Way to go MLB!

[ncyajleel]

Nice job! After six months consisting of fifty plus three game series, let's gave a one game wildcard playoff. Way to show not only your lack of foresight, two teams from the same division could NEVER have the two best records, that never happens. In this case though I'm sure nobody would ever think one division could ever have THREE teams. But also you show your ignorance and stupidity because of the money, exposure and excitement which you have missed if you would have at least made this a three or even a five game series. This would have been a GREAT playoff series!
Bravo!

 

[OriginalEther]

Win your division.

 

[PantherO]

I agree win your division, but there still needs to be a 4th team. (original wild card). There is no need for a 1 game playoff unless there is a tie. In baseball especially, a 1 game play off doesn't determine the best team. It only shows the team with the best(hottest) pitcher.

Yes, the Pirates sucked in their own division and Hurdle through out some really head scratching line ups the one could argue cost them the division, but I hated this one game playoff when they announced it (which was before the Pirates made the wild card the first time.) It is a money grab plain and simple.

 

[ncyajleel]

My main point was the season consists of a series of mostly three game series with every team. So why would you make the playoff a one game series? Even a tie should at least be a three game series. If you base everything on a series such as regular season, divisional playoffs, championship series, world series, why would you go out of that pattern and do a one game series? If you want to have wildcards, do it the right way. If you don't want to do it the right way, don't do it at all.

I agree win your division, but there still needs to be a 4th team. (original wild card). There is no need for a 1 game playoff unless there is a tie. In baseball especially, a 1 game play off doesn't determine the best team. It only shows the team with the best(hottest) pitcher.

Yes, the Pirates sucked in their own division and Hurdle through out some really head scratching line ups the one could argue cost them the division, but I hated this one game playoff when they announced it (which was before the Pirates made the wild card the first time.) It is a money grab plain and simple.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

One of the dumbest things in all of sports. A 1 game playoff, where anything can happen when 162 games decided which team was better.

 

[Pitt79]

Nice job! After six months consisting of fifty plus three game series, let's gave a one game wildcard playoff. Way to show not only your lack of foresight, two teams from the same division could NEVER have the two best records, that never happens. In this case though I'm sure nobody would ever think one division could ever have THREE teams. But also you show your ignorance and stupidity because of the money, exposure and excitement which you have missed if you would have at least made this a three or even a five game series. This would have been a GREAT playoff series!
Bravo!

Not making excuses, but Buccos got buzz sawed out of the playoffs the last 2 years by getting stuck both times vs. the hottest pitcher/Cy Young in baseball, both times even a 3 game series would have made the whole thing a lot more palatable. Of all the sports, baseball is the least suitable for one and done playoffs.

 

[OriginalEther]

I agree win your division, but there still needs to be a 4th team. (original wild card). There is no need for a 1 game playoff unless there is a tie. In baseball especially, a 1 game play off doesn't determine the best team. It only shows the team with the best(hottest) pitcher.

Yes, the Pirates sucked in their own division and Hurdle through out some really head scratching line ups the one could argue cost them the division, but I hated this one game playoff when they announced it (which was before the Pirates made the wild card the first time.) It is a money grab plain and simple.

Again, that's the idea.
Win your division and you don't get stuck being in a crapshoot game.

The Pirates problem is having the rotten luck of being in the same division as St Louis.
They aren't the first team to have this sort of issue, and they won't be the last.

 

[ddc17]

Sucks to suck. Quit complaining, the Pirates have had their chance the last 3 years and have not been able to take it to the next level.

 

[pierre93]

Sucks to suck. Quit complaining, the Pirates have had their chance the last 3 years and have not been able to take it to the next level.

Sorry dude but winning 98 games and it comes down to 1 game? Just like the NCAA basketball tourney, both flawed systems. JMO

 

[thebadby2]

Nice job! After six months consisting of fifty plus three game series, let's gave a one game wildcard playoff. Way to show not only your lack of foresight, two teams from the same division could NEVER have the two best records, that never happens. In this case though I'm sure nobody would ever think one division could ever have THREE teams. But also you show your ignorance and stupidity because of the money, exposure and excitement which you have missed if you would have at least made this a three or even a five game series. This would have been a GREAT playoff series!
Bravo!

Take care of your business in the regular season and you don't need to worry about it. Pirates got as far as they were capable of going.

Nobody's going to beat Arrietta right now. He is dialed in like nobody I've ever seen.

 

[Cap pitt]

Sorry dude but winning 98 games and it comes down to 1 game? Just like the NCAA basketball tourney, both flawed systems. JMO

Did you feel that way 2 years ago when the Pirates beat Cincinnati, I love the Pirates but they joke in these games

 

[Panther Parrothead]

Did you feel that way 2 years ago when the Pirates beat Cincinnati, I love the Pirates but they joke in these games

A couple thoughts: the league is always interested in making money, so why not make it a "2-out-of-3" for the wildcard teams? But as others have said, winning the division solves the Pirates' problem. I can't help but think about all of those games when Hurdle was more concerned about resting players than winning games. Well, now he's got a team full of well-rested players -- who are lying on a beach somewhere instead of playing in the playoffs.

 

[OmarLittle]

Take care of your business in the regular season and you don't need to worry about it. Pirates got as far as they were capable of going.

Nobody's going to beat Arrietta right now. He is dialed in like nobody I've ever seen.

thats the point, they won't have to. He can beat the cards twice and the cubs could still go home. In a series the better team has a better chance of winning, not just the best single pitcher.

that being said, there is 100 years+ of history where you can find dozens of instances where one division has the 4 best teams in the league, but some scrub from the other goes to the playoffs.

see the pirates last world series year in 1979, in the american league there were 3 90+ win teams, and an 89 win team. only 1 of those went to the playoffs.
In the NL montreal won 95 games, did not get that 1 game wildcard because they were 2 games behind the bucs.

 

[pittzap]

Sucks to suck. Quit complaining, the Pirates have had their chance the last 3 years and have not been able to take it to the next level.

Pirates had their ace against the Cubs ace. No excuses. As has been mentioned, win your division. The advantage to winning the division is that you don't have to win the wild card game. It wasn't really that long ago (in baseball history) where there were no wild cards that made the playoffs. People complain about the season being too long, but all the games count.

 

[upj87]

A couple thoughts: the league is always interested in making money, so why not make it a "2-out-of-3" for the wildcard teams? But as others have said, winning the division solves the Pirates' problem. I can't help but think about all of those games when Hurdle was more concerned about resting players than winning games. Well, now he's got a team full of well-rested players -- who are lying on a beach somewhere instead of playing in the playoffs.

The money does not come from an extra playoff game or two but it comes from the three of four weeks of additional interest from more teams in the chase for the playoffs. The thing that strikes me as being stupid....We have 3 divisions. We need 4 teams to have two sets of playoff series. Solution (dummy me would add one team to make four)....Increase the pool of teams back to another odd number just to have a hokey one game playin game to get it back to an even number for the sake of the Colorado Rockies having an outside shot of landing in the playoffs when they are 14 games out of first their division....who the hell uses that kind of logic?.

 

[Las Panteras]

Bob Costas had the following idea:

2 out of three...with the first day being a double header. This forces teams to burn up pitching (as a penalty for not winning the division) and television gets a bonanza with 2 days (one American League, One National) of TV ratings for most of the prime viewing time slots.

Imagine a day night doubleheader at PNC yesterday?

 

[ncyajleel]

I agree, "win your division." That makes sense. But what is the goal of MLB? Why do they have a wildcard? Either reward the division winners and go back to the old days when they were the only ones to make the post season. Or if your goal is to add more teams by giving wildcards because there are an odd number of divisions, why have only one game? It makes absolutely NO sense!

 

[H2P-2007]

One game playoff sucks for the fanbase, but is more exciting for fans of other teams. I for one would not have watched if it was a series, but since it was a do-or-die contest, I tuned in.

 

[Pittx9]

It's gonna look really dumb one day when there is a traditional one game playoff (tiebreaker) to determine who gets into the one game wild card.

 

[Pitt79]

Why not just seed the teams? Pirates #2 seed in a 5 game series vs. the #3 Cubs and the Cards await the winner of Mets/Dodgers wild card game?

 

[Pittx9]

Why not just seed the teams? Pirates #2 seed in a 5 game series vs. the #3 Cubs and the Cards await the winner of Mets/Dodgers wild card game?

Not a bad idea, but the MLB would never, ever consider a division winner playing in the wild card game. That's just the way it is.

 

[Musikprince]

Win your division.

Wow your smart...

 

[pittdan77]

Four divisions in each league makes a lot more sense. Either that or shorten the season and add another round. One player (pitcher) can make too big a difference in a single game.

 

[Zeldas Greenhouse]

The reason there is a Wild Card game to begin with is because of the three divisions. You need a fourth team.

Baseball has always made it important to win your division. I hope that doesn't change because I like the pennant races. There are many examples over the years of teams winning 95+ games and ending their season on the last Sunday of the year.

 

[Pittx9]

MLB is basically ruining itself year after year. A one game wild card series is absolutely ludacris. Secondly, the All-Star Game winning league getting World Series home field advantage is even dumber. If the Cardinals play the Astros in the World Series it's not even logical for the Astros to have home field advantage.

 

[OriginalEther]

Fixed....

Wow you're smart...

Yep. It's that simple.
I've explained it enough times elsewhere.

And make no mistake, you wouldn't be here bitching and crying about how "unfair" it is if the Pirates managed to do that once.
It's sour grapes.

 

[JoseLind13]

I totally get the "win your division" viewpoint, but the fact that the system allows two teams proven inferior to both the Cubs and Bucs in the 162 game regular season to coast to the NLDS, and then one of them goes to the NLCS without ever facing ANY of the 3 best teams in the NL (and MLB) can't be ignored as proof that the system is flawed. With the Cards, Cubs, and Bucs all maintaining their good, young core of players for the next several years, you can't really assume this is a once in a blue moon anomaly that can't repeat.

 

[vinniep33]

Nice job! After six months consisting of fifty plus three game series, let's gave a one game wildcard playoff. Way to show not only your lack of foresight, two teams from the same division could NEVER have the two best records, that never happens. In this case though I'm sure nobody would ever think one division could ever have THREE teams. But also you show your ignorance and stupidity because of the money, exposure and excitement which you have missed if you would have at least made this a three or even a five game series. This would have been a GREAT playoff series!
Bravo!

Letter to Bucco fans,

The Pirates have bowed to the Cardinals three years in a row. It isn't coincidence. The Cardinals are a better organization.

Although I cannot prove it, I believe if the Cardinals had lost five more games in each of the last three seasons, then the Pirates would have still been behind them. It's in their mindset that the Cardinals are the best team in baseball, and therefore, better than the Pirates.

The new wild card format, while not perfect, is great for the entire MLB. It just hasn't been great for the Pirates. The Cubs were in the same division as the Pirates, and they're in the NLDS.

WIN THE DIVISION.

LETS GO PITT! ITS FOOTBALL SEASON.

 

[JoseLind13]

The reason there is a Wild Card game to begin with is because of the three divisions. You need a fourth team.

Baseball has always made it important to win your division. I hope that doesn't change because I like the pennant races. There are many examples over the years of teams winning 95+ games and ending their season on the last Sunday of the year.

From the Bucs' perspective, there were 12 teams in the past 95 years to win 98+ games and miss the postseason. The most outrageous was the early 90's Giants that lost the division with 103 wins.

That Giants team was part of the rationale for the 3-division and single wild card team set-up. The dissatisfaction with this system was that this de-emphasized the division title, so the 5th playoff team and the one-game series was born. Prior to the 5th playoff team being added, the Wild Card team played the top-seeded team OUTSIDE of their own division in the NLDS, yet the current system is now cannibalizing the best division before the NLCS.

It's a tricky balance, but 1 or 2 more years of this repeating will probably be too much for MLB to ignore without changing the structure again..

 

[sherepower]

Take care of your business in the regular season and you don't need to worry about it. Pirates got as far as they were capable of going.

Nobody's going to beat Arrietta right now. He is dialed in like nobody I've ever seen.

I agree. However, looking how he is built now compared to last year. Then looking at how much better he got this year. I am almost positive he is on something ( hgh )

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Article written today about the whole ordeal, which I think sums things up nicely. Basically, no matter what you do the baseball playoffs will always be a coin flip, and we aren't necessarily good at knowing what we want from our sports (we love the upsets and drama on one hand, then lament how the actual best team rarely wins on the other):

The Delicious Unfairness of the Wild Card

Most pertinent snippets, IMO. First paragraph is talking about how we really don't even know what we want (the mayhem of randomness or the best team having the best chance to win), second paragraph is the concluding paragraph and more or less just sums up that baseball is a weird, wacky, random, unfair sport -- but it makes it great:

In the end, though, changing the number of games or which teams play them might only be better around the edges. The playoffs are going to be unfair because baseball in small samples is unfair. So then we have to decide what we actually want. Do we want the best team to win almost every time? Maybe we do, in which case maybe six or seven games or something similar should be played at the home park of the team with the better record. Do we want the worst team to have a 50% shot at winning? Maybe off-site playoff games (the Pirates and Cubs playing a one game elimination game in Seattle or Montreal, for example) should be considered.

...

It’s sad in a way that the Pirates terrific 97-win season came down, yet again, to one game, but making it three games wouldn’t have changed things much, at least in terms of their win expectancy. Sometimes you run into Jake Arrieta. Sometimes your 109 mph ground ball starts a double play. Sometimes baseball is unfair. We can tinker with the numbers here and there, but that basic unfairness will always remain in some form or another. I think, if we search ourselves, we’ll find that actually, it’s one of the things we love about the sport.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Sorry dude but winning 98 games and it comes down to 1 game? Just like the NCAA basketball tourney, both flawed systems. JMO

Any system will always have flaws. It is what it is. Cubs also won this division with 87 games. I mean you can't have everything that is perfect. Clint Hurdle shouldn't have been giving "rest" days to a lot of the lineup in September when it was their's for the taking.

 

[Hawkize31]

I agree the system is flawed. I'm a Cubs fan and I was mad for both of us we had to have a 1 game playoff while being better than 7 of the 10 playoff teams.

Playing 1 baseball game as a winner take all playoff would be the equivalent of the NFL having a 6 minute football game.

1 MLB game = 0.6% of a season
6 minutes = 0.6% of an NFL season

 

[OmarLittle]

I agree the system is flawed. I'm a Cubs fan and I was mad for both of us we had to have a 1 game playoff while being better than 7 of the 10 playoff teams.

Playing 1 baseball game as a winner take all playoff would be the equivalent of the NFL having a 6 minute football game.

1 MLB game = 0.6% of a season
6 minutes = 0.6% of an NFL season

GT beat us in less than 6 minutes last year. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way^^

 

[pbrad]

I understand the frustration. 10 years ago the Bucs would not even have had the chance for the playoffs, there was no play in games. Do we want to be playing baseball in November? The easy solution would have been to play 500 ball within your own division. Hurdle managed some games as if they were throw away games and it came back to bite them. Matheney manages every game as if it is a playoff game. Big difference in the long run and then we are not having this discussion.