@jdpxxprcxxswr]

@@Kaboose-fb7bk averaged 38 thousand a game. Must be a braves fan.

[@Kaboose-fb7bk]

@jdpxxprcxxswr the Phillies also had the LARGEST attendance increase in the MLB this year. Averaging 22k in 2022... so my point still stands, support your team more. And I like the Cubs, giants and braves. Uk baseball fan here.

[@warlordop713]

@@Kaboose-fb7bk3 teams 😂🤡🤡💀 and you out here yappin and calling people fair weather fans 😂 wild

[@MrKeychange]

​@@Kaboose-fb7bkWhy should they show up until the playoffs? It's irreverent.

[@JeffBezos23]

Can we get this man to 1 million please?

[@wooooooooods]

thanks Jeff bezod

[@Bananasfan67]

Yes

[@danam0228]

How's about 500k first?

[@gerryfegan3608]

@@danam0228 He's got over seven hundred and fifteen thousand what are you talking about

[@JumpflowLine]

I don’t know how he isn’t there already…

[@whama7998]

As a brewers fan, even though it hurts like hell to lose like they did, I still support this new system. I love how every team has a chance to flip the bracket upside down, it feels so much more high stakes. I get why people wouldn't like it, but personally I love it

[@bobf5360]

yeah. but you still gotta admit, no system that allows Bryce the Douchebag Harper to go forward. There has to be an anti-douchebag rule.

[@whama7998]

@bobf5360 bro harper is such a great guy, you're stuck in 2015 with that take

[@thatbrenguy8281]

@@bobf5360Aww someone’s mad😢

[@tylerroe5175]

I’ve known that too much rest completely messes up teams since 07 when the Rockies got swept by Boston in the World Series after sweeping every single team they faced to get there. If I remember correctly they waited for 12 days for Boston to finish their semifinal series cuz it went 6-7 games. Boston absolutely rolled them. CO was the hottest team in the postseason until they got rest

[@pedrorendon9390]

I remember that. The rockies swept their way to the WS but the long time breaking the routine and momentum was their demise.

[@tylerroe5175]

@@pedrorendon9390 Yeah as a CO native that might be the most heartbreaking sports moment in our state’s history. The Rockies will never be good again. Their owner has said publicly he doesn’t care about winning, only selling tickets and hotdogs. That was the only hope we ever had at a title in the MLB.

[@bigbrad6828]

The same thing has happened to the tigers twice. In ‘06 and ‘12 they swept alcs to get bounced in the World Series by teams that played hard fought seven game series. It’s not impossible to overcome a break but it definitely seems to be a factor more times than not.

[@anthonypanepinto9685]

And the same happened to the Braves. To much time off hurt them.

[@cloudkitt]

Also no one mentions that the 100+ win teams all clinched weeks ago. Wouldn't the fact that they hadnt played meaningful baseball in a month have more of an effect than 5 days off?

[@gradyjones7017]

That’s my theory as to why these teams keep losing. The wild card teams often don’t make the playoffs until the last series of the season, while the other teams have been coasting for a month. They’re just not in the competitive mindset anymore

[@ryanpage6353]

Proud of the Dbacks for doing what they are doing!

[@deecee2174]

​@@adamt9935 I'm Canadian and cheer for the Dbacks.. Toronto sports teams are TRASH. Let's go DBacks

[@gnielsen07]

Arizona shouldn’t be a playoff team. For 99% of MLB history they wouldn’t have made it. Manfred changed the rules so we have nearly half the league making the playoffs now . Baseball should be the division winners and 1 wildcard. All these wildcards is ruining the entire point of a 162 game regular season.

[@biggreen9845]

@@adamt9935 I do. Go Diamondbacks 🐍

[@M_11_m41n]

​@@gnielsen07 And you know what? IDGAF #EmbraceTheChaos

[@KidAndretti]

@@gnielsen07 sound like a Braves fan 🚮🚮🚮

[@KillerGumby-ll5xc]

33 year old twin fan here. They win the series in 91 when I was 1 year old. Than came the longest playoff losing streak. Felt good to get to "round 2" lol just like a twins fan... we'll get em next year!!

[@sortofanoakyafterbirth3661]

36 year old Indians fan. What's worse? Seeing them lose 3 world series' (to the Marlins and CUBS) and blowing a 3-1 LCS lead to Boston in 07 and countless more Division Series? Or just letting you off the hook from too much heartbreak like the Twins? Lol Either way, it's painful.

[@SmoothGravy]

​@@sortofanoakyafterbirth3661It's a tough road brother. My Dad was born in 1958, he's 65 and yet to see a Tribe WS win

[@BmanIsHere]

The new playoff system is pretty cool to see especially with some teams getting a chance to shine

[@DannyHawk19]

More like MLB letting them “shine” because 2nd and 3rd place really didn’t earn it.

[@Todd_Swank]

Speaking as a Rays fan and former resident of the area, the stadium is in the worst part of the city for crime. But yes, your other factors did play a role as well. Im also sure that the fans knew that the Rays were decimated by the late season injury bug and were not going to be a peak ability come playoffs, so no one was going to go see them lose. We know the players are swapped out each year, we learn the new players each year. We are loyal to the team, not the players typically.

[@smitmastaflex]

ScArY cRiMe

[@Todd_Swank]

@@smitmastaflex Yep, dont feeling like being mugged and murdered after going to watch a baseball game. I get NYC and Boston fans go to the games and sell out those series, theyre used to it. People in north Pinellas county who have the money to go and like baseball, they arent up for that shenanigans. That area of the county is a heavy football type atmosphere who dont give a rip about baseball.

[@Ryan-cb1ei]

They’re just not built for the playoffs, honestly. They’re good over a long season and at beating up bad teams, but not in a playoff series.

[@Todd_Swank]

@@Ryan-cb1ei Cant fully argue with that. But these are young guys that should have more stamina and fuel in the tank. Getting hurt come game 155 and being out for 3 months shouldnt be happening to 22 y/o so frequently. IDK, I dont think a new stadium will help with the playoffs, but a better location should help with attendance.

[@CKpremium1992]

This channel is probably the one thing that still keeps me entertained and excited about baseball..

[@kirkjamison4520]

So much crying about the playoff formats though.

[@Gnar_Dogg]

The Astros did just fine with their days off. It's not the formats fault imo. Between 2 teams there were 4 MVP caliber players that just didn't show up for their teams when they needed them.

[@kevingriener7441]

What were the Astros doing on the side of the bracket with the two worst records in the AL playoffs while the 101 won Orioles were on the same side as the 99 win Rays and 90 win Rangers? It is totally balked. Totally

[@landonpatton7997]

@@kevingriener7441playing the schedule given? Any excuse will do though huh?

[@kevingriener7441]

@@landonpatton7997 you'd think the fans of the cheater team would have some humility

[@landonpatton7997]

@@kevingriener7441 We do. We’d just wish the few stragglers would get over it like the rest of the world has. It’s been a better part of a decade now.

[@trey1218]

The Astros are cheaters though. They don't count

[@zacharyalexander5079]

I still preferred the 1 game elimination round with 2 WC teams. It takes away from the final stretch divisional/wc race a bit. Also, if there is a home field advantage in a five game series. its not much of one. The moment the home adv team loses one at home the cards are flipped. The home field adv in a sense goes to the other team. In a game 7 series, 2-3-2 I feel like is a better format for the DS round. MLB is happy with the TV $.

[@warlordofbritannia]

I completely agree with this, every word of it

[@mypud4068]

This format is true in every sport, im a huge hockey fan and while they do 2 2 1 1 instead of 2 3 2 the mantra always is we just have to steal one win away and we have home field advantage, if home field is such a big advantage then certainly being able to potentially go up 2 0 is a great advantage isn't it? I mean idk what people want, 4 games straight at home for the higher seed and the last 3 away if they don't sweep? Seeding is supposed to give you an advantage but it can't be a huge advantage or else it would just be the same exact teams winning every year, acuna is a .250 playoff hitter not terrible not great you either have guys that showup for the playoffs or you don't

[@christopherorrante289]

I agree

[@martinshillitoe4735]

I think it’s more than just the rest days. The teams with the best records began to coast at the end of the regular season whereas the Astros and the wild card teams all had to fight and compete right up to the end. They kept their edge and built momentum. The big record teams, Braves, Dodgers and Orioles (even the rays to an extent) were all able to take the foot of the gas because they were through and then the rest just exacerbated their coasting and they totally lost all momentum

[@WheezeTheJuice.]

If you’re that good team you shouldn’t have to worry about the wild card teams. Just makes things more interesting and gives a chance for the world series to host someone else for a change instead of something like the Astros being in 5 times in the last 6 years. Gets pretty boring.

[@KelleyGreenEcstasy]

Great vid as always, it's always crazy to remember that Flutie played until 2005.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Flutie’s still a legend here in Massachusetts

[@vdoggydogg3922]

@@warlordofbritannia Still have my box of Flutie Flakes

[@jacobstrouble6631]

In football and basketball, while it may happen, it's rare to see an 8 seed beat a 1 seed. In baseball it's all the time. Regular season doesn't matter and whoever is hot at the end wins and it's random af. In football, it doesn't matter how hot the 8 seed gets.

[@itsnick37]

Way to fix this is to make all the rounds best of 7. At least first round best of 5 and then best of 7 but then the top teams would have long layoff so can’t win. I would consider getting rid of the byes.

[@jrddog]

Look at the win% of the top teams in those leagues. Baseball has significantly more parity than either of those leagues. What’s funny is that football and basketball fans complain about the lack of parity while baseball fans complain about too much parity. At the end of the day people just complain.

[@osurocks24]

The NFL has never had an 8th seed but I get what you are saying. The 7th seed has never beaten a 2nd seed yet though.

[@rowdycmoore]

@@itsnick37 wouldn't guarantee anything. NHL has every playoff be best of seven and No. 1 seeds go down all the time. Twice in the last five years the NHL has seen a team break the record for most regular season wins and then lose in the first round. And everyone says that's why hockey has the best postseason while everyone in baseball wants to complain because the playoffs aren't a formality.

[@joeld194]

The worst seed in the NFL never plays at home in the playoffs, which puts them at a huge disadvantage compared to the other sports

[@Morgan423Z]

This year's playoffs have me desiring the pre-1970s: the AL and NL team with their league's best regular season record immediately win the pennant, and proceed directly to the World Series.

[@JDAWG2111]

Congrats on having the worst take I've seen on this whole debate so far. That format was already flawed in a 20-team league, and now you want it implemented in a 30-team league? Having less than a tenth of the league represented in a 2-team playoff makes absolutely no sense and reeks of blind nostalgia.

[@bl3313]

​@@JDAWG2111I don't see the point of playing 162 games in what has become a glorified qualifying round. How many people would stay interested in the soccer World Cup if the group stages were 162 games long? If it's to be a tournament, skip the regular season and just line up all the teams for single elimination.l

[@zack.maltese]

Regarding the Rays, a big part of why we don’t have a lot of fans at their games is because the team plays in St. Petersburg. No matter what anyone says to make St. Pete sound good for the Rays, keeping them there is arguably one of the worst things to do for the team because it is extremely hard to get there. Another reason why our playoff games were in such low attendance this year was because if I remember correctly, they played at 3 pm on weekdays. People work and go to school. It was a really poor choice of time for our games along with just getting there in the first place. If they moved the team to Tampa, attendance would look a lot better.

[@jiimbow]

so why did they decide to build there new stadium a block away from the old one?

[@zack.maltese]

@@jiimbow because St. Pete is petty and won’t let them move to Tampa. They want their own wishes granted over the Rays’

[@sess122]

It used to be the National League pennant winner faced off against the American League pennant winner in a best of 7 World Series making it a really special event that EVERY baseball fan watched, whether their team was in it or not. And the season was over in EARLY October. Now, it's dragged on and on and on to into NOVEMBER and gets to the point of absolute boredom, except for SOME of the teams with avid fans, while the rest of the country (including yours truly) couldn't care less. The endless expansions have made MLB way too confusing as well, allowing mediocre teams to even possibly make it to, and worse, win the World Series...no more "may the best team win" I guess.

[@rustyshackelford4224]

MLB is scripted

[@justkeating8399]

I definitely didn’t like the one game wild card. I like the format they had from the early ‘90’s thru the 2010’s the most. One wild card team and that one team moves on to the divisional round with the three division winners.

[@rustyshackelford4224]

Agreed wholeheartedly

[@metallifreak100]

I think 2 WC teams was fine. Exactly 1/3rd make the playoffs. Best of 3 instead of 1 game, but start the division series immediately after the WC round ends on Thursday and play on Friday. Anyways with current format. I think the teams with a bye should seriously consider holding a scrimmage game or 2 with their AAA club or something to keep the rhythm going.

[@bigbrad6828]

Yes that was the best format mlb will ever see but it’s too late to go back now. Unless the league starts to fold or something.

[@senorpepper3405]

Wasn't like 2012 and both the al and nl had 2 ties for the wild card so there was a game 163 for both divisions? That was the beginning of the one game wildcard?

[@EyegemYT]

Every round but the wildcard round should be a best of 7. I truly don’t understand why it’s not when other sports like hockey and basketball have it so every round is a best of 7 and they have way shorter seasons too.

[@aarontrudel9947]

They're played indoors

[@MikeIzzle_]

I’m not sure how I feel. I kinda like the day games in the wild card round but I mostly don’t since it makes watching at work kinda hard. And the bye teams choking is kinda boring but it’s also nice seeing some new teams instead of just always being between the Astros, dodgers and Braves every year. But as a Dbacks fan im stoked and I got my World Series ticket already!

[@tazocitrus]

You make great videos! Grammer lesson of the day = the use of "less" vs "fewer". Use less when referring to amounts (like time and volume) and fewer when referring to numbers (like how many players or games). Basically, if you can count it, use fewer, if you can't, use less. Ie: There have never been fewer people in attendance and therefore there has never been less beer consumed at a post season game. You can count the number of people but you can't count the volume of beer. You could also say they drank fewer liters of beer because you can count liters. "After the game it took them less time and needed fewer mop buckets to clean up because there was less vomit". You can count the mop buckets but you cant count time or vomit.

[@BanjoFrost-JT13CC]

This channel helped me go back to baseball and I went to all the Astros home games during the playoffs and 30 regular season games. Thank you for giving me back the love of baseball.

[@brandonrunkle9486]

The problem I have with it is now, it makes the regular season not mean much if you can just skirt your way into the playoffs

[@vdoggydogg3922]

you mean teams with big division leads or that 3 teams make the WC?

[@christopherorrante289]

​@@vdoggydogg3922The teams that make a wild card. Teams can play with more ease since there's more spots open

[@adolfocoy7516]

This will make big and loaded teams not to go for big regular season records, and instead load manage their stars and prevent injuries.

[@Resef0486]

The problem is more teams in the playoffs means more reason the regular season doesn't matter, in a sport that is losing viewership because young think the game is "boring" that isn't good.

[@davidfox9947]

You are right about it cheapening the regular season but viewership and attendance are up.

[@Resef0486]

@davidfox9947 lot of questions about that. Playoff viewership or regular season? Were the pitch clock and other similar rules changes the reason? Was viewership just because there were more games in the playoffs? Data is weird.

[@iamzachinreallife]

Eh, I’d say the regular season still wouldn’t matter any more than it does now. If you don’t make the playoffs, your season is basically a wash. But that’s how I feel about every sport…the regular season is about making it to the postseason; championship or bust.

[@mypud4068]

What sport isn't this true in ultimately? More times then not the number 1 seed doesn't win it all. I've seen it in hockey plenty of times where the lower seeds beat the higher seeds and you end up with wild matchups and they have no excuse because they all play the same amount of 7 game series. It's just bitter fans that can't get over it because yes it does suck to lose after your team had a great season but it happens in every sport. I could see an argument that the DS should be 7 games sure but zero of the teams eliminated was that going to even matter.

[@adanalyst6925]

More teams in the playoffs means more teams are playing for something at the end of the season. I feel like it makes the regular season more.

[@bilboswaggins7629]

Appreciate you (being a Braves fan) not blaming the format. Does it allow teams that normally wouldn't be in the post season a chance to get hot and go on a run? Sure! But it's still on those top seeded teams to win with home field advantage. If you sweep in the LCS and the other team goes 7 games, you get that same amount of rest and I wouldn't expect any complaining then. If you can win with your ace against the other teams 3rd starter at home, you don't get to complain.... That said, hearing TONS of Dodgers and Braves fans complaining, which is hilarious for the Dodgers because they manage to choke regardless of postseason format.

[@jamesbohannon5506]

I miss the days of two leagues and four divisions. The AL never played the NL except for exhibitions and the World Series. The World Series (granted through the eyes of myself as a kid) had a lot more mystique than it does today.

[@ClassicJukeboxBand]

It seems to me the only problem is the layoff the division winners face after they clinch. They have a tendency to relax, and rest certain players for a long time. Eventually, they will figure out a way to simulate games to keep their players sharp and ready for the division series. They could play against minor league teams or intrasquad to keep sharp.

[@FAITHandLOGIC]

Correct and the solution is to stop expanding the playoffs. Only 4 teams from each league should make it. You play 162 fucking games. There's no need for 12 playoff teams.

[@Tin5674]

seems odd that 5 days off would create a problem, houston seems to handle it fine. seems to me they could bring in a bunch of their minor league pitchers for daily bp to keep the bats going or something like that if its really a problem

[@FAITHandLOGIC]

@Tin5674 Jackass comment. 75% of the teams with byes went down and you say, well 25% made it so what's the problem? The exception doesn't usurp the rule. Oh, and where's Houston now? Oh, they ran into a a fucking 5th seed that got hot by NOT getting a bye. The 4 best teams went down in their first series. The playoffs are all luck. MLB is the only league that punishes the best best by killing their momentum. The #6 seed has won the NL for the second straight year. Baseball is officially a Bush League. These jackasses will probably expand the playoffs again. It's about money. That's it. Integrity is out the window.

[@Tin5674]

@@FAITHandLOGIC lol ya Houston got beat by a team with the same record they had in the same division, crazy! This playoff season and the series is the most fun series in the last 15 years since the steroid crackdown. Yes vaseball is bush league becasue they dont have a hard cap and teams keep buying players. its nice to see new teams in the playoffs and winning, having the same 8 teams in every year is boring.

[@parkermichel3901]

Baseball relies on larger sample size to prove greatness and is prone to many "flukey" events. I say make the wild card 1 game and every series from then-on 7 games. This allows for that chaos to occur in the wild cards, then each series after that becomes a truer reflection of which team is the better of the two. With 5 games, if you lose game 1 your team is immediately in a win-or-go-home mindset because coming back from 2-0 is nearly impossible.

[@somethingelsedoesmatter]

Agree. The fact that most wildcards ended in sweeps indicates a single game would be enough for a pretty accurate outcome.

[@Spartan0430]

@@somethingelsedoesmatter the larger sample size will ALWAYS be more accurate. you can't gleam anything meaningful from a singular game.

[@waynewells3297]

Fundamental value of baseball: best teams are revealed by large samples (way bigger than any other sport). The only fair way to reward teams that excelled over 162 games is to give them a bigger playoff advantage over much weaker teams.

[@michaelmescino08]

I'm convinced Baseball Doesn't Exist can make anything interesting. Probably my favorite KZbin Channel right now.

[@CG2589]

As an Orioles fan I don't think the rest was a negative factor. The Orioles were already struggling at the plate going into the playoffs. Also Texas had veterans who had been there before that contributed hugely. If it was Texas/Baltimore straight out of the season I don't think the result would have changed.

[@BrianWakem]

I think this is all a good thing. Growing up it would be the same teams advancing to the playoffs and would be such an unpleasant time to watch even if it was my team going all the way. I like the idea of helping the littler teams and shaking the shit out of the big dogs like the dodgers. Adds more thrill and shows money can’t buy wins!

[@fryncyaryorvjink2140]

I think the problem is the division leaders have their spot more or less locked up early and can ease up, meanwhile the wild cards have to fight to the very end, so of course they're coming in hot. Maybe the leaders should give themselves a goal to keep pushing, like 110 wins, though that didn't help the dodgers I also want to take this opportunity to pitch my wild card idea: since let's be honest they shouldn't be here, wc game 1 is the day after game 162. The next day is a double header if need be, motivation to win in 2. The next day the division series start. Only 2 days off for the leaders, wild cards come in running on fumes

[@libidinousbear4563]

This entire comment just made me laugh out loud.

[@Edward_Nebiolo]

I like your idea. I have a few of my own with some modifications with the doubleheader idea. Unless a game is postponed with rain and one is needed, playoff doubleheaders hurts the wild card team’s bullpen 1. Start the best of 3 wild card series the day after the last day of the regular season. Unless there must be a game that has playoff seedings, starting the wild card series giving the wild card teams no off days saves the bye teams 1 day 2. Reseed the wild card teams after the wild card series is over cuz #2 vs #6 and #1 vs #4 seed divisional series doesn’t make sense and this one should be done next year 3. If all the wild card series is over after game 2 or #3 vs #6 series are over and reseeding is done, then start the divisional series days afterwards. Ex. Instead of starting the divisional series this year on Saturday, they should start on Friday. If they start the wild card series on Monday and all of them or both of the 3 vs 6 series are over Tuesday, then the Divisional series can start Thursday. If a 4 vs 5 series is over after 2 games and the 3 vs 6 series has a game 3 and reseeding is done, then the divisional series should start 2 days after the last wild card series is over. 4. If a playoff round is over early like this year in the AL, they should’ve started the ALCS on Saturday instead of Sunday. In other words, if possible, reduce the amount of off days between playoff rounds so the World Series doesn’t end in November

[@Hexon66]

2019 was the best example in support of the WC round (at least the 1 gm. format). The Nationals were arguably the best team in the league at the end of the season, but due to the 19-31 start, ended up with 93 wins and the WC. That's *4 months* of being hot, with a record on par with the Dodgers and Astros. They beat the Brewers in WC, Dodgers in the DS, destroyed the Cardinals in the CS, and beat the Astros in the WS. The system with the 1 game WC is fine (though I would like a 7 game DS).

[@DieselSniffer3500]

No matter what the format is you’ll always have lots of upsets in baseball

[@redmustangredmustang]

It's called win and don't suck especially if you have a 100 or more wins. It just goes to show that now anyone who gets in as a wildcard can have a chance to make it to the World Series. It gives baseball more chances to make money and the fans will show up unless you are the Rays.

[@konny1698]

Who in the world posted that FanGraphs article about rested teams being 24-11? Off top of my head it shows 7 series where the rested team "won", but in real life they lost.. thus at the very best the rested team is 17-18. That's without checking on the older series in the past. 2022 Dodgers/Padres was an L for Dodgers. 2021 Giants/Dodgers was an L for Giants. 2019 Yankees/Astros was an L for Yankees. 2017 Dodgers/Astros was an L for Dodgers. 2016 Indians/Cubs was an L for Indians. 2015 Cards/Cubs was an L for Cards. 2015 Yankees/Rangers was an L for Rangers.

[@sendAJtospace]

This year’s playoffs have convinced me that new baseball fans along with certain fanbases are bandwagons that have never watched playoff sports a single day in their lives.

[@MrKeychange]

Seriously

[@davidheard898]

Straight up

[@Misscleooo]

I haven’t watched this entire video yet, But i wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your videos! I’m not even a baseball watcher like at all. I never hated it but also never interested. I randomly came across your channel a day or so ago, & I’ve almost watched all your videos! Lol 😂 I’m actually way more interested in baseball from watching all your content 🥰😂🤍 I was literally excited to see you just posted a new video! I haven’t even finished it but I wanted to comment & thank you for your awesome content here! Im excited to learn more about Baseball and watch all your future vids I hope your having a good weekend 🤍 Im definitely a new lifelong fan/sub of your channel 💕Cleo💕

[@rocketismail711]

Im a Orioles fan, and we lost fair and square. The Rangers deserve to go far

[@beaksters]

I’ll always prefer that either no one gets a bye, or the best team from each division gets the bye.

[@poshko4144]

I don't mind expanding the playoffs. After 162 games, I think it's only fair to invite a few more teams into the playoffs. Plus, short series in MLB are way less predictable than other sports, which dramatically increases the intrigue. What I DON'T like is how they throw one of the division winners under the bus by adding them into the near sudden death mix. I'd rather them add a fourth wild card team and have them all playing for the right to meet the best of the division winners.

[@whough]

It’s not that a bye is more advantageous than having to go through the wild card round, it’s that the game’s best teams are less likely to make it to the LCS and WS than ever before. That’s the big problem. It’s not that any individual wild card team has an advantage over a team with a bye, it’s that we’re more likely to find wild card teams in the LCS and WS than ever before, and fans naturally want to see the best teams on the brightest stage, not just some wild card teams that happened to get hot at the right time.

[@dirty_mac]

If they get beaten then maybe they're not the best team 🤔

[@MrKeychange]

​@@dirty_macIt's baseball. Even the 62 Mets won 3 of 5 once in a while.

[@MrKeychange]

It's like Manfred never watched baseball before

[@g.williams2047]

That’s more of a problem of good regular season teams choking than in the playoff structure. So many teams try to play money all, which works well during the regular season but talent will ultimately prevail. It’s like how in College Football and Basketball, when good teams doing more with less match up against good teams with talent, the more talented roster usually crushes them.

[@dirty_mac]

@@MrKeychange that's kinda the point of a playoff structure isn't it? You know how we determine the best team fairly? A 162 game regular season

[@woodrowwilsontheoriginal]

As a dodgers fan, last year I felt like we were the odd ones out, Im so happy that we shared our way of choking as the 1st and second seed Edit: Just to clarify, I am a LEGIT DODGERS FAN, Im not making fun of them, its just the life cycle of a dodgers fan, we do good for the entire season, and choke it away in the playoffs, I really do wish we could do well in the playoffs, but its the sad reality of a Dodgers fan.

[@donutsrgood4491]

I mean our pitching was demolished by injuries this year. When we get Buehler, May, and Gonslin back we should have a better run. Of course will still probably choke because the Dodgers are horrible in October, especially Mookie and Kershaw. This playoff run was so bad Robert's didn't even get to make any boneheaded moves really hard to be a Dodger fan rn. Because we know we're gunna have a great record and do the same thing next year

[@jasonfire3434]

The Braves choked last year too. But it’s more popular to make fun of the Dodgers lol

[@nmappraiser9926]

Yeah, it's nice to be part of the club. DBacks scored 6 runs in the top of the first inning in the first game. Dodgers scored their 6th run of the series in the 7th inning of game 3.

[@Zarkmoneybags]

​​@@jasonfire3434the dodgers have choked every year sense 1988, the braves atleast won it in 2021

[@ave0828]

​@donutsrgood4491 Dodgers could of had a healthy rotation, but the lineup didn't show up. They couldn't put up runs in the end.

[@rosscoradio8555]

Astros had the same amount of time off and they moved on pretty easily🤷🏻‍♂️

[@landonpatton7997]

Love this guy but let him have his narrative please

[@kevingriener7441]

They probably cheated

[@landonpatton7997]

@@kevingriener7441 cope

[@brandonpiatt5625]

Not to mention how the wild card series “benefited” the Rays, Brewers, Blue Jays, and the Marlins. Guess they didn’t count.

[@hoodrowwilson]

11:17 It would be a seismometer that would measure seismic activity (with a seismograph being the result). The Richter Scale is not an instrument, it's more or less the system or standard for placing seismic events into different magnitude classes.

[@thedave5748]

All teams should start playoffs together. 1 v 8, 2 v 7, etc BUT based on season record they have to win different amount of games to win series. 100 win team vs 85 win team - 100 win team needs 3 wins, 85 win team needs 4 or 5 to win series and move on.

[@ThaChildishOne]

I do think it’s wild that a teams wins their division like the brewers did then the season over in 2 days. I would like a 7 game series throughout or 5 at least for the WC

[@oasisman]

they had home field both games they lost.

[@ianphillips1365]

@@oasisman Doesn't matter where the games are played, it's not even in the same universe as an adequate sample size.

[@DaddyTerps]

Always a good day when baseball doesn’t exist uploads

[@matthewbenining9423]

I think that the DS should be a 7 game series. It will just be hard to manage a full schedule with that however. The rest is not the problem it’s the fact that they play a 5 game series instead of 7 (in my opinion). Either way, I like the expanded playoffs as a fan it’s been amazing.

[@brandocalrissian3294]

Except for the wild cars, every series should be 7 games. Lose the extra wild card teams and go back to the one game.

[@GheorgeDuarte]

What’s the advantage of winning a division if they gave you a week of while your opponent gets into post season form . End the WC series and go back to a 1 game due or die a day after the last regular season game .

[@nickb2912]

Better idea add a 7th and 8th seed so there are no more byes.

[@JasonWindsor88]

12:32 “Hey strider, you kiss your mother with those thighs?!” Is somehow the funniest/most unexpected troll I’ve heard in a long time

[@MadKingTylor]

One day we’re worried the playoff format will favor the top seeded teams and then the next we need to change it again to favor the top seeded teams

[@Susbus69]

It makes everything WAAAAY more interesting. To all of the Braves and dodgers fans complaining about the bye just look at the Astros, to the players complaining about timing go to the pitching machine, they have ones that recreate pitchers pitches and how they throw

[@Susbus69]

@@ishottheserf6715 it gives more teams better chances and they could just be more prepared

[@raulaguirre883]

Astros can't be the scapegoat in this discussion. The numbers don't lie, the time off DOES contribute to performance falloff.

[@mydude9701]

@@raulaguirre883dodgers are known to choke the post season, braves let all the stuff get into their head and the orioles played the rangers who are not to be slept on….Don’t blame the system when you clearly have all this other stuff happening, Simply excuses for not making it.

[@MrKeychange]

Interesting to whom? 6 months of meaningless baseball and then the country gets to watch mediocre teams battle it out. That sounds only fun for the fans of whatever team for hot.

[@Susbus69]

@@MrKeychange salty Braves or dodgers fan, it’s not interesting when the same team makes it every year

[@patrickskoniczin9063]

Ok, hear me out. What if there was a way to “reseed” and shorten the amount of bye time. Make the teams that have a bye in each league play one game to see who gets the no. 1 seed on the night of the first or second wildcard game. This way, you get a bit of reseeding and less time between the end of the season and the postseason for the bye teams. Otherwise, I honestly think the format should stay the same for the foreseeable future. Just because a team is good for 162 games doesn’t necessarily guarantee them doing well in the postseason. That’s just baseball.

[@jameslinzmeier368]

GOD NO. Enough with the reseeding thing. It is awful. Set the brackets and then win your games. ALL sports should do this. Why give the EXTRA advantages to the best teams year in and year out????? If they are the best, they would have no problem beating anyone that comes along.

[@patrickskoniczin9063]

@@jameslinzmeier368 I agree, but I also think they shouldn’t be resting for that long. The bye teams need to play one game and one game only so that way the argument “the current playoff structure allows for too much time between the regular season and the division series” can be eliminated. But again, I do agree that reseeding is truly dumb, but maybe this is a way to appease both sides.

[@King_JappyJoe]

This is the only channel that can make me focus on anything baseball for longer than 8 Seconds

[@cagedtigersteve]

A bye week in the NFL makes sense, however this game is played every hot summer day. If they wanted to expand then expand it in powers of 2....maybe 16 teams, which would be 4 rounds. And even then make it 5-5-7-7 game series. And reseed after each round.

[@DarkRavenstooBlack]

These teams play way too many games during the regular season to only play a 3 game or 5 game series in the WC AND DS. Best of 7 for all playoff rounds would be a good change, I think.

[@justindarling1446]

I would love to see them try the NHL/NBA format someday. 16 team bracket, best four of seven game series across the board. Reward half the teams for a grueling 162 game season. At the very least, every series in the playoffs should be best of seven. As a hockey guy, it's crazy to me that you guys have the playoff format you do when you play a 162! game season broken down into 3 game series already!! Baseball should be out here playin best of elevens!

[@jpbarry93]

1995-2011 was the best. 6 division winners and 2 best non division winners. No BS 1 or 3 game series. No contenders missed playoffs. Rarely did frauds make playoffs. No waiting around before 1st round. Now it's like MLB wants their playoffs to be march madness. It's so unserious that we may as well just have all 30 teams make it, have a bunch of best of 1's, and season standing just gives you more byes.

[@JoeyandFranci]

Personally, I liked the one game wild card. I went to the last one Boston vs yanks, it was so intense. No one sat down for the first 4 innings. I don’t think that the 1 game format is the best, but damn it’s exciting. Anyone else like the 1 game wild card??

[@THERobertL2000]

I liked the one game Wild Card too.

[@brindlebucker4741]

Yes. You used to just win a pennant. And that took you to the Series. Now, the trend is to make the playoffs last as long as possible, so the more divisions the better. Oh, and WILD CARDS!!! That way we can squeeze in an extra round. It worked fine when there were 2 divisions within each league. Compare it to the Premier League. In the PL, there are 20 teams. That means to make a fair season, each team has to play every other team 2x. Once at home, and once away. But why are there no playoffs!!! Americans might ask. Because the season itself was a playoff tournament. Each team had a fair go at every other team. Now, in the NFL, it's not really possible with such a short season to have a fair go at all the teams (home/away), so a playoff system makes sense. But in baseball? 162 games? Yeah, you have adequate opportunity to match up against all the other teams in your league. So, why have playoffs at all? Just match up the AL champ agains the NL champ. If there's any ambiguity about which is the best AL or NL team, then sure, have a 3 game series to determine that. But after 162 games? Come on, the cream is going to rise to the top. But I need muh playoffs! Why should a 'wild card team' though, ever have a shot at the title when through the season they clearly were not the best team?

[@Bigbrrr007]

Attended three games this year solely because of this channel. After going down the rabbit hole it sparked my love of baseball again ! You make the best content on KZbin ! Thank you ! Seeing an Aaron Judge grand slam was absolutely electric 🙏🏻

[@Daveeeeeeyhowyoudoing]

Sad to hear you need a KZbinr to show you that sports are fun.... You probably live a miserable life if you need people to tell you what is good 😂

[@crhollifield2012]

im sick of hearing about teams losing their momentum during the 5 day break.. the Braves lost.. unfortunately.. and not because they didn’t play for a week and that gave them time to cool off.. but simply because they didn’t show up, they got out played. If you can’t win just because you had a few days off, you shouldn’t win in the first place.. i’m tired of hearing this argument. what about y’all?

[@jchristner82]

One of the smartest comments I've read.

[@crhollifield2012]

@@jchristner82 appreciate it

[@Kaboose-fb7bk]

Except that it's false,the Braves didn't show up, but what about every other team? Just because the sample size is small does not mean you can outright dismiss this. Let it cook, let a sample size build up and see if there is a true correlation between large breaks in play and teams performing below average.

[@crhollifield2012]

@@Kaboose-fb7bk true, but i think he hinted on that in the video. and the data kind of put this theory to bed. but i am just of the school of thought that winners win. Winners show up in the big moments when they need to win the most. and they aren’t letting a couple days off let that stop them. imagine saying “yea i lost cause i got a few good days of rest” lol i don’t jive with it

[@alxm1271]

MLB Playoffs have been amazing this year. Whoever is complaining is probably due to the team of their preference being smashed earlier than expected. I hope to see a great Texas series and some big games between AZ and the Phillies.

[@atlnla4112]

MLB added more series and more games because of greed. More games = more money. They don’t care which teams are there, BUT with the better teams being out, the teams like the Dodgers and Braves, etc that have the biggest following not playing, you no longer have team with big followings watching the games. Also, people will stop going to games during the regular season because it makes the long season meaningless. It’s a long preseason that has no bearing on the post season like it did before. As it stands now, if I’m the Braves or Dodgers, I tank the first half of the season. Take the chance of playing the wildcard while you’re hot. Doesn’t matter to set your pitchers if your hitters haven’t seen pitches at game speed in a week. Either take the two last teams out or have a 1 game play in like before. That was more exciting.

[@jakegaubatz]

As a Tampa fan, this is probably the best analyzation of our situation. Churning and burning through players and signing slightly-above-average guys to long-term deals (Lowe, Margot) does not draw crowds. Our owner has no intention to improve the team and that trickles through to us fans. He's comfortable to take the shared revenue and TV deal money (one of the largest in the nation) while consistently spending the bare minimum. If MLB installed a cap floor, I think more fans would attend because they know Stu has to pay up. But alas, probably won't happen. And with the new stadium in the same location (mostly due to Stu's refusal to pay for most or all of the new stadium), I don't expect attendance to increase. The area is mostly made up of small businesses and restaurants, which are great, but not surrounded by residents. Crossing big bridges at rush hour is not for the average casual fan. Anyways, thanks for explaining because I'm tired of the press pushing all the blame on fan support. There are reasons for the lack of support, and a lot of it can be pushed on the Rays themselves. They don't go out of their way to build a fanbase and the attendance issue reflects that.

[@ryanhead2004]

MLB: Let’s add teams to make things interesting Also MLB: Wait, why aren’t these teams losing?!

[@byufan4ever013]

MLB fans* This is fantastic for the MLB, completely justifies them letting Arizona into the playoffs. It’s the Dodgers/Braves fans who are pissed off

[@jamesharmon845]

I like the format as it is like Football and other sports. The only people crying are the spoiled fans of teams where they were EXPECTED to win it all. Instead they got knocked out and I like the randomness of it. FYI, my team was one of the ones who got knocked out the first round this season. Did it sting? You bet ya, however there are plenty of other teams fan bases that would have love to have had the chance to see an extra 2 games at the end of the season.

[@MrKeychange]

You're being naive about the sport. In football there are only 16 games so a tournament makes sense. In the NBA, it's impossible for the low ranking teams to win. That means they can do a tournament and not worry about the best players being knocked out. MLB is different. The season is six months. The playoffs are the time the best teams face off.

[@jansonshrock2859]

People keep saying the playoffs are just about which team is "hot" but the reality is that it's about which team can stay consistent given any condition, which team practices more, and which team can perform with higher stakes and higher pressure. Just because you buy a bunch of talent and are able to coast through the regular season without a challenge doesn't make you the best team at all if you can't handle maintaining a practiced and loose status when you get a week off

[@MrKeychange]

Teams "coast" because they're good. You shouldn't get to make up 14 games by winning two. Both the Braves and Phillies had equal chances to make the NLCS after the WC round and it's just not fair.

[@jansonshrock2859]

@@MrKeychange teams coast because they don't have a competitive division...if you're in the position to lose a 14-game lead in two games that means the other team just had a more competitive race for their playoff spots than you, nothing more. When you play over 120 games a season, 14 game leads are not that consequential in the grand scheme of things, either

[@Mchenrygames]

It doesn't make sense to expand the number of playoff teams if you cannot even watch the games on TV. If your favorite team is in a so called "small market" you are screwed in even in the divisional round.

[@spearfisherman308]

It is broken having more wild cards means that a team that does mediocre during the regular season but get a lucky streak during the post season can become the so-called world champions. What’s the point of having a regular season than what’s the point of trying to win more games.