Atlanta Braves Prove MLB Playoffs Are A Crapshoot
Earlier this week, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros in 6 games to win their first World Series title in 25 years. It was an incredible run for Atlanta, and they certainly deserve it. They defeated Milwaukee’s tough starting pitching, defeated the Dodgers and their powerhouse team, and then defeated the perennial powerhouse Houston Astros along the way.
However, the Braves winning the World Series this year proves a very important notion in regards to the MLB Playoffs. They are a crapshoot, and the “best team” doesn’t always necessarily win it. Rather, the team who gets hot at the right time.
You can argue postseason format and seeding being terrible. Some hate the fact the 106-win Dodgers had to play in the Wild Card Game. I quite frankly thought it was hilarious that LA’s season was all for naught if they couldn’t get past the St. Louis Cardinals, who had 16 fewer wins than LA.
All year, we as fans sat back and said how bad the National League East was. The Braves made moves at the deadline and improved. But were they a top-two team heading into the playoffs? Doubtful. The MLB Playoffs aren’t about who’s the best team, it’s about who’s the hot team.
The Last Time The ‘Best’ team Won it All
The last time the ‘best’ team won it all was in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. I don’t count 2020 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Los Angeles was the best team on paper, you just can’t make an accurate judgment of an MLB club after only 60 games, the season is a marathon, and 2020 was a complete sprint.
In 2018 Boston won 108 games and only lost 54. They didn’t lose more than one game in any of the series they took place in. They dropped one game apiece to each of the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers. To me, they’re the last team I can remember that just bullied their way through not only the regular season but the post-season as well.
2019 Washington Nationals & 2017 Cleveland Indians
The 2019 Washington Nationals have a similar story to this year’s Atlanta Braves. The Nationals were a wild card team that year and were one inning from being eliminated if it weren’t for the heroics of Juan Soto and the error from Trent Grisham. Then, not many thought Washington would be able to defeat the 106-win LA Dodgers in the NLDS. They did in five games and suddenly caught fire. Swept St. Louis in the NLCS and defeated Houston in the 2019 World Series, which was arguably the best Houston team we’ve seen in their 5 consecutive playoff runs.
In 2017, the Cleveland Indians won 22 games in a row, 102 in the regular season. They were the #1 seed in the American League and many thought it was their year after they had blown a 3-1 lead to the Chicago Cubs the prior year. They had a great ALDS against the Wild Card New York Yankees but ended up losing in five games. Were the Yankees the better team in 2017? Not at all. However, they were hot at the time, and rode that high all the way up to Game 7 of the ALCS, before falling to Houston.
Whatever They Do, MLB Cannot Let More Teams in the Playoffs
It’s no secret that the MLB wants to extend their playoffs. For a while, I was one who was incredibly excited about this because to me, it just meant more playoff baseball in general, and what’s better than playoff baseball?
After taking notice and really acknowledging that the best team almost never wins it all, I completely pivoted on my stance. If anything, MLB cannot let more teams into the playoffs.
I love the sport of baseball, and I love the direction it’s heading in terms of player promotion, analytics, players having more of a personality, and plenty more. However, it’s almost set in stone that the playoffs are going to be changed this year. I can’t help but think it’s completely the wrong decision.
Sure, expanded playoffs mean more fans get to watch their teams compete for a World Series. Had there been an expanded playoff this year, who’s to say Toronto wouldn’t have mashed their way to a title? Nevertheless, this will completely tarnish the MLB playoffs as a whole in the long run. Wild Card teams usually sit around 10-15 games above .500. I just couldn’t imagine having to watch, for example, the 102-win Houston Astros have to play the 74-88 Minnesota Twins in the opening round. The NBA follows a 16-team format, and this often leads to teams who aren’t even above .500 making the playoffs (2020-2021 Washington Wizards).
There are arguments for and against adding more teams into the MLB playoffs, I see and understand that. However, it is evident that the MLB Playoffs are a crapshoot. All you really have to do it make it, and your chances are as good as anyone else. If more teams are added, the MLB playoffs will become even more of a crapshoot and would eventually allow a mediocre team to win the World Series.
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