# MLB: Postseason 2015 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 30, 2015, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030 "2015-09-30T13:04:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/401 "2015-10-14T17:12:34Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > How can anyone hate the Cubs? šŸ˜• What did they ever do to you? As a Giants fan, Iā€™m not terribly thrilled with them this year because they broke two-thirds of our outfieldā€¦but Iā€™m gonna find it hard to root against them from this point on. At this point, Iā€™m rooting for Cubs-Astros. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/402 "2015-10-14T18:04:54Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Why? Because they won a series and Chicago is excited? That could have happened if playoff teams had been drawn from a hat. Bob Costas posited this very scenario years ago, and the exemplar team was the Cubs. ā€œPoets weep over the beauty of October baseball at Wrigley Field. Does this justify the Cubsā€™ inclusion?ā€ No, just because Iā€™m rooting for the Cubs and itā€™s fun to watch them hit home runs. That said, shame or not, I still donā€™t like the 1 game wild card series. > [@RickJay](#): > > And then the Cardinals would have had to play Chicago in the NLCS or a Los Angeles team that was good enough to beat Chicago. One way or another the path to the World Series trophy takes you through the best of the best. If the Cardinals werenā€™t good enough to beat the Cubs they werenā€™t good enough. > > Iā€™d be okay with going back to the rule that wild card teams cannot play the champion of their own division just for the sake of it seeming weird. By this logic why seed any tournament ever? Any path will eventually lead you to the best opponents anyway. For the Cards the advantage might have been as simple has having Wainwright back in the rotation. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/403 "2015-10-14T19:39:32Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > By this logic why seed any tournament ever? To confer the benefit of home field advantage on the top seeds. The Cardinals had that advantage and didnā€™t even play well enough to get to the fifth game. ā€œSeedingā€ as a thing was only implemented in baseball in 1995 (well, 1994) when there were enough playoff teams to matter. The only purpose of it is to reward teams with home field advantage. The Cardinals got it, purpose achieved. [QUOTE=jsgoddess] I never really understood that former rule. [/QUOTE] (Referring to the previous rule that WC teams couldnā€™t play their divisionā€™s champion in the first round.) The idea was that it would seem unseemly for a team to win a pennant race against a divisional opponent and then immediately lose a playoff series to them. For instance, in 1997, the #1 seed was Atlanta and the wild card was Florida, both in the East. It would have been weird for Atlanta to bury Florida by nine games in the regular season and then promptly be in a position to lose a 5-game series to them. Of course they did lose to Floridaā€¦ in the NLCS, at which point at least you could say the Marlins had gotten to that point by defeating another team in the playoffs. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/404 "2015-10-14T19:51:39Z")
It would have been a shame to exclude the Cubs because they won more games than the Mets or Dodgers while playing a much tougher schedule. Maybe the fairest thing would be to junk the divisional format entirely, play a balanced schedule, and just seed teams according to where they finished in the league. The first two rounds could be best-of-three #2 vs #5 team in the league and #3 vs #4, then the winners of those play best of three to advance to the seven game LCS against the #1 team. Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/405 "2015-10-14T19:58:55Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The idea was that it would seem unseemly for a team to win a pennant race against a divisional opponent and then immediately lose a playoff series to them. Iā€™ve heard that reasoning. It just doesnā€™t resonate with me. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/406 "2015-10-14T19:59:32Z")
If you junk divisions and unbalanced schedules, you donā€™t really need a postseason tournament at all. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/407 "2015-10-14T20:34:40Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Maybe the fairest thing would be to junk the divisional format entirely, play a balanced schedule, and just seed teams according to where they finished in the league. The first two rounds could be best-of-three #2 vs #5 team in the league and #3 vs #4, then the winners of those play best of three to advance to the seven game LCS against the #1 team. Or something like that. One of the reasons to go to a divisional format in the first place was so that teams wouldnā€™t be buried so deep in the standings, and (now) give more teams a shot at the playoffs. Itā€™s one thing to be in 5th place in your division, another to be 15th in your league. With a divisional set-up plus wildcards, usually half or more of the teams in the league have a shot at the playoffs until late in the season. That helps to keep more people interested in a greater number of places. Baseball is entertainment, not a rigorous way to determine the ā€œbest team.ā€ If you wanted to determine the best team, all you would have to do is have all the teams play each other the same number of times, and then select whoever won the most games. The playoffs provide an opportunity for underdogs to upset a team with a better record, and thatā€™s really why we have them. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/408 "2015-10-14T20:56:30Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > To confer the benefit of home field advantage on the top seeds. The Cardinals had that advantage and didnā€™t even play well enough to get to the fifth game. So the Dodgers are essentially your #2 seed despite having the 4th best record in the NL? To play 162 games, have the best record in baseball and then (potentially) have to play the team with the 2nd best record in baseball is just goofy. I could live with reinstating the rule that you canā€™t play a team from your division in the LDS. At least then the worst case scenario is the best record playing against the 3rd best record. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/409 "2015-10-14T21:29:52Z")
I just checked it out, and the teams which would have made the playoffs under the system I just proposed were the same teams which did in fact make it. The list of teams within 5 games of the last playoff spot on August 15 was also exactly the same. The Pirates and Cubs, however, would have been rewarded for their superior records with home field in the first round. I didnā€™t say anything about eliminating playoffs, I just donā€™t see the point in rewarding teams for finishing at the top of an arbitrarily determined subset of the league. I think most people would rather see a seeding system which maximizes the chances of the best teams meeting each other later rather than earlier in the playoffs. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/410 "2015-10-14T21:38:27Z")
[Cubs verify Kyle Schwarber ball, will leave it on video board.](http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kyle-schwarber-home-run-ball-20151013-story.html) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/411 "2015-10-14T22:13:19Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > I didnā€™t say anything about eliminating playoffs, I just donā€™t see the point in rewarding teams for finishing at the top of an arbitrarily determined subset of the league. Itā€™s not arbitraryā€“those are the teams they play more of their games against. At least, itā€™s no more ā€˜arbitraryā€™ than the idea of two leagues, and the winners of each being entitled to spots in the overall championship. > [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > I think most people would rather see a seeding system which maximizes the chances of the best teams meeting each other later rather than earlier in the playoffs. Yes. The former rule about intradivisional matchups would help do so. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/412 "2015-10-14T22:26:07Z")
Strangest run Iā€™ve ever seen. Rangers up, Odor on third, two outs. Choo batting. Martin goes to throw ball back to Sanchez and throws ball into Chooā€™s hand where it ricochets. Odor comes home. All 6 umpires get together. Ruling, Odorā€™s run counts. Rangers go up 3-2. Pandemonium in stadium. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/413 "2015-10-14T22:26:14Z")
Come on, Toronto fans. Donā€™t let anyone get hurt here. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/414 "2015-10-14T22:27:11Z")
Yeah, I literally just tuned in and saw that play. Flukey to say the least. Donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever seen that happen. Letā€™s see if it stands. It seems like it should. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/415 "2015-10-14T22:27:17Z")
Thatā€™s the biggest load of bullshit Iā€™ve ever seen. Clear interference by Choo there. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/416 "2015-10-14T22:30:04Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Thatā€™s the biggest load of bullshit Iā€™ve ever seen. Clear interference by Choo there. It looked like all of Chooā€™s body was still in the box. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/417 "2015-10-14T22:30:55Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > It looked like all of Chooā€™s body was still in the box. Agreed. I have no dog in this fight, other than I am passively rooting for the Blue Jays, but that looks to me like the right call. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/418 "2015-10-14T22:33:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Agreed. I have no dog in this fight, other than I am passively rooting for the Blue Jays, but that looks to me like the right call. Yeah, Iā€™d like the Jays to win it, and I wasnā€™t familiar with that rule, but I think they got it right. Chooā€™s expression upon having a ball nail him in the hand was priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/419 "2015-10-14T22:34:27Z")
If the ump calls time, that should be the end of the play, full stop. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030/420 "2015-10-14T22:35:03Z")
Not only his body but the bat was in the box too. Correct call. Bizarre, but correct. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-postseason-2015/733030.md?page=22)