The Royals are on the cusp of creating the playoffs for the primary time since they received all of it in 2015. Again in these days, baseball had an thrilling one-game winner-take-all matchup of Wild Card groups, a format that benefitted the Royals once they defeated the Athletics in 2014.
However the playoff format since then has modified. In 2022, baseball added a 3rd Wild Card group, and restructured the playoffs to get away from the one-game playoff and supply extra incentives to complete among the many prime two groups in every league. Below the brand new format, six groups in every league make the post-season. The highest three seeds are the three division winners, whereas the underside three seeds are the Wild Card groups which have the very best file amongst non-division winners. So the #4 seed may have a greater file than the #3 seed, however shall be seeded decrease as a result of they didn’t win their division. This may virtually actually be the case within the American League with the Japanese Division runner-up prone to end with a greater file than the Western Division-leading Houston Astros (the truth is, the Royals are presently the second Wild Card group, and so they have a greater file than the Astros).
The highest two groups in every league could have a bye in the course of the Wild Card battles. The #3 seed (the worst division winner) will host the #6 seed (the worst Wild Card group) whereas the #4 seed (the very best Wild Card group) will host the #5 seed (the second-best Wild Card group). The collection shall be a best-of-three recreation collection with no days off, with all video games performed on the residence stadium of the upper seed. The video games would happen the Tuesday-Thursday following the top of the season.
That is what the American League playoffs would appear to be with the present standings.
#1 seed New York Yankees (87-63) – BYE
#2 seed Cleveland Guardians (86-64) – BYE
#6 seed Minnesota Twins (79-70) at #3 seed Houston Astros (81-68)
#5 seed Kansas Metropolis Royals (82-68) at #4 Baltimore Orioles (84-66)
The Royals presently path the Guardians by three video games for the Central Division, which may give them the #2 seed. They path the Orioles by two video games for the highest Wild Card spot, the #4 seed. They’ve a 2.5 recreation lead on the Twins for the #6 seed. So in the event that they wish to be assured any residence video games within the playoffs, they’ll must catch both the Orioles or Guardians.
This format could seem a bit unfair to the lower-seeded groups to get no residence video games, however thus far the decrease seed has received 5 of the eight collection. The truth is, three pennant winners within the final two World Collection started as lower-seeded groups within the Wild Card spherical – the 2022 Phillies, the 2023 Diamondbacks, and the 2023 champion Texas Rangers.
The winners of the Wild Card spherical advance to the League Divisional Collection, a extra conventional best-of-five recreation collection with the upper seed internet hosting video games 1, 2, and 5 (if obligatory), and the decrease seed internet hosting video games 3, and 4. The winner of the #3 vs. #6 collection will play the #2 seed, whereas the winner of the #4 vs. #5 collection will play the #1 seed, with no re-seeding if upsets happen. The 2 winners will face off within the League Championship Collection, with the winner advancing to the World Collection. Dwelling-field benefit for the World Collection shall be primarily based on greatest file.
Baseball has additionally eradicated tiebreaker video games, so if two groups tie for the ultimate post-season spot, there’ll not be a “recreation 163” to find out who will get in. MLB will as a substitute use their tiebreaker system, with head-to-head data as the primary tiebreaker. The Royals presently have tiebreakers over the Guardians and Tigers, however should not have tiebreakers over the Orioles, Yankees, Astros, or Twins.
What do you consider the brand new format? Is there a matchup you’d desire for the Royals? One you’d like them to keep away from?
