Baseball's confused wild card system

Dear Joel,

By now, the New York Mets would've clinched their division with only 84 wins (in reality, they clinched last weekend with 88). In the NL Central, it took 100 wins out of 159 games for the Cardinals to clinch theirs. The Chicago Cubs, who have the third best record in all of Major League Baseball and would've clinched any other division by now, are sitting at third in their own division, and will have to participate in the (totally un-baseball-like, and irrefutably unfair) win-or-go-home wildcard playoff game next week. And then there's the Pirates -- a 96-win team who has to settle for second place, and could very well be knocked out after a single postseason game. Why? Because the Cubs have a pitcher named Jake Arrieta, who doesn't give up runs. Like ever.

Earlier this week (Monday, to be specific) was the 4-year anniversary of the greatest single day in regular season sports that I have ever experienced. It was the final day of the 2011 baseball season, and this was before there were 2 wild card teams in each league. The wild card spots were undetermined, and there were 4 games across MLB that would have an impact on who would get them. There's a great story from Tom Verducci about that night that you can read HERE. If you'd like to watch a 45 minute documentary on what transpired that night, you can watch it HERE.

So as the 2015 season winds down, I wanted to briefly explain why the new(ish) format of having 2 wild card teams in each league who play a single game to determine who gets to play in the LDS is stupid.

First, baseball is a 162-game season made up exclusively of series against other teams. Except for make-up games that might be necessary due to rain-outs, teams always play each other in mostly 3- or sometimes 4- (and, much more rarely, 2-) game series throughout the season. Teams are built around the ability to win 2 out of 3 games against a given opponent. It's a sport in which the best teams in the league lose at least 54 games (or 1/3) every year. In fact, the best team in the league this year has lost 59 (and could end up losing as many as 62). It's ridiculous and contrary to the make-up of the season itself to then tell a postseason team that they have only ONE chance to earn a spot in a postseason series. It'd be like having the first NFL playoff round consist of only 2 quarters. Or a playoff hockey game that's only 1 period.

Second, 4 years ago when I watched those games play out and teams were fighting for a wild card spot, it was riveting, because winning meant you could extend your team's life at least 3 more games (the divisional series is best-of-5). In today's system, those teams would be fighting only to extend their lives at least 1 more game. There's less excitement in clinching a "wild card spot" that might only be a single game.

Third, the seeding system is a little messed up. Pre-2012 when there was 1 wild card per league, the wild card team would play the team with the best record in each respective league, unless those two teams were in the same division. That could partly protect two really good teams from one division from having one of them eliminated in the first postseason round. In today's system, either the Mets or the Dodgers (who are 4 and 5 games behind the Central division's 3rd-place Cubs, respectively) will for sure end up in the National League Championship Series. Meanwhile, only one team out of the NL Central division (who has the top 3 teams in all of baseball) will make it to that series.

I understand the arguments in favor of the current system. There is incentive to win the division, because otherwise you have to burn your #1 pitcher in order to win the play-in game. I understand that more fan bases can get excited about the postseason because there's a whole other team who makes the playoffs in each league. I understand that MLB makes more money by having another game, and the accompanying hype and ratings that come with it. But based on the design of the sport and the season, it just doesn't make sense.

Maybe one of these days I'll be foolish enough to explain why instant replay in baseball is terrible for everyone...