The team's this year who gained over 100 wins through the year, get a bye week which is great. But when you have an entire week of no real game time gameplay, that's not too much of a bonus for the best team's. Your correct, any team can win.. But, the terrible part is the top team's who usually attract the most revenue are getting terrible game start times and a break that's longer than the all star break. That's not a "bonus" , to reward the top playing teams.
Phillies definitely beat the Cardinals fair and square but I don’t think the Cardinals should’ve been in the wild card series in the first place. They won their division and had to play a team who got third place in their division.
How crazy is it that Hader threw to Soto and Grish missed the ball on that play where the Nats beat the Brewers in 2019. Crazy. All those guys are on the Pads.
I just looked it up cause I just started watching baseball this year. Awesome. But I have a question Is the reason why all 3 scores were allowed in that 8th inning because Soto had advanced past first? He ended up getting out between 2nd and 3rd after runners scored. But from what I’ve seen, with 2 outs, if a runner at 3rd scores but the defense gets the hitter out at first the score doesn’t count. So it must be because Soto advanced past first right?
@@OnlyFacts662 So, there are two rules in question here, both good questions too! (On a side note, I love more people getting into baseball, it's such a unique sport.) First situation is two outs and a runner on third. If the batter puts the ball in play then then batter must safely get to first for the run to score. Even if the runner on third makes it home before the batter or the ball gets to first base, but the batter is eventually out at first, the run does not score. In this situation, you are absolutely correct. Soto's single to right field meant that any runner crossing the plate before he is tagged out score. Now, if he gets tagged out before Rendon, the runner on first in this instance, crosses the plate then that run would not score, but the two before it would.
The 1 and 2 seeds in the AL made the ALCS, and let’s not act like the Dodgers don’t have a history of getting bounced early. Also Phillies’ and Padres’ top 2 starters are as good as anyone’s in the NL. The Playoffs are about high end pitching and who’s bats are hot at the right time. The Phillies and Padres feature both these. It isn’t unfair. Baseball has been and will always be managing slums and hot streaks. Phils and Padres are hot.
This is the correct take. The top AL seeds advanced to their LCS. Its not a format issue, its an execution issue. The Braves and Dodgers didn't execute and are home golfing because of it.
Well this is true but then again, without this current playoff format, neither the Padres nor the Phillies would even be where they are in the first place.
Well, maybe not the Mets, as they would have been the wild card with the best record. But I think that there is something inheritently wrong with a format that seems to reward a team that finishes 20 games behind the first place team. If a system like this existed in the 1950"s, would the Yankees have won the amount of championships that they did? Who knows?
People assume Baseball is strictly a skill based game and don’t consider the large amount of variance that goes into it and determining outcomes in the short term.
@@ForTheLongCon They're both teams that are just finishing up rebuilds, they're probably on and off wildcard teams for a few years unless they brutally gut their rosters this offseason.
@@pigjubby1 Probably because the Dodgers had a 14-5 record vs SD this year. Led the league in wins, runs, runs allowed, run differential, and finished 22 games ahead of SD yet still lost. I would assume the Dodgers would be considered better over the course of the season than the Padres. But that is why sports are fun.
@@pigjubby1 I'm not sure what you're asking here. How can a better team lose to a lesser team? It happens all the time. The best teams in baseball still lose to the worst teams in baseball every so often. Sometimes that bad team will win a series or sweep the better team. Maybe the better team is cold. Maybe the lesser team found weaknesses to exploit. Maybe the lesser team is riding momentum. It happens all the time. That doesn't mean the lesser team deserves to have a playoff spot. That's why there 162 games. Cream rises to the top.. The better teams are going to win more games. They are going to win their division. They are the ones that should be going at it in the playoffs, not teams like the Phillies and/or Padres. That's what the playoffs is about. The best of the regular season going at eachother for one final series, all or nothing. Expanding the eligibility means you don't have the best teams going at it anymore. You're pulling in a bunch of second and third place teams and it sours the playoffs as well as makes the regular season mean as much.
I agree. With that said, if that's the case, then what's the point of the entire 162-game regular season? Just win enough games to make the post-season then see what happens? The Dodgers choked and the Padres outplayed them, no doubt about it, but they finished +20 something games ahead of the Padres, and what was it good for... a "deciding" Game 5 at home, which they didn't even make it to? If the only thing that matters for the championship is a post-season tournament, then why even play a 162-game regular season? It won't happen, and I'm not even saying it should, but if we want to make it "more fair," I think the best way would be to have the "home team" with the better record have more home games, four home games in a best of 5 series(2-1-2 format) and five home games in a best of 7 series(3-2-2), it certainly wouldn't guarantee the "home team" a series victory, but it would give them a greater advantage, which some might say they earned over the course of the regular season.
This is a perfect analysis on this new exciting format. I’m a Braves and Padres fan so I’ve been on both sides of the coin. The Braves played hard to knock the Mets out of the division title, but they did it with a lineup that rarely produced as a whole w/ different players going cold almost every week. The late health issues to Fried and Strider definitely didn’t help matters too. Non-surprisingly, those issues were the main reasons they lost the series to Philly. The Padres on the other hand collectively embraced a nothing to lose mentality and it has carried throughout their run. Taking out not one but two 100+ win teams is a huge achievement and each victory has given them more confidence in battling any adversity they face. I wish them the best b/c no matter how the season ends for them, they’ve given their city passionate energy that hasn’t been seen in decades when it comes to their pro sports.
The Mets should have been third seed because they had the third best record in the nl, how is it fair that the first place cardinals who had a worse record were a higher seed. The cardinals would've been lucky to make the playoffs if they were in the nl east
i love the meme where it had the caption “MLB higher ups when the expanded playoffs don’t give huge market teams a huge advantage” and it was the bills offensive coordinator going ham in the box 😭
Thank you. Intelligent commentary based on statistics is always welcome. Also worth noting that both the Phillies and Padres have among the higher payrolls in the league. Are the results of the 2022 playoffs thus far REALLY a shock? I don't think so. No one wants "we won the most games, we're baseball champs" anyway.
The best argument against people's complaints is the American League playoff bracket. The ALCS is literally Astros -- Yankees. You cannot get less chaotic than that.
Tired of seeing people say "the playoff structure is unfair" or "these lower seeds winning is bad for baseball". It is invariably sour grapes. Don't know how the structure can be changed any more to benefit tops seeds unless we want to start giving byes straight to the LCS or WS. If you can't win a 5 game series after winning 111 or 101 games, you don't deserve to go on. It's that simple.
Seems like every time a smaller market baseball team gets far, the “is it bad for baseball?” comment always comes up, I remember this same comment when the Rays made the World Series for a second time in 2020
For years it’s been unfair to the teams that didn’t make the playoffs despite have 90 wins in the season… if you’re truly the best team, you should have no problem beating a wild card team. People need to stop bitching already
@@pigjubby1No one is saying that you can't win after the bye but you're likely going to have two of the four "bye" teams go ice cold during the break every year.
@@87Khein would you rather play in the wildcard game then? even with the momentum loss, the chances of making it through to the alcs/nlcs is still higher having the bye
@@87Khein You literally contradicted your first reply. You just said not all 4 teams are going to be ice cold. Meaning your original reply that baseball requires repetition to stay locked in is false.
I think the only thing that should change within this format is the seeding going into the DS. The #1 seed should face the lowest seed remaining. I’m assuming it’s a travel thing? That’s the only part I don’t like cause every sport does lowest seed remaining vs the #1. Prob not even a big deal but my only complaint lol.
I agree with this. Only thing it would've changed this year would be swapping who the Phillies and Padres played, and even then...considering the Braves and Dodgers both lost without even forcing a Game 5, it might not have mattered anyway
I think an important thing to mention is that when 100+ win teams have lost, most of the time it was to a division rival. In-division games, given both teams are at least competent, just tend to be closer. It doesn't surprise me that there have been some upsets like this.
This format of wildcard had me reading up more on the teams than usual. Minimum of 4 good starters and at least 8 times through the top of each order is a great thing.
The only reason they changed the format is for money, plain and simple. More teams playing means more games(which necessarily generates more money through ticket sales and TV broadcast fees), and more fans/interest around the country, at least for an extra few days, which leads to more money being made. I suppose I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't like the MLB becoming the NFL... what's next, seven teams from each league in the post-season, then eight, wait, then they'll be like the NBA and let in more than half the teams, most of whom don't deserve to be playing for a championship.
@@mydogskips2 Well perhaps the version of the MLB you describe is a bit extreme. I'm speaking for right now. Maybe it is for the money (what corporation does anything that is not money motivated) but it has been an exciting post season. The Padres run against the Mets and the Dodgers really showed us what an underdog team is capable of. Philly is currently giving Houston a run for their money when everyone thought they would get blown out... Those teams may not "deserve" to be there but it really has been a fun time for baseball.
Same here. There was frustration that LA steadfastly refused to show up but after that I was actually pulling for the Padres since they were the only team without a championship tainted or otherwise.
I think the bigger issue with the new format could be the 5 day layoff. Yet to see a bigger sample size that shows a disadvantage for the 'better teams.' But the Braves/Dodgers lost in 4. Yankees squeaked by. And the Astros struggled in 2 of 3 games despite sweeping. The 8 team playoff with the 1 wild card in each league was the most ideal format in history. But I guess they're never going back to that.
The Mets didn't get those days off yet they still got bounced. Simply put, they, the Braves, and the Dodgers didn't show up while the Padres and Phillies did. Each team earned their Ls and Ws.
@@Khaoki That was a 3 game series with the mets. Also, I mentioned the new format POSSIBLY being an issue based on performance of 4 teams. If this ends up being a pattern in the next season or so, then it should be addressed by MLB.
I keep seeing people say that oh you make them wait to long and that breaks routine but you gotta remember game one against the Dodgers we had our number 4 starter going up against their number 1 starter and that's a big deal
How was it unfair? Dodgers are perennial postseason chokers, Mets were collapsing, the Cardinals were aging, and the Braves were plagued with injuries. Padres and Phillies took advantage of that.
the people complaining about the playoff format giving lower seeds an advantage aren’t fans of baseball. as a dodger fan, i love a good low seed deep run. i love when teams beat the odds, even if it’s against my team.
@@kylegross1081 there's just a lot of bitching about this playoffs, everyone is being so whiny for literally no reason. "Better team" nonsense needs to stop because if they truly were better, they wouldn't have lost in 4 games
@@silentstorm5439 couldn’t agree more. Every team knows you need to be playing your best in the postseason. Part of being the best team means knowing how to not peak to early in the season.
As I said above the Phillies had no advantage at all considering they ended the season on a 10 game road trip then played their first 4 playoff games on the road.
Well said. Never understood when people say unfair when (this year more than ever) the playoffs are set up to favor the best team in the regular season; after that the season record shouldn’t matter. That’s the point of the playoffs; you just have to get there and anything can happen. And the “anything can happen” is the best part of any sports story. David beating Goliath will always be more interesting than the reverse.
Even when the post-season was limited to the World Series, there were still upsets of superlative, heavily favored teams. Just look at how the New York Giants, in what was their last "hurrah" in Gotham before they more or less snuck out of town to join the Dodgers relocating to California in '58 (the Giants, having control over the AAA Minneapolis Millers, with a new, expandable ballpark in Bloomington, almost went to the Twin Cities in 1956), swept what would be the greatest single-season Cleveland INDIANS team, which had finished at 111-43, a .721 win percentage. That had to absolutely frustrate the second-place New York Yankees, who themselves, at 103-51, won better than two out of three, an awesome season, but still eight games back of the tribe. Even the third-place ChiSox won 94 games, which still didn't put the Pale Hosers into the WS until 1959. However, a simple look at won-less records, though obviously it determines who finishes where, doesn't tell the entire picture. In those years, the "triumvirate" of the Braves, Dodgers, and Giants more or less dominated the NL, who each vied for the '54 NL pennant until the last few weeks when the Gothams pulled away. The Cardinals, Reds, and Phillies were each mediocre, finishing all a bit below .500, and then the Cubs and the Pirates vied for the cellar, the hapless Bucs "winning" that dubious prize. As for the Indians, along with the Yankees and the ChiSox, they feasted on the hapless remainder of the Junior Circuit, with the former St. Louis Browns, now relocated to Baltimore as the Orioles, and the decaying Philadelphia Athletics, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, who'd flee to Kansas City the following year, losing 100 or more games. Five of the eight AL teams didn't even win 70 games that year! It's obvious that the "greatness" of the Tribe in '54 came largely due to the general ineptitude of the majority of the AL, but that'd come to a screeching halt once they had to face a genuinely competitive team. Aside from those observations, in a fairly short series, anything CAN happen. This sort of upset would be repeated fifteen years later with the "Miracle" Mets upsetting the powerful and heavily favored Baltimore Orioles, but again, as 1969 was also an expansion year, the 'Birds, though certainly a great team, had their record boosted by feasting on poorly-assembled expansion teams, especially the hapless Seattle Pilots, who played but one season in the Emerald City before filing for bankruptcy and moving, at literally the last minute before the 1970 season was underway, to Milwaukee, where they've had 53 seasons of varied success as the Brewers. The Mets were simply HOT, especially their pitching, which befuddled the Baltimore bats of the Robinsons, Brooks and Frank, and slugger Boog Powell.
This is summarized perfectly. It’s not unfair. The Mets, Braves, and Dodgers all failed to hit when it mattered. The padres and Phillies didn’t, they deserve to advance. Just because your team got beat doesn’t mean the format is unfair
I would say ANY playoff format by it's nature is unfair, since it puts a huge emphasis on being hot at the end of the year and not just doing well throughout the entire year But I would also say the Most Fair way to decide a champion (most wins in a huge season with every team having the same schedule. Or just have a committee decide it directly) is also a REALLY BORING way to do it. It's breaking up the Integrity of the championship in order to do something that's really really entertaining but I think that's worth it
Great video, helps put things in perspective as a fellow dejected Met fan. I think the 2022 playoffs were just a true anomaly of multiple 100+ win teams getting beaten early and handily. It doesn't make much sense but anything can happen in October. I think what has most fans miffed is that the baseball season is so long and grueling... to see a team (like the Mets) who fought so hard to win 101 games this year have it all ripped away in a crapshoot 3-game WC series by an 89-win team is, like Max Scherzer said, a kick in the nuts. As long as you play well enough to make it into the playoffs, you have as good of a chance as anyone to win. Even if you have 106 wins but come in 2nd in your division, you gotta play a Wild Card round. If you win 111 games, you have to play a 5-game LDS. It's all about who's hot at the right time. It's not really a matter of if its fair, it's just the way it is. And it really puts things into perspective about how truly legendary the Yankees in the 90s and the SF Giants in the 2010s were. We'll likely never see another baseball dynasty or teams that win multiple rings in a short span. Playoff baseball is as difficult as it comes.
As a Padres fan I can say that it has been a magical run so far, especially bouncing the Dodgers out in the process. But to me the format could use tweaking. Then advantage for the top seed is to face the lowest seed advancing. In this case the divisional rounds should have been LA (1) vs PHI (6) and ATL(2) vs SD(5). The familiarity between SD-LA and ATL-PHI IMO played a part in how those series went.
@@1GOBIRDS1 that's why there should be reseeding. The bracket shouldn't be fixed. Idk why they changed it to making it fixed. In the playoffs, there is always at least one instance where a lower seed wins. Then the lower seed should play the higher seed.
Why are people acting like they’re so tired of the Braves? They literally have one title in the last 27 years and they went 18 consecutive years (2002-2019) without winning a single postseason round.
The Yankees and the Astros didn't seem to have a problem with it. Dodgers and Braves fans are complaining irrationally and threatening the integrity of the sport with their ridiculous proposals for playoff gerrymandering. If you want to advance, WIN the games.
Fantastic playoff season this year. I don't see the Astros people complaining about the format being unfair! They don't care who they play, or how long the series is. (And I'm not an Astros fan!). If you put up when it matters, you don't complain. I love the fact that the Padres and Phillies are in the final chase. As a baseball fan, I see them as teams that have fire and a "do whatever it takes" attitude. That's baseball. Play hard. That's what we have lost with launch angle swings and walking around the mound to throw 100 mph after resting your arm. And then there is the "entitlement" thinking by certain teams calling others "lucky" when they got beat. The pitch clock and other changes will, I hope, bring the game back to what I used to know and fell in love with - even if it is in a "forced way." I know this is going off of the subject, but so be it. "Work fast, throw strikes, change speeds" - the age-old successful pitching motto (as in Verlander, Scherzer, etc.) (also "change location".) That's also how the whole attitude should be for the teams - play hard and fast - use your brain and heart as well as skill, and that is what the wild card teams bring. Not entitlement. No, this is the most fun I have had watching a playoff season in a long, long time.
Imagine being such a poverty franchise that your 111 win team got swept by the pirates, lost to an 89 win team in the first round, And your coach said you’d 100% win the WS and your only ring in the last 2 decades doesn’t even count.
All of that's valid. And I hate los angels. But who gives a fuck about getting swept by the pirates int eh regular season during a 111 win regular season, that's the only needless pick you made.
@@brix1094fuckhandles don’t know why you feel the need to pick at that, you said it yourself they were just picks to make a joke. That’s all it was just leave it as that lmao
Both teams are dangerous, Philly’s lineup is loaded and they have 2 of the top 15 maybe 10 starters in the game, San Diego has a balanced offense with 2 superstars in the middle with a good rotation and a ridiculously hot bullpen. As a Phillies fan I’m praying for us to sweep at home and get out of this series without going back to SD.
Good matchup. If the Phillies win i wouldn’t be surprised and if the padres win i wouldn’t be surprised either. SD bull pen is superior to Phillies. Padres defense also superior to Phillies. Phillies bats are hotter and Harper is a smidge better than Machado. If Soto was slugging like he used to it might be a Difference maker. Cheers to a good series. 😅
@@87Khein yeah but the padres only started that spending in the last 3/4 years. thats a gamble by the owner and management to bring talent and try to win to get more fans and hopefully pay themselves back. if they spend all that money for 5 plus years and see no chance of winning, then whats the point of putting extra money towards your team
Late to the party. Granted it was a non-issue in both leagues this year, but I think we'll see a problem where the 2 seed consistently gets a better pairing than the 1 seed. Rewarding division winners is all well and good but I think reseeding after the wild card round may be in order.
Isn't baseball really popular because there is an upset? I know the MLB secretariat is very disappointed because the big market mega clubs are gone, but that's why I think the major leagues are interesting. And considering the money spent, the Top 4 are clubs that spend a lot of money, so I don't think there's anything to complain about. It was a match between a mega club and a big club, and I don't think it's strange that a big club can beat the mega club.
Totally agree as a Braves fan, yes it was hard to digest, but we got beaten pretty handily, and it would be very boring if the playoffs went chalk every year, so while I'm disappointed, I can also appreciate the excitement and fun that this playoff format is, I think 12 is the perfect sweet spot, and hopefully they keep it that way.
Agreed. But look what the NFL has done, let's hope it's NOT just a matter of time before the MLB follows suit and lets in seven teams from each league, then eventually eight like the NBA does. Personally, I could have lived with five teams, the two wildcards facing off to play division winners.
ONe of the reasons that this question even comes up on National sports shows, is that most of the announcers were hoping for "marquee" matchups. They were thinking along the lines of Dodgers/Yankees in the World series, not Padres/Phillies. They prefer teams from big markets in the playoffs - more potential viewers.. But this is the great thing about Baseball - a wild card can win it all.
I don't think that people care about Wild Cards winning it all. I think they care about the huge difference in win totals. If a 94-win Wild Card team beats a 98-win division champion then so be it but it's third place teams with fewer than 90 wins getting to play against division winners with over 100 wins that bothers people.
As a Pads fan, I think it motivates him for next year. Or at least it should. It also decreases the games he has to sit next year, which is certainly a positive.
How would the team he plays for winning be an "F you" to him? I swear people want to be edgy for no reason. If anything he'd be happy the team he's under arbitration with is competitive enough to do something like this without him.
I think this postseason has shown us that 6 is the perfect number of playoff teams per league. It's enough teams to keep the playoff hunt interesting for about half the teams in the league throughout September, but also a small enough number of teams that even the bottom seed has a viable chance of making a run in the playoffs (as we're seeing the Phillies do). The only thing I hope they change is to reseed the teams after the Wild Card round (exactly how the NFL does). I don't love that the 6 seed can play the 3 (who sometimes has a worse record than the 4) and then gets to play the 2 rather than the 1 in the wild card. It makes more sense to me to always have the (theoretically) best and worse teams play each other in the Divisional round.
The Phillies got hot at the right time. The Braves were exhausted from chasing down the Mets. Fried was sick, Strider was injured and two-thirds of the lineup went ice cold. Teams just don’t repeat anymore. No team has repeated since the 1998-2000 Yankees and no NL team has repeated since the 1975-1976 Reds. Next year will be a much better indication of whether or not the Braves are true title contenders. As for the Dodgers, this was just their usual choke job.
My issue with this year’s layout is the “Home Field Advantage”. The Braves got a 1pm Tuesday game and a 4pm Wednesday game while the Phillies got 2 weekend games.
We’re headed to where all teams are eventually gonna make the playoffs regardless of record. anything can happen in a five game series but in a regular season where you have to show day in and day out for 162 games but you still won’t get rewarded because you will have to play a wildcard team. The regular season means nothing now since the MLB started giving participation awards to these wildcard teams. I wish they would go back to two AL teams and two NL teams, and then the World Series.
I'm a Dodgers and Cardinals fan. I don't think the new playoff format is unfair. I'm not even mad that the Padres and Phillies, two teams I have respect for but don't follow that intensely knocked out my own two. I'm upset because both of the teams I love didn't show up when they needed to. Statistically, everything should have gone their way and it didn't and while that may be frustrating, that's baseball and even when I hate it, I love it.
The fair thing is to have a regular season that determines the championship match up, no postseason. However, we have 2 seasons, regular and post. Regular season is for gaining an advantage for the post season (field advantage and number of home games) and the post season to determine the championship match up and I'm fine with that.
They're unfair in that the best team by wins isn't guaranteed to win. There really isn't that much of a talent gap between the Phillies and Dodgers when you get right down to it.
Also, let's not forget that both the Phillies and Padres didn't get a home playoff game until game 3 of their respective division series. Both had to play on the road in the WC round and both had to play games 1 & 2 in the LDS on the road so it isn't like they had an easy road. Hell, the Phillies, thanks to brilliant scheduling, last played a home game on 9/25 and didn't have another one until game 3 of the LDS on 10/14 so they played 14 straight road games on an 18 day span. You can't blame them for the Cardinals and Braves not being able to hit.
MLB has hit the sweet spot for TV money/competitive integrity. The NBA play-in tournament is the dumbest thing ever. The regular season is the damn play-in tournament ffs. All about TV money
2:39 Really wish you didn’t include the boatload of wildcard teams in the pandemic season to water that number down to 9.4%. Or at least make it a side note. I agree nothing needs to change with the playoffs, but seeing those kind of graphics can be very misleading. That percentage should definitely be higher.
Sports has always been like this. Upsets happen all the time. If you are a favorite and you can't beat whatever team is in front of you during the playoffs, then you're just not all that good. It's that simple. P.S. I wonder what SportStorm thinks about the notion that the Padres and Phillies making it to the NLCS is unfair consider he's a Padres fan.
This comment makes no sense. The Dodgers led MLB in runs and runs allowed, joint-based BABIP allowed, and had the most wins but they weren't actually that good, right?
@@pigjubby1 Where in my comment states they didn't. My point was calling the Dodgers not good when they still won the season series 15-8 and where by far the dominant team in the season "just not good at all" is stupid. Kinda like ur comment refuting something I never claimed.
Great video. I agree with your take 100%. I think 12 teams with a short bye for the top two teams is the best format in sports, and I think the lure of the 6th spot is going to discourage teams from tanking.
NLDS needs to be a 7 game series and the BYE as well. Do a 5 game game wild card series and top 8 teams from each league make it in. It's honestly a joke seeing wild card teams have 100 wins or more
Girardi's stubborn system of management is what really hurt the Phillies early on. He wouldn't allow relievers to pitch more than one outing every 3 days and didn't adjust to new rules. They kept their head down, went to work and ended up playing up to their true potential which I think really built this team's character to where they'll fight hard no matter what when faced with tough situations
What I see no one talking about is the amount of time in between the regular season and the DS. 6 days is more than enough to cool down any team, no matter how good they are. Meanwhile, the wildcard teams don’t have a big break and have 3 games to get hot before the next series
Last Year, the Atlanta Braves qualified for the playoffs by winning the NL East but with only 88 wins. This was only one more victory than the Phillies 87 this year. No one complained that the playoffs were unfair last year. Regular season records don't matter in baseball--even before there were any wild card teams at all.
Winning a division versus getting third place in a division and still qualifying for playoffs are two different scenarios regardless of number of wins.
okay i dont know a lot about baseball, and i understand the argument that specially hitters need that regularity to stay sharp on the plate, but apart from all the other arguments in favor of this format, how is it worse for top seed teams when they can set and adjust better their pitching rotation than the wc teams?
exactly in dodgers vs padres game 1 was their best pitcher vs our number 4/5 pitcher to start the series then having the padres best pitcher come in the next game on 3 days rest. that's a total advantage for the dodgers
It's like you said hitters aren't sharp when they rest too long so a 4/5 pitcher is gonna come in looking like a 1/2 pitcher so that advantage of a rested pitcher is gone because you lose your offense
I agree, I really like the new format. Perhaps once MLB expands and they change the divisions it will be even better. They should not add more playoff games, baseball and snow don't go together.
I’ll note a similarity and difference in KBO and NPB in comparison to MLB. Both leagues give home field advantage in the playoff series. In KBO and NPB, if you are a better seeded team, you automatically get a 1-0 lead known as the ghost win. That’s been considered recently when the league and players’ union had their discussions.
Completely agree with you! The Dodgers could have won games 2 and 4 easily, and even game 3 if the bats weren't so cold. Kudos to the Padres bullpen that was dominant during that series. Also, the NL side of the bracket was stacked unlike the AL side, where it was inevitable for the Yankees to meet the Astros, and for the Astros to reach the World Series.
I don't think its necessarily unfair, it just is highly beneficial to the teams that got on a late run to secure their wild card spot, and were able to carry that momentum forward. Ultimately, its the top teams fault for slowing down at the end of the season, but it does favor the late run
As an Astros fan, I’m actually pretty surprised that people are complaining about the lower seeds in the NL making it to the NLCS, especially because if you look at the AL and both the top seeds are in the ALCS, I think it’s been a fun goofy playoffs and I love it either way however.
The only thing that seems wrong to me is that the lower ranked team gets 3 home games and the top seed gets 2 home games should be the other way around
If you as far back as the first year of the division series, the teams with the most wins in a season seldom met in the World Series. There is no advantage to having the best record in either league. It’s been all about who plays the best when the get to the playoffs.
I was just dreading the whole season, expecting the post season to have the Dodgers vs the Astros. I know they are easily the best teams in their leagues and deserve the appearance with the seasons they had but man my favorite thing in sports is the underdog story, and although its hard to call Phillies and Padres underdogs with Soto and Harper on the roster. Its much easier rooting for them over Houston
Def. What MLB needs is similar to NBA, which is two or sometimes 3 ultra teams that everyone knows will be playing the final series of the season, with no surprises or upsets
Any other sport celebrates a cinderella story or an upset. I think the complaints come from the coincidence that 2 cinderella stories happened the year the playoff format changed as well as the general traditionalism of baseball and its fans. Fans as young as their 30s remember a time when only 4 out of twenty-something teams made the playoffs.
I’m an Astros fan and have been one for more than 30 years which means many highs and many lows, but first and foremost, I and my family love Baseball. This playoff format does not “hurt” the better or “more deserving” teams. It does give the right mix of opportunities and exclusivity, rewarding contenders while also making it more interesting for more fans of the game. When it comes down to it the “better team” still needs to perform in order to win. Fortune is and timing are still big factors but the real best team will overcome in order to succeed. Anything else is an excuse. This playoff format is good for Baseball.
The Giants-Royals World Series was the 2nd ever with two Wild Card teams, the first of the "Wild-Card Game Era" (4:20). My mistake!
Yes, I was a Giants fan then.
Now, I am a Padres fan and I never could have imagined they would do so well this year!
@@loverofcalifornia3619 I’m sorry what
Funny number
Let’s go Phillies.
The team's this year who gained over 100 wins through the year, get a bye week which is great. But when you have an entire week of no real game time gameplay, that's not too much of a bonus for the best team's. Your correct, any team can win.. But, the terrible part is the top team's who usually attract the most revenue are getting terrible game start times and a break that's longer than the all star break. That's not a "bonus" , to reward the top playing teams.
The main people I see complaining are fans of the top seeds that got knocked out early. As if it's the other teams fault your team choked.
Exactly they’re just down bad lol😂
I’m a cardinals fan and as much as our collapse hurt, watching Mets, Braves and Dodgers all kicked out was fun
And the dodgers always lose too
Every time I see that I’m just like, “would you rather play in elimination games and deplete your bullpen?”
Phillies definitely beat the Cardinals fair and square but I don’t think the Cardinals should’ve been in the wild card series in the first place. They won their division and had to play a team who got third place in their division.
How crazy is it that Hader threw to Soto and Grish missed the ball on that play where the Nats beat the Brewers in 2019. Crazy. All those guys are on the Pads.
I just looked it up cause I just started watching baseball this year. Awesome.
But I have a question
Is the reason why all 3 scores were allowed in that 8th inning because Soto had advanced past first? He ended up getting out between 2nd and 3rd after runners scored.
But from what I’ve seen, with 2 outs, if a runner at 3rd scores but the defense gets the hitter out at first the score doesn’t count. So it must be because Soto advanced past first right?
@@OnlyFacts662 So, there are two rules in question here, both good questions too! (On a side note, I love more people getting into baseball, it's such a unique sport.)
First situation is two outs and a runner on third. If the batter puts the ball in play then then batter must safely get to first for the run to score. Even if the runner on third makes it home before the batter or the ball gets to first base, but the batter is eventually out at first, the run does not score.
In this situation, you are absolutely correct. Soto's single to right field meant that any runner crossing the plate before he is tagged out score. Now, if he gets tagged out before Rendon, the runner on first in this instance, crosses the plate then that run would not score, but the two before it would.
@@JonathanMartin884 thanks for clarifying that for me I appreciate it!
Also imagine if the Nats kept Soto and Harper
love comments like these, cool research stat
The 1 and 2 seeds in the AL made the ALCS, and let’s not act like the Dodgers don’t have a history of getting bounced early. Also Phillies’ and Padres’ top 2 starters are as good as anyone’s in the NL. The Playoffs are about high end pitching and who’s bats are hot at the right time. The Phillies and Padres feature both these. It isn’t unfair. Baseball has been and will always be managing slums and hot streaks. Phils and Padres are hot.
This is the correct take. The top AL seeds advanced to their LCS. Its not a format issue, its an execution issue. The Braves and Dodgers didn't execute and are home golfing because of it.
The Dodgers are notorious chokers. The only season they won it all was the covid year where what, 1/2 a season?
@@Rockhound6165 only 60 games so less than half a season.
Well this is true but then again, without this current playoff format, neither the Padres nor the Phillies would even be where they are in the first place.
Well, maybe not the Mets, as they would have been the wild card with the best record. But I think that there is something inheritently wrong with a format that seems to reward a team that finishes 20 games behind the first place team. If a system like this existed in the 1950"s, would the Yankees have won the amount of championships that they did? Who knows?
Harper missed most of the summer, and the Phillies still got in. Then Harper showed why he was and is MVP.
The Mets fan glossed over the Fightins’ 😊
Only because of Rob Manfred
Padres did this in '98. Beat two 100 win teams to get to the world series.
Yeah but they won the west and we're 98-64 that year.
And got SWEPT in 4!!! By the NYY.
@@carlososcarcomedy yeah no shit sherlock
@@carlososcarcomedy go back to losing to the astros
@@brix1094fuckhandles lol
People assume Baseball is strictly a skill based game and don’t consider the large amount of variance that goes into it and determining outcomes in the short term.
Like dave roberts managing a team in the playoffs has a huge affect on their ability to win
@@pigjubby1 both Huston and dodgers are great team, Huston doesn't have Dave Roberts as a manger and that's why they are still in it.
@@ForTheLongCon They're both teams that are just finishing up rebuilds, they're probably on and off wildcard teams for a few years unless they brutally gut their rosters this offseason.
@@shawn3902 So if/when the Phillies beat the Astros in the WS, are you going to call for Dusty Baker's firing?
Whole point of the playoffs is to see what teams steps up when needed…
It's less about that and more about the best teams going head to head. We don't really have that this year.
@@pigjubby1 Probably because the Dodgers had a 14-5 record vs SD this year. Led the league in wins, runs, runs allowed, run differential, and finished 22 games ahead of SD yet still lost. I would assume the Dodgers would be considered better over the course of the season than the Padres. But that is why sports are fun.
“Play” or your “off”
@@pigjubby1 I'm not sure what you're asking here. How can a better team lose to a lesser team? It happens all the time. The best teams in baseball still lose to the worst teams in baseball every so often. Sometimes that bad team will win a series or sweep the better team. Maybe the better team is cold. Maybe the lesser team found weaknesses to exploit. Maybe the lesser team is riding momentum. It happens all the time. That doesn't mean the lesser team deserves to have a playoff spot. That's why there 162 games. Cream rises to the top.. The better teams are going to win more games. They are going to win their division. They are the ones that should be going at it in the playoffs, not teams like the Phillies and/or Padres. That's what the playoffs is about. The best of the regular season going at eachother for one final series, all or nothing. Expanding the eligibility means you don't have the best teams going at it anymore. You're pulling in a bunch of second and third place teams and it sours the playoffs as well as makes the regular season mean as much.
@@pigjubby1 who are you talking about? I'm talking about this in a very general sense. Are you referring to a specific team?
This NLCS will be historic no matter who wins. Thanks Jolly!
When the playoffs start everyone is 0-0! May the best team that day win!
I agree. With that said, if that's the case, then what's the point of the entire 162-game regular season? Just win enough games to make the post-season then see what happens?
The Dodgers choked and the Padres outplayed them, no doubt about it, but they finished +20 something games ahead of the Padres, and what was it good for... a "deciding" Game 5 at home, which they didn't even make it to?
If the only thing that matters for the championship is a post-season tournament, then why even play a 162-game regular season?
It won't happen, and I'm not even saying it should, but if we want to make it "more fair," I think the best way would be to have the "home team" with the better record have more home games, four home games in a best of 5 series(2-1-2 format) and five home games in a best of 7 series(3-2-2), it certainly wouldn't guarantee the "home team" a series victory, but it would give them a greater advantage, which some might say they earned over the course of the regular season.
This is a perfect analysis on this new exciting format. I’m a Braves and Padres fan so I’ve been on both sides of the coin. The Braves played hard to knock the Mets out of the division title, but they did it with a lineup that rarely produced as a whole w/ different players going cold almost every week. The late health issues to Fried and Strider definitely didn’t help matters too. Non-surprisingly, those issues were the main reasons they lost the series to Philly.
The Padres on the other hand collectively embraced a nothing to lose mentality and it has carried throughout their run. Taking out not one but two 100+ win teams is a huge achievement and each victory has given them more confidence in battling any adversity they face. I wish them the best b/c no matter how the season ends for them, they’ve given their city passionate energy that hasn’t been seen in decades when it comes to their pro sports.
Same with the Phillies! Can't even believe they are in the NLCS! And winning the first game by a 1 hit shut out.
@@seanguzy9601 wheeler was a BEAST that game only giving up one hit is terrific
The braves lost to the Phillies because the Phillies showed up when it mattered and have an all around better team except for their bullpen.
The Mets should have been third seed because they had the third best record in the nl, how is it fair that the first place cardinals who had a worse record were a higher seed. The cardinals would've been lucky to make the playoffs if they were in the nl east
@@seanguzy9601 World Series baby
i love the meme where it had the caption “MLB higher ups when the expanded playoffs don’t give huge market teams a huge advantage” and it was the bills offensive coordinator going ham in the box 😭
Thank you. Intelligent commentary based on statistics is always welcome. Also worth noting that both the Phillies and Padres have among the higher payrolls in the league. Are the results of the 2022 playoffs thus far REALLY a shock? I don't think so. No one wants "we won the most games, we're baseball champs" anyway.
Their owners went all in to win and it’s paying off. Hader for example has been huge the Friars and Harpers contract well worth it
And here we are, on 10/23, WITH THE PHILLIES HEADING TO THE WORLD SERIES!
HIGH HOPES. HE'S GOT, HIGH HOPES. HE'S GOT, HIGH APPLE PIE IN THE SKY HOPES!
Only reason Phillies was below 90 wins cause of Harper was injured. People love down playing us
@Est0ry3r. I'll also contribute a good chunk of that to Girardi. Plain and simple he DID NOT have an answer with Harper injured and just gave up.
@@est0ry3r.26 They actually were 55-55 with him and 32-20 without.
The best argument against people's complaints is the American League playoff bracket. The ALCS is literally Astros -- Yankees. You cannot get less chaotic than that.
Idk it being a sweep was pretty chaotic tbh
Tired of seeing people say "the playoff structure is unfair" or "these lower seeds winning is bad for baseball". It is invariably sour grapes.
Don't know how the structure can be changed any more to benefit tops seeds unless we want to start giving byes straight to the LCS or WS.
If you can't win a 5 game series after winning 111 or 101 games, you don't deserve to go on. It's that simple.
They do ladder tournaments in foreign baseball leagues. It’s not so farfetched.
Make lower seeded teams play away for entire playoff series. At least not games 3 and 4
@@davisbalser203 GO away.
Seems like every time a smaller market baseball team gets far, the “is it bad for baseball?” comment always comes up, I remember this same comment when the Rays made the World Series for a second time in 2020
phillies and yankees are not small market. and now the padres have proven they are no longer small market either.
@@ppshootecopew.- you must not know what small market mrans
@@Gabe-zm9vh have u seen the phillies payroll? they are top 5
Neither of these teams are small market. Both top 5-10 in payroll
@@ppshootecopew.- If I'm not mistaken, the Astros are also not a small market team.
For years it’s been unfair to the teams that didn’t make the playoffs despite have 90 wins in the season… if you’re truly the best team, you should have no problem beating a wild card team. People need to stop bitching already
Seems to be a running theme to blame the "system" one operates in instead of taking responsibility for the outcomes you create for yourself nowadays.
Btw the first all WC world series was the 2002 WS between Angels and Giants.
It’s funny how getting a bye is seen as a disadvantage
Baseball requires repetition to stay locked in.
@@pigjubby1No one is saying that you can't win after the bye but you're likely going to have two of the four "bye" teams go ice cold during the break every year.
@@87Khein would you rather play in the wildcard game then? even with the momentum loss, the chances of making it through to the alcs/nlcs is still higher having the bye
@@87Khein You literally contradicted your first reply. You just said not all 4 teams are going to be ice cold. Meaning your original reply that baseball requires repetition to stay locked in is false.
4:27 2002 World Series featured 2 wild-card teams in the San Francisco Giants and the Anaheim Angels
I think the only thing that should change within this format is the seeding going into the DS. The #1 seed should face the lowest seed remaining. I’m assuming it’s a travel thing? That’s the only part I don’t like cause every sport does lowest seed remaining vs the #1. Prob not even a big deal but my only complaint lol.
I agree with this. Only thing it would've changed this year would be swapping who the Phillies and Padres played, and even then...considering the Braves and Dodgers both lost without even forcing a Game 5, it might not have mattered anyway
I think an important thing to mention is that when 100+ win teams have lost, most of the time it was to a division rival. In-division games, given both teams are at least competent, just tend to be closer. It doesn't surprise me that there have been some upsets like this.
As a Padres fan, I like this analysis.
But you won't like being ousted in 5....
🚬😎
@@craigfazekas3923 that was a great game
I love it. Keep this format. Wild cards are awesome! Keep baseball fun and interesting
This format of wildcard had me reading up more on the teams than usual. Minimum of 4 good starters and at least 8 times through the top of each order is a great thing.
The only reason they changed the format is for money, plain and simple. More teams playing means more games(which necessarily generates more money through ticket sales and TV broadcast fees), and more fans/interest around the country, at least for an extra few days, which leads to more money being made.
I suppose I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't like the MLB becoming the NFL... what's next, seven teams from each league in the post-season, then eight, wait, then they'll be like the NBA and let in more than half the teams, most of whom don't deserve to be playing for a championship.
@@mydogskips2 Well perhaps the version of the MLB you describe is a bit extreme. I'm speaking for right now. Maybe it is for the money (what corporation does anything that is not money motivated) but it has been an exciting post season. The Padres run against the Mets and the Dodgers really showed us what an underdog team is capable of. Philly is currently giving Houston a run for their money when everyone thought they would get blown out... Those teams may not "deserve" to be there but it really has been a fun time for baseball.
As a dodgers fan I’m actually enjoying this postseason a lot more than previous years.
Same here. There was frustration that LA steadfastly refused to show up but after that I was actually pulling for the Padres since they were the only team without a championship tainted or otherwise.
I think the bigger issue with the new format could be the 5 day layoff. Yet to see a bigger sample size that shows a disadvantage for the 'better teams.' But the Braves/Dodgers lost in 4. Yankees squeaked by. And the Astros struggled in 2 of 3 games despite sweeping. The 8 team playoff with the 1 wild card in each league was the most ideal format in history. But I guess they're never going back to that.
The Mets didn't get those days off yet they still got bounced. Simply put, they, the Braves, and the Dodgers didn't show up while the Padres and Phillies did. Each team earned their Ls and Ws.
@@Khaoki That was a 3 game series with the mets. Also, I mentioned the new format POSSIBLY being an issue based on performance of 4 teams. If this ends up being a pattern in the next season or so, then it should be addressed by MLB.
@@ForTheLongCon not sure what that means, but Okay???
@@raybarrios8813 they're saying you comment makes sense but the casual fan base won't understand you because they aren't intelligent
As a Blue Jays fan I have to admit that the Phillies Padreds series was the most fun to watch
The think the biggest thing is the implementation of the balanced schedule. It will balance the wins out between divisions.
I keep seeing people say that oh you make them wait to long and that breaks routine but you gotta remember game one against the Dodgers we had our number 4 starter going up against their number 1 starter and that's a big deal
How was it unfair? Dodgers are perennial postseason chokers, Mets were collapsing, the Cardinals were aging, and the Braves were plagued with injuries. Padres and Phillies took advantage of that.
The Braves get a pass because they won it all last year. The Dodgers, Mets and Cardinals do not get a pass.
I think the braves just got cold during the bye
the people complaining about the playoff format giving lower seeds an advantage aren’t fans of baseball. as a dodger fan, i love a good low seed deep run. i love when teams beat the odds, even if it’s against my team.
Apparently these people have no idea there is such a thing as the ALCS going on with the number 1 and 2 seeds playing
@@kylegross1081 there's just a lot of bitching about this playoffs, everyone is being so whiny for literally no reason. "Better team" nonsense needs to stop because if they truly were better, they wouldn't have lost in 4 games
@@silentstorm5439 couldn’t agree more. Every team knows you need to be playing your best in the postseason. Part of being the best team means knowing how to not peak to early in the season.
As I said above the Phillies had no advantage at all considering they ended the season on a 10 game road trip then played their first 4 playoff games on the road.
Well said. Never understood when people say unfair when (this year more than ever) the playoffs are set up to favor the best team in the regular season; after that the season record shouldn’t matter. That’s the point of the playoffs; you just have to get there and anything can happen. And the “anything can happen” is the best part of any sports story. David beating Goliath will always be more interesting than the reverse.
Even when the post-season was limited to the World Series, there were still upsets of superlative, heavily favored teams. Just look at how the New York Giants, in what was their last "hurrah" in Gotham before they more or less snuck out of town to join the Dodgers relocating to California in '58 (the Giants, having control over the AAA Minneapolis Millers, with a new, expandable ballpark in Bloomington, almost went to the Twin Cities in 1956), swept what would be the greatest single-season Cleveland INDIANS team, which had finished at 111-43, a .721 win percentage. That had to absolutely frustrate the second-place New York Yankees, who themselves, at 103-51, won better than two out of three, an awesome season, but still eight games back of the tribe. Even the third-place ChiSox won 94 games, which still didn't put the Pale Hosers into the WS until 1959.
However, a simple look at won-less records, though obviously it determines who finishes where, doesn't tell the entire picture. In those years, the "triumvirate" of the Braves, Dodgers, and Giants more or less dominated the NL, who each vied for the '54 NL pennant until the last few weeks when the Gothams pulled away. The Cardinals, Reds, and Phillies were each mediocre, finishing all a bit below .500, and then the Cubs and the Pirates vied for the cellar, the hapless Bucs "winning" that dubious prize. As for the Indians, along with the Yankees and the ChiSox, they feasted on the hapless remainder of the Junior Circuit, with the former St. Louis Browns, now relocated to Baltimore as the Orioles, and the decaying Philadelphia Athletics, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, who'd flee to Kansas City the following year, losing 100 or more games. Five of the eight AL teams didn't even win 70 games that year! It's obvious that the "greatness" of the Tribe in '54 came largely due to the general ineptitude of the majority of the AL, but that'd come to a screeching halt once they had to face a genuinely competitive team.
Aside from those observations, in a fairly short series, anything CAN happen. This sort of upset would be repeated fifteen years later with the "Miracle" Mets upsetting the powerful and heavily favored Baltimore Orioles, but again, as 1969 was also an expansion year, the 'Birds, though certainly a great team, had their record boosted by feasting on poorly-assembled expansion teams, especially the hapless Seattle Pilots, who played but one season in the Emerald City before filing for bankruptcy and moving, at literally the last minute before the 1970 season was underway, to Milwaukee, where they've had 53 seasons of varied success as the Brewers. The Mets were simply HOT, especially their pitching, which befuddled the Baltimore bats of the Robinsons, Brooks and Frank, and slugger Boog Powell.
I agree with everything you said except for what you said about the NBA format. The play in has been super fun to watch for us NBA fans
This is summarized perfectly. It’s not unfair. The Mets, Braves, and Dodgers all failed to hit when it mattered. The padres and Phillies didn’t, they deserve to advance. Just because your team got beat doesn’t mean the format is unfair
You're so damn stupid its unbelievable
I would say ANY playoff format by it's nature is unfair, since it puts a huge emphasis on being hot at the end of the year and not just doing well throughout the entire year
But I would also say the Most Fair way to decide a champion (most wins in a huge season with every team having the same schedule. Or just have a committee decide it directly) is also a REALLY BORING way to do it.
It's breaking up the Integrity of the championship in order to do something that's really really entertaining but I think that's worth it
Great video, helps put things in perspective as a fellow dejected Met fan. I think the 2022 playoffs were just a true anomaly of multiple 100+ win teams getting beaten early and handily. It doesn't make much sense but anything can happen in October. I think what has most fans miffed is that the baseball season is so long and grueling... to see a team (like the Mets) who fought so hard to win 101 games this year have it all ripped away in a crapshoot 3-game WC series by an 89-win team is, like Max Scherzer said, a kick in the nuts. As long as you play well enough to make it into the playoffs, you have as good of a chance as anyone to win. Even if you have 106 wins but come in 2nd in your division, you gotta play a Wild Card round. If you win 111 games, you have to play a 5-game LDS. It's all about who's hot at the right time. It's not really a matter of if its fair, it's just the way it is. And it really puts things into perspective about how truly legendary the Yankees in the 90s and the SF Giants in the 2010s were. We'll likely never see another baseball dynasty or teams that win multiple rings in a short span. Playoff baseball is as difficult as it comes.
As a Padres fan I can say that it has been a magical run so far, especially bouncing the Dodgers out in the process. But to me the format could use tweaking. Then advantage for the top seed is to face the lowest seed advancing. In this case the divisional rounds should have been LA (1) vs PHI (6) and ATL(2) vs SD(5). The familiarity between SD-LA and ATL-PHI IMO played a part in how those series went.
I agree
The format was weird and the Phillies, although a lower seed, had an easier path to the NLCS.
Coming from a Phillies fan.
People get too caught up on familiarity and easier paths but bottom line is if you WIN you don't go home.....Welcome to the Playoffs
@Mr. Anderson I don't disagree but it's the plain truth.
@@praneelj9377 Idk man it was only like that cuz we won, what if the Cardinals beat us how different would it have looked?
@@1GOBIRDS1 that's why there should be reseeding. The bracket shouldn't be fixed. Idk why they changed it to making it fixed. In the playoffs, there is always at least one instance where a lower seed wins. Then the lower seed should play the higher seed.
AS a Phillies fan, all I can say is "MUHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!"
A 5 day rest to completely line your rotation up, and home field advantage. There is ABSOLUTELY ZERO excuse for 100+ win teams losing
Hitting is about repetition and rhythm though. That’s the only disadvantage that comes with a bye.
Also, baseball is a game of hot and cold streaks. 100-win teams do not go the entire season without losing a series.
Let’s go Phillies!!!
As long as the Braves and Dodgers are out of the playoffs, I couldn’t care less who was in the NLCS
Exactly!
Why are people acting like they’re so tired of the Braves? They literally have one title in the last 27 years and they went 18 consecutive years (2002-2019) without winning a single postseason round.
@@87Khein I don’t mind the Braves
@@87Khein you must be a kid,some are tired of seeing them since the 90s when we really hated them when glavine n Maddux got every call
@@87Khein fans being condescending.
The Yankees and the Astros didn't seem to have a problem with it. Dodgers and Braves fans are complaining irrationally and threatening the integrity of the sport with their ridiculous proposals for playoff gerrymandering. If you want to advance, WIN the games.
That's because the top NL teams are way better than the top AL teams.
@@supreme1572 by the top NL teams, you mean the Padres and Phillies, right?
The Astros and Yankees did not look good in their wins. Don't assume they won 10-0 each game. Houston had a lucky game 1 and struggled in game 3
@@Acetag31 What's your point Acetag? Play the games and shut up when your team loses.
@@swordfromthemouth yes the Padres, Phillies, Cardinals are all way better teams than the Mariners, Blue Jays and Guardians.
Fantastic playoff season this year. I don't see the Astros people complaining about the format being unfair! They don't care who they play, or how long the series is. (And I'm not an Astros fan!). If you put up when it matters, you don't complain. I love the fact that the Padres and Phillies are in the final chase. As a baseball fan, I see them as teams that have fire and a "do whatever it takes" attitude. That's baseball. Play hard. That's what we have lost with launch angle swings and walking around the mound to throw 100 mph after resting your arm. And then there is the "entitlement" thinking by certain teams calling others "lucky" when they got beat. The pitch clock and other changes will, I hope, bring the game back to what I used to know and fell in love with - even if it is in a "forced way." I know this is going off of the subject, but so be it. "Work fast, throw strikes, change speeds" - the age-old successful pitching motto (as in Verlander, Scherzer, etc.) (also "change location".) That's also how the whole attitude should be for the teams - play hard and fast - use your brain and heart as well as skill, and that is what the wild card teams bring. Not entitlement. No, this is the most fun I have had watching a playoff season in a long, long time.
Imagine being such a poverty franchise that your 111 win team got swept by the pirates, lost to an 89 win team in the first round, And your coach said you’d 100% win the WS and your only ring in the last 2 decades doesn’t even count.
All of that's valid. And I hate los angels. But who gives a fuck about getting swept by the pirates int eh regular season during a 111 win regular season, that's the only needless pick you made.
@@brix1094fuckhandles as a pirates fan, cause they’re the pirates. The 100 loss for 2 consecutive seasons and hasn’t swept anyone in like 3 years
@@ethanearley8802 who cares about the regular season. Only thing that matters is the postseason
@@brix1094fuckhandles teams who don’t make the post season care about the regular season
@@brix1094fuckhandles don’t know why you feel the need to pick at that, you said it yourself they were just picks to make a joke. That’s all it was just leave it as that lmao
Both teams are dangerous, Philly’s lineup is loaded and they have 2 of the top 15 maybe 10 starters in the game, San Diego has a balanced offense with 2 superstars in the middle with a good rotation and a ridiculously hot bullpen. As a Phillies fan I’m praying for us to sweep at home and get out of this series without going back to SD.
Padres will have Musgrove Game 3, Clev/Manaea Game 4, and Darvish Game 5. Pads will lead 3-2 heading back to SD
@@jmcd2053 I think Game 3 is massive, I think 4 goes Phillies 5 probably goes Padres whoever wins tomorrow is winning the series
Good matchup. If the Phillies win i wouldn’t be surprised and if the padres win i wouldn’t be surprised either. SD bull pen is superior to Phillies. Padres defense also superior to Phillies. Phillies bats are hotter and Harper is a smidge better than Machado. If Soto was slugging like he used to it might be a
Difference maker. Cheers to a good series. 😅
I think it's great for baseball. The Padres or Phillies winning the World Series would be a nice break from the league's richest clubs winning it all.
The Phillies have spent tons of money and so have the Padres.
@@87Khein I mean in comparison to the Yankees, Braves, Mets and Dodgers.
The Phillies and Padres have higher payrolls than the Braves...
@@87Khein I didn't know that. Besides the Braves, I think you still get what I'm trying to say.
@@87Khein yeah but the padres only started that spending in the last 3/4 years. thats a gamble by the owner and management to bring talent and try to win to get more fans and hopefully pay themselves back. if they spend all that money for 5 plus years and see no chance of winning, then whats the point of putting extra money towards your team
Late to the party. Granted it was a non-issue in both leagues this year, but I think we'll see a problem where the 2 seed consistently gets a better pairing than the 1 seed. Rewarding division winners is all well and good but I think reseeding after the wild card round may be in order.
Finally, a voice of reason.
I think the current matchup is fascinating. One really hot team that has recently gotten there versus one that has been very good all year.
Isn't baseball really popular because there is an upset? I know the MLB secretariat is very disappointed because the big market mega clubs are gone, but that's why I think the major leagues are interesting. And considering the money spent, the Top 4 are clubs that spend a lot of money, so I don't think there's anything to complain about. It was a match between a mega club and a big club, and I don't think it's strange that a big club can beat the mega club.
Just seen this video. Well done! I'm still shocked Philly is in the WS but hype too
Totally agree as a Braves fan, yes it was hard to digest, but we got beaten pretty handily, and it would be very boring if the playoffs went chalk every year, so while I'm disappointed, I can also appreciate the excitement and fun that this playoff format is, I think 12 is the perfect sweet spot, and hopefully they keep it that way.
Shut upppp it doesn’t matter what team you’re a fan of no one cares it’s irrelevant
Agreed. But look what the NFL has done, let's hope it's NOT just a matter of time before the MLB follows suit and lets in seven teams from each league, then eventually eight like the NBA does.
Personally, I could have lived with five teams, the two wildcards facing off to play division winners.
ONe of the reasons that this question even comes up on National sports shows, is that most of the announcers were hoping for "marquee" matchups. They were thinking along the lines of Dodgers/Yankees in the World series, not Padres/Phillies. They prefer teams from big markets in the playoffs - more potential viewers.. But this is the great thing about Baseball - a wild card can win it all.
I don't think that people care about Wild Cards winning it all. I think they care about the huge difference in win totals. If a 94-win Wild Card team beats a 98-win division champion then so be it but it's third place teams with fewer than 90 wins getting to play against division winners with over 100 wins that bothers people.
I’m just rooting for the Padres because I think it’d be funny if they win as an f-you to Tatis Jr 🤷🏼♂️🤣
As a Pads fan, I think it motivates him for next year. Or at least it should. It also decreases the games he has to sit next year, which is certainly a positive.
How would the team he plays for winning be an "F you" to him? I swear people want to be edgy for no reason. If anything he'd be happy the team he's under arbitration with is competitive enough to do something like this without him.
I think this postseason has shown us that 6 is the perfect number of playoff teams per league. It's enough teams to keep the playoff hunt interesting for about half the teams in the league throughout September, but also a small enough number of teams that even the bottom seed has a viable chance of making a run in the playoffs (as we're seeing the Phillies do). The only thing I hope they change is to reseed the teams after the Wild Card round (exactly how the NFL does). I don't love that the 6 seed can play the 3 (who sometimes has a worse record than the 4) and then gets to play the 2 rather than the 1 in the wild card. It makes more sense to me to always have the (theoretically) best and worse teams play each other in the Divisional round.
The Phillies got hot at the right time. The Braves were exhausted from chasing down the Mets. Fried was sick, Strider was injured and two-thirds of the lineup went ice cold. Teams just don’t repeat anymore. No team has repeated since the 1998-2000 Yankees and no NL team has repeated since the 1975-1976 Reds. Next year will be a much better indication of whether or not the Braves are true title contenders.
As for the Dodgers, this was just their usual choke job.
My issue with this year’s layout is the “Home Field Advantage”. The Braves got a 1pm Tuesday game and a 4pm Wednesday game while the Phillies got 2 weekend games.
They should have beaten the Phillies within the first three games then🤣
Win the games it’s that simple y’all were better then them statistically and still took an L
The people who say it’s unfair are a fan of a team that lost 😂
I'm a mets fan, and just happy dodgers and braves got the same fate lol
All the current rounds do is even the odds.
Nah I don't have a horse in the race but making the top two teams wait a week from the end of the season to play their first playoff game is absurd
We’re headed to where all teams are eventually gonna make the playoffs regardless of record. anything can happen in a five game series but in a regular season where you have to show day in and day out for 162 games but you still won’t get rewarded because you will have to play a wildcard team. The regular season means nothing now since the MLB started giving participation awards to these wildcard teams. I wish they would go back to two AL teams and two NL teams, and then the World Series.
great episode and well delivered
I'm a Dodgers and Cardinals fan. I don't think the new playoff format is unfair. I'm not even mad that the Padres and Phillies, two teams I have respect for but don't follow that intensely knocked out my own two. I'm upset because both of the teams I love didn't show up when they needed to. Statistically, everything should have gone their way and it didn't and while that may be frustrating, that's baseball and even when I hate it, I love it.
The fair thing is to have a regular season that determines the championship match up, no postseason.
However, we have 2 seasons, regular and post. Regular season is for gaining an advantage for the post season (field advantage and number of home games) and the post season to determine the championship match up and I'm fine with that.
They're unfair in that the best team by wins isn't guaranteed to win. There really isn't that much of a talent gap between the Phillies and Dodgers when you get right down to it.
Also, let's not forget that both the Phillies and Padres didn't get a home playoff game until game 3 of their respective division series. Both had to play on the road in the WC round and both had to play games 1 & 2 in the LDS on the road so it isn't like they had an easy road. Hell, the Phillies, thanks to brilliant scheduling, last played a home game on 9/25 and didn't have another one until game 3 of the LDS on 10/14 so they played 14 straight road games on an 18 day span. You can't blame them for the Cardinals and Braves not being able to hit.
NJ CardFan....you got that shit right.
Padres? WS? Bad? My brain cannot compute 😂
Don't worry it'll be the Phillies LOL
The Twins also won 101 games in 2019 and got swept by the Yankees in three games.
MLB has hit the sweet spot for TV money/competitive integrity. The NBA play-in tournament is the dumbest thing ever. The regular season is the damn play-in tournament ffs. All about TV money
2:39 Really wish you didn’t include the boatload of wildcard teams in the pandemic season to water that number down to 9.4%. Or at least make it a side note. I agree nothing needs to change with the playoffs, but seeing those kind of graphics can be very misleading. That percentage should definitely be higher.
Sports has always been like this. Upsets happen all the time. If you are a favorite and you can't beat whatever team is in front of you during the playoffs, then you're just not all that good. It's that simple.
P.S. I wonder what SportStorm thinks about the notion that the Padres and Phillies making it to the NLCS is unfair consider he's a Padres fan.
This comment makes no sense. The Dodgers led MLB in runs and runs allowed, joint-based BABIP allowed, and had the most wins but they weren't actually that good, right?
@@pigjubby1 Where in my comment states they didn't. My point was calling the Dodgers not good when they still won the season series 15-8 and where by far the dominant team in the season "just not good at all" is stupid. Kinda like ur comment refuting something I never claimed.
Great video. I agree with your take 100%. I think 12 teams with a short bye for the top two teams is the best format in sports, and I think the lure of the 6th spot is going to discourage teams from tanking.
NLDS needs to be a 7 game series and the BYE as well. Do a 5 game game wild card series and top 8 teams from each league make it in. It's honestly a joke seeing wild card teams have 100 wins or more
@Hoodiewaffles…Maybe the World Series should be best of nine too , play till Christmas.
Girardi's stubborn system of management is what really hurt the Phillies early on. He wouldn't allow relievers to pitch more than one outing every 3 days and didn't adjust to new rules. They kept their head down, went to work and ended up playing up to their true potential which I think really built this team's character to where they'll fight hard no matter what when faced with tough situations
just eliminated the season and have 2 months of playoffs between all of the teams. Saves time, doesn't waste 100+ game winners.
Since game 1 I said Eagles are contagious and Phillies are hot at the right time
This is incredible. Boring and tiring seeing the Dodgers be in the playoffs.
What I see no one talking about is the amount of time in between the regular season and the DS. 6 days is more than enough to cool down any team, no matter how good they are. Meanwhile, the wildcard teams don’t have a big break and have 3 games to get hot before the next series
Yeah. In the end, if the "best" team doesn't win when it counts, they aren't the best team. Choking is a thing.
Great video, Jack!
Last Year, the Atlanta Braves qualified for the playoffs by winning the NL East but with only 88 wins. This was only one more victory than the Phillies 87 this year. No one complained that the playoffs were unfair last year. Regular season records don't matter in baseball--even before there were any wild card teams at all.
Winning a division versus getting third place in a division and still qualifying for playoffs are two different scenarios regardless of number of wins.
I agree wholeheartedly about the Basketball play in.
Loved the vid Jolly
okay i dont know a lot about baseball, and i understand the argument that specially hitters need that regularity to stay sharp on the plate, but apart from all the other arguments in favor of this format, how is it worse for top seed teams when they can set and adjust better their pitching rotation than the wc teams?
exactly in dodgers vs padres game 1 was their best pitcher vs our number 4/5 pitcher to start the series then having the padres best pitcher come in the next game on 3 days rest. that's a total advantage for the dodgers
It's like you said hitters aren't sharp when they rest too long so a 4/5 pitcher is gonna come in looking like a 1/2 pitcher so that advantage of a rested pitcher is gone because you lose your offense
I agree, I really like the new format. Perhaps once MLB expands and they change the divisions it will be even better. They should not add more playoff games, baseball and snow don't go together.
They should definitely change the divisions. I mean giants, dodgers and padres all in the same division is kind of sus.
@@saphired02 The Giants, Dodgers and Padres all play in the same state and they're all in the same league. That's why they're in the same division.
I’ll note a similarity and difference in KBO and NPB in comparison to MLB. Both leagues give home field advantage in the playoff series. In KBO and NPB, if you are a better seeded team, you automatically get a 1-0 lead known as the ghost win. That’s been considered recently when the league and players’ union had their discussions.
I think gimmicks aside..the best way is..just to play the games. It actually works.
Wasn't 2002 an all wildcard world series too? The Angels finished 2nd in west as did the Giants.
Yeah but he said since 2012 when the wild card game started
I think its the way he stated "the only time in MLB history" that creates the confusion.
Completely agree with you! The Dodgers could have won games 2 and 4 easily, and even game 3 if the bats weren't so cold. Kudos to the Padres bullpen that was dominant during that series. Also, the NL side of the bracket was stacked unlike the AL side, where it was inevitable for the Yankees to meet the Astros, and for the Astros to reach the World Series.
The format is literally perfect baseball is just really unpredictable
I don't think its necessarily unfair, it just is highly beneficial to the teams that got on a late run to secure their wild card spot, and were able to carry that momentum forward. Ultimately, its the top teams fault for slowing down at the end of the season, but it does favor the late run
As an Astros fan, I’m actually pretty surprised that people are complaining about the lower seeds in the NL making it to the NLCS, especially because if you look at the AL and both the top seeds are in the ALCS, I think it’s been a fun goofy playoffs and I love it either way however.
Great video Great points
Watching my team blow an 8-1 lead in the playoffs took years off my life that skincare can't bring back.
Are you a 1929 Cubs fan?
The only thing that seems wrong to me is that the lower ranked team gets 3 home games and the top seed gets 2 home games should be the other way around
If you as far back as the first year of the division series, the teams with the most wins in a season seldom met in the World Series. There is no advantage to having the best record in either league. It’s been all about who plays the best when the get to the playoffs.
How does this man not have more subs
U actually praised the padres u definitely got a fan here man
I was just dreading the whole season, expecting the post season to have the Dodgers vs the Astros. I know they are easily the best teams in their leagues and deserve the appearance with the seasons they had but man my favorite thing in sports is the underdog story, and although its hard to call Phillies and Padres underdogs with Soto and Harper on the roster. Its much easier rooting for them over Houston
Def. What MLB needs is similar to NBA, which is two or sometimes 3 ultra teams that everyone knows will be playing the final series of the season, with no surprises or upsets
Any other sport celebrates a cinderella story or an upset. I think the complaints come from the coincidence that 2 cinderella stories happened the year the playoff format changed as well as the general traditionalism of baseball and its fans. Fans as young as their 30s remember a time when only 4 out of twenty-something teams made the playoffs.
The main argument from people is that the MLB season is significantly longer than in any other sport so the regular season should hold more weight.
This is why I love baseball !
Wonder how different this video would have been had my dodgers pulled thru...
Nevertheless great vid keep up the good work....
I’m an Astros fan and have been one for more than 30 years which means many highs and many lows, but first and foremost, I and my family love Baseball. This playoff format does not “hurt” the better or “more deserving” teams. It does give the right mix of opportunities and exclusivity, rewarding contenders while also making it more interesting for more fans of the game. When it comes down to it the “better team” still needs to perform in order to win. Fortune is and timing are still big factors but the real best team will overcome in order to succeed. Anything else is an excuse. This playoff format is good for Baseball.
No one cares 🗑️🗑️🗑️🗑️
YOUR TEAM IS THE SCOURGE OF AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AND SHOULD BE FORCED TO GIVE VERLANDER BACK TO THE TIGERS
Only reasonable change would be making the DS 7 games. With this much talent around the league anything can actually happen.
Nah