# MLB: 2025 Postseason **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [September 29, 2025, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478 "2025-09-29T12:49:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/81 "2025-10-02T14:31:29Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > For me, that’s not the only surprise. The Guardians were red hot in September, and Detroit went from a big lead to finishing second in the AL Central, but the odds for the Tigers are almost twice as good as the odds for the Guardians. Timing is everything, and how a team is playing at the end of September can mean a whole lot. It really doesn’t, though. A team’s momentum going into the playoffs has basically no correlation with playoff success. As the old saying goes, momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/82 "2025-10-02T15:13:34Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I think they should give the lower seeded team one game in the wildcard playoffs. It’s too big an advantage for a team that might’ve only barely edged out the other team by 1-2 wins to get all 3 home games. Play the first game at the lower seeded stadium and the last two at the higher seeded stadium. They can add an extra day to the playoff schedule. I don’t think this is a problem that needs to be solved. It sucks for the away team (I say as a Tigers fan) but they came in 2nd. But if we did want to solve it, play all 3 at the same stadium but designate the visitors as the “home team” for one game so they at least get the advantage of batting last. It doesn’t mess up the schedule or travel, and it evens things out slightly. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/83 "2025-10-02T15:26:10Z")
I watched Nathaniel Lowe all summer with the Nats and wasn’t terribly surprised when he hit into a double play in a clutch situation. What’s that old saying about the definition of insanity? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/84 "2025-10-02T15:56:47Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > play all 3 at the same stadium but designate the visitors as the “home team” for one game so they at least get the advantage of batting last. I think this is a great idea. IMO, much of the ‘home field advantage’ is due to the fact that home team bats last, and this would mitigate that factor. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/85 "2025-10-02T16:02:50Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I think this is a great idea. Agreed. It’s extremely easy to implement too. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/86 "2025-10-02T16:27:04Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > But if we did want to solve it, play all 3 at the same stadium but designate the visitors as the “home team” for one game so they at least get the advantage of batting last. It doesn’t mess up the schedule or travel, and it evens things out slightly. That’s an excellent idea ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/87 "2025-10-02T17:37:14Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Agreed. It’s extremely easy to implement too. It might be easy to implement on field, but who know behind the scenes. I think there’s pitch-by-pitch animations on the MLB website that shows the ballpark. Something like that could break if the team batting in the bottom half of an inning wasn’t the home team. Or maybe that’s all worked out already. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/88 "2025-10-02T18:13:08Z")
The home team batting first has happened when a game couldn’t be played at the home stadium due to cancellations or scheduling conflicts. It looks like since 2007, a game or series like this has happened about once every other year: [The Death and Rebirth of the Home Team Batting First](https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-death-and-rebirth-of-the-home-team-batting-first/) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/89 "2025-10-02T18:37:37Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The home team batting first This happens each year during the college baseball playoffs, as the higher-seeded team hosts the Super Regional, a best-of-3 elimination series with the winner advancing to the College World Series. The home team bats last in the first game, while the visitor bats last in the second game. Home team again bats last in the 3rd game, if necessary. No reason why it couldn’t be implemented in the majors. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/90 "2025-10-02T20:09:45Z")
I very much don’t think this a problem to be solved. I would lean the other way and increase the advantage. Give the higher seed a 1-0 advantage and then play 2 games (or 4). You want teams to care about finishing higher in the regular season. You want 162 games to matter. Pennant races are good. Teams resting their starters because who cares what seed you are is terrible. The frustrating thing is baseball did have a reasonably good system with 2 wild cards. The 1 game playoff put a huge incentive in winning the division. The current system gives a strong nod for being the first or 2nd seed, but not much beyond that. Home field advantage just isn’t that big a deal in baseball. Also having playoff spots decided by tie-breakers is an awful change. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/91 "2025-10-02T20:16:26Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > I very much don’t think this a problem to be solved. I would lean the other way and increase the advantage. Give the higher seed a 1-0 advantage and then play 2 games (or 4) So, make it a “best three out of five” series, but effectively assume that the higher seed has already won game 1? It has the effect of potentially making the WC round even _longer_, due to a travel day between games 2 and 3, and a series taking as long as 5 days to complete, if it goes the full distance. MLB already has an issue that the playoffs are too long, due to the WC round; this year, the World Series won’t even _start_ until October 24th, and a Game 7 wouldn’t be played until November 1st. Your proposal adds an extra two days to the WC round, as MLB slates the next round (divisional series) to not start until the end of the WC round, plus a travel day for winners from the WC round. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/92 "2025-10-02T20:25:20Z")
Well not if you do a best of 3. That saves a day. I don’t really have a problem with the length of the baseball season though (baseball = good, more baseball = better) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/93 "2025-10-02T20:39:29Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Well not if you do a best of 3. Best of three probably would be a wash, calendar-wise; MLB pretty much always bakes in an off-day for travel in the playoffs. > [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > I don’t really have a problem with the length of the baseball season though (baseball = good, more baseball = better) I suspect that most fans don’t, either, my main issue with it is that the later you go into October (and even November), the more likely that it becomes that cold weather and/or snow could impact the games. Looking at who’s in the playoffs this year, for example, you have 7 teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Indians, Cubs, Reds, Phillies) which play in open-air stadiums, in cities where wintry weather at the end of October is a very real possibility. (The Brewers and Blue Jays play in cold-weather cities, but have domes.) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/94 "2025-10-02T20:41:19Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Give the higher seed a 1-0 advantage and then play 2 games (or 4). This is quite possibly the worst idea I’ve ever heard regarding playoffs. > [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Home field advantage just isn’t that big a deal in baseball. Then why are you so opposed to the idea presented by @TroutMan? > [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > The frustrating thing is baseball did have a reasonably good system with 2 wild cards. The 1 game playoff put a huge incentive in winning the division. Totally agree with this. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/95 "2025-10-02T20:46:35Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Home field advantage just isn’t that big a deal in baseball. It looks like the home team wins about 54% of the time, which is consistent with what the home-field advantage has been in the NFL in recent years. Not _huge_, but not negligible. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/96 "2025-10-02T21:15:39Z")
Welp, Guardians look cooked. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/97 "2025-10-02T21:18:33Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It looks like the home team wins about 54% of the time I’m just pulling numbers out of my ass, but of that 4%, I’d guess 3.5% of the advantage is batting last, 0.4% is knowing and playing to the ballpark dimensions, and 0.1% is the home crowd. Given that good batting is about patience and focus, I wouldn’t be surprised if the home crowd is actually a _disadvantage_ in high stakes at-bats. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/98 "2025-10-02T22:02:19Z")
Tigers pull it out! Mariners up next starting Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/99 "2025-10-02T22:02:22Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Give the higher seed a 1-0 advantage and then play 2 games (or 4). That seems a bit extreme. How about we just give the higher seed 9 innings at the plate, and the other guys only get 8? …. or the lower seed only gets 2 strikes per at bat? …. or the lower seed plays with handcuffs and blindfolds on? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478/100 "2025-10-03T00:04:08Z")
I have had 4 pints of beer and I should be pitching for the Cubs now as I won’t hit a batter! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2025-postseason/1023478.md?page=6)