What Do You Think of The Wildcard “Play-In” As A Playoff Series?

As the Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season heats up and winds down all at once, I'm amazed at how much the leagues have changed over the past 20 years. Before the strike year in 1994 there were only two divisions in each the American League and National League and there wasn't inter-league play, nor a wild card playoff series let alone a wildcard "play-in" game.

First let me tackle the notion of inter-league play, I don't like it and never have. Unless you're working all teams into all teams' schedules it isn't balanced. For example, why does Texas get Miami while the Red Sox get Atlanta? Another reason I can't stand inter-league, I think it cheapens the World Series. In my mind the only time outside the All-Star game and spring training that the the leagues should play each other is at the very end.

The wildcard I don't really take an issue to where MLB added a third division to each league, how else are you going to even out the playoffs? I do think the one game wildcard "play in" is a bit silly. One bad bounce in a game, a rain delay or some other chancy-flukey type thing can happen and swing that one game. I say if you have the "play-in" make it a best two out of three and give the dividion winners a bye. At least then you're using strategy with your pitching rotation. And there would be and is enough time between the end of the regular season and the Division series on the calendar to have the best of three.

All-in-all, I'm still excited as the Red Sox lead in the division continues to grow and Boston today is on the verge of sweeping the Yankees in their four game series. All of this being said, I am happy that Atlanta got out of the west all those years ago, that was just odd.