No, it’s the 3 Division winners and then the best 3 records among the other teams. Division doesn’t play into it at that point.
And, the 3 division winners are the top 3 seeds regardless of win-loss record, and then the next 3 best records are seeded 4, 5, and 6. Notice the Mets are seeded #4 behind the Cardinals.
NL Seedings
- LAD 111-51 .685
- ATL 101-61 .623
- STL 93-69 .574
- NYM 100-61 .625
- SDP 89-73 .549
- PHL 87-75 .537
And there will be no reseeding after the wild-card round. So the Dodgers, with the best record, could be playing the 3rd-best team (the Mets), while the Braves, with the second-best record, could be playing the 6th-best team.
This makes no sense to me. The winners of the wild-card series will have to be on the road no matter what, so it’s not like there could be travel issues.
I give the Cards the edge as well, based primarily on their bullpen (or rather, Philly’s atrocious bullpen). At. Louis always pulls a rabbit out of a hat in the postseason, and I could see the Phillies go up 4-0 after 7 innings of dominant Aaron Nola pitching, only to have Dominguez and Robertson load the bases and start walking runs in.
My post-season rooting rankings:
- Mariners - I love rooting for a snake-bitten team who hasn’t won in…ever.
- Padres - see above
- Rays - they’re not as fun as they used to be, but I’ll still root for them against pretty much anyone
- Braves - that pitching staff is really fun to watch, as is that relentless offense
- Mets - I have a friend who’s a big Mets fan, otherwise they’d be lower. But their pitchers are still really fun.
- Guardians - it’s still really hard to not call them by their former name, like writing “2021” on your checks well into October. They haven’t won since war bonds were a thing, so I guess I can root for them.
- Blue Jays - my wife hates the Blue Jays ever since Jose Bautista was pimping HRs in 2015. I don’t mind a showboat, but I like having a happy wife.
- Dodgers - like them or not, they’re a really fun team that does everything right.
- Astros - I’d likely have this team a lot higher if it wasn’t for the cheating scandal - this team is a friggin powerhouse that offers a highlight every inning.
- Phillies - is there anyone actually likeable on this team? I guess it’s fun to see a catcher steal a bunch of bases, but there’s nothing exciting here.
- Getting kicked in the balls.
- Cardinals - Just retire already, Yadi.
- The heat death of the universe.
- Yankees
Here’s a debate
I think it depends on the team … if the team sucks … well maybe a winning record and better output and well anything thing that shows improvement could be counted as a success
Now if you have a team that’s so great that all they have to do it not get injured …
Absolutely. As a Royals fan, I have to set my own expectations of what I want to see at the end of the season. I wanted to see a .500 team with a big step forward for their pitching staff. I guess I should have also added in a World Series trophy and tickets to the Moon. Dodger fans should have had title hopes this season - how could they not with that team and farm system?
Makes no sense to me either. What was MLB thinking? Dumb!
Even as a Yankee fan, that’s funny right there.
Well, that’s the key thing. In a 3 game series, the A’s could beat the Dodgers.
As to the Dodgers, how could anything OTHER than the World Series title be considered a success? They win 100+ games every year, like clockwork. They won 111 games this year and there was nothing flukey about it. They have spent all the money. They have acquired all the stars. There is no step forward they can take except hoisting the trophy.
Guardians defeat the Rays 2-1 in a relatively quick, well-played game. All the runs were scored in the 6th inning.
Now the Phillies and Cards are 0-0 in the 6th in a similar game.
The Cardinals just went up 2-0 on a Juan Yepez 2 run pinch hit HR in the bottom of the 7th.
Just as Seattle took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first in Toronto.
And then COLLAPSED in the 9th to lose 6-3.
A big FU to idiots on social media trying to chastise fans who simply couldn’t get off work on an October Friday with super short notice.
I like nothing about the St Louis Cardinals and the best fans in baseball is bullshit, but I won’t criticise them for cheap tickets for a game one of a wildcard on short notice for a day game.
WHOOO! Go, Phils! That was quite a gift. Three walks in a row, HBP run, then more runs on some dopey STL plays.
Nah. Cardinal fans will post on Twitter about how awesome their attendance records are when the tickets are sold out for day games but only 11,000 people show up. It may be a tired narrative from the @bestfansinbaseball account, but it’s an even more tired one from the fans.
That was a surprising collapse, at home.
Luis Castillo just does not get rattled. There were a few innings that he could have gotten out of his game but he made his pitches and got out of it. I’m a Mariners fan from the 70’s and I feel we have good chance to get into the WS this year.
Cardinals? WTF. One bad half inning and you now need to win two straight.
You should start a thread of Things You’d Rather See Than a Yankees World Series.
Yankees World Series are the best. That’s why there’s been so many.