For a certain level of reasonableness. Compared to the NFL, absolutely not. I still think of the 2015 NL Central (and there are certainly counter-arguments, this just sticks out). They spend the season beating up on each other - 76 divisional games apiece. And they sweep the top of the standings. That’s impressive - and it’s a fair outcome to all the other divisions with wild card contenders.
Thank you. Indeed, I’d call it essential to understanding the shape of a season.
No way. He and you are wrong.
In the current MLB scheduling system, as noted, teams play 19 games against each of their intradivision opponents, six or seven against each intraleague, interdivision opponent. Then they have 20 games, total, among six different interleague opponents, of which no more than one will be shared with a different-division team in their own league.
As an example, let’s look at two teams scuffling to squeak into one of the last playoff spots, the Blue Jays and the Tigers.
The 2016 season schedule of the Toronto Blue Jays, by opponent,
19 games vs. Orioles
19 games vs. Red Sox
19 games vs. Yankees
19 games vs. Rays
7 games vs. Indians
7 games vs. Tigers
7 games vs. Astros
7 games vs. Angels
7 games vs. Twins
7 games vs. Rangers
6 games vs. White Sox
6 games vs. Royals
6 games vs. A’s
6 games vs. Mariners
4 games vs. Diamondbacks
4 games vs. Phillies
3 games vs. Rockies
3 games vs. Dodgers
3 games vs. Padres
3 games vs. Giants
And the Tigers,
19 games vs. White Sox
19 games vs. Indians
19 games vs. Royals
19 games vs. Twins
7 games vs. Orioles
7 games vs. Red Sox
7 games vs. A’s
7 games vs. Mariners
7 games vs. Rays
7 games vs. Blue Jays
6 games vs. Astros
6 games vs. Angels
6 games vs. Yankees
6 games vs. Rangers
4 games vs. Marlins
4 games vs. Pirates
3 games vs. Braves
3 games vs. Mets
3 games vs. Phillies
3 games vs. Nationals
If we subtract out, from each, all the games they played against common opponents, as well as their seven games against each other, that leaves 69 games, over 40% of the season, that the other team didn’t have to play at all! Line those up consecutively, and the Blue Jays and Tigers might as well have been playing on different continents since the middle of July.
The games that the Blue Jays had to play, and the Tigers didn’t,
13 games vs. Yankees
12 games vs. Orioles
12 games vs. Red Sox
12 games vs. Rays
4 games vs. Diamondbacks
3 games vs. Rockies
3 games vs. Dodgers
3 games vs. Padres
3 games vs. Giants
1 game vs. Astros
1 game vs. Angels
1 game vs. Phillies
1 game vs. Rangers
While the Tigers faced,
13 games vs. White Sox
13 games vs. Royals
12 games vs. Indians
12 games vs. Twins
4 games vs. Marlins
4 games vs. Pirates
3 games vs. Braves
3 games vs. Mets
3 games vs. Nationals
1 game vs. A’s
1 game vs. Mariners
Again, won-lost records are not directly comparable between teams in different divisions. The team that finishes with 92 wins might very well have had an easier road than the team that finishes with 88. This is kind of why postseason tournaments make sense in the first place.
Yes… I’m not sure what point you think this makes relative to mine.
Wonderful. Let’s take a look at the NFL now.
The 2015 NFC Championship game featured the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers.
Here’s the Cardinals’ schedule:
New Orleans
Chicago
San Francisco
St. Louis
Detroit
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cleveland
Seattle
Minnesota
Philly
Green Bay
Seattle
And the Panthers:
Jacksonville
Houston
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Seattle
Philly
Indianapolis
Green Bay
Tennessee
Washington
Dallas
New Orleans
Atlanta
New York Giants
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
Three common opponents out of 16 - so 81% of the season with no common ground. And the NFL touts the level of parity in the league!
It seems you’re making the argument that having a schedule that is dominated by playing opponents in your own division is less fair than spreading it out more evenly throughout the league. The Cubs/Cardinals/Pirates got screwed in that regard - they had to play 2 of the 3 top teams in the NL for a huge chunk of their schedule. Yet they managed to all come out on top.
No. I love unbalanced divisional scheduling, and the specific MLB structure in place since 2013 is my favorite of the six-division era. There are some tweaks I’d make, but not the unbalanced part.
My core point is, season records are not strictly comparable between teams in different divisions. As applied to this thread–the 2015 Pirates and Cubs notwithstanding–one should not automatically think that a wild card team in one division is “better” than a division winner in another division, just because the WC team had a better season record. The most objective thing that can be said about a WC team’s quality, by record, is that they are not the best regular-season team in their division or league. If such teams are in the postseason at all, it is right that they be seeded lower and disadvantaged relative to division winners.