Eastern League changing play-off format

charlieoscar

Member
Sep 28, 2014
1,339
Beginning tis season, the Eastern League will have the winner of the first half play the winner of the second half of a division play-off to see who plays for the championship, based on won-lost records, not winning percentage. If one team wins both halves, then the other play-off spot will be awarded to that team in the division that had the best full-season won-lost record (this doesn't quite make sense to me as the team that wins both halves would have the best won-lost record, no?).

Anyway, couldn't one or more teams actually have better full-season won-lost records than teams that won the first or second half? Say a team went 60-10 in the first half and 10-60 in the second half while another team went 10-60 and 60-10. A third team could go 100-40 for the season and not make the play-offs as I read things.
http://www.wfmz.com/news/berks/milb-s-eastern-league-adopts-split-season-format-for-2019/1033271467
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,853
Beginning tis season, the Eastern League will have the winner of the first half play the winner of the second half of a division play-off to see who plays for the championship, based on won-lost records, not winning percentage. If one team wins both halves, then the other play-off spot will be awarded to that team in the division that had the best full-season won-lost record (this doesn't quite make sense to me as the team that wins both halves would have the best won-lost record, no?).
Yes. I'm sure they meant the second best record.
 

pedro1918

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2004
5,139
Map Ref. 41°N 93°W
Anyway, couldn't one or more teams actually have better full-season won-lost records than teams that won the first or second half? Say a team went 60-10 in the first half and 10-60 in the second half while another team went 10-60 and 60-10. A third team could go 100-40 for the season and not make the play-offs as I read things.
http://www.wfmz.com/news/berks/milb-s-eastern-league-adopts-split-season-format-for-2019/1033271467
Yes. See the 1981 MLB strike shortened season. The Reds had the best record in MLB and did not make the playoffs. The Dodgers won the first half of the old NL West, and the World Series, and the Astros won the second half.



https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1981.shtml

https://clearthebases.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/baseballs-forgotten-team-the-1981-cincinnati-reds/
 
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charlieoscar

Member
Sep 28, 2014
1,339
I believe that some minor leagues used this method in the past but I cannot recall which ones...Actually, the Southern League does something like that now, but it goes by winning percentage and the second place finisher in a division will play the first place one if that club wins both halves. The Texas League is similar. California League...and I don't feel like looking through the rest.

When I first posted, I had an eye doctor's appointment looming and didn't have time to check things out.
 

Sad Sam Jones

Member
SoSH Member
May 5, 2017
2,499
The Midwest League (A-ball) has been doing this as long as I've followed it (2003 when the Indians moved their A-ball team to Lake County). I think it makes sense for the low-level minor leagues where the roster in August tends to be radically different than the one that started the season. Obviously, there's plenty of turn-over on all minor league rosters, but certainly less in AA/AAA. That said, there's something about this setup I just hate... and since I watch and follow the Akron RubberDucks more than any other minor league team, I really don't like this development.

*
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
39,447
Harrisburg, Pa.
I have season tickets to the Harrisburg Senators and this doesn’t really bother me much. Since they started putting a runner on 2nd in extras I gave up caring about overall win/loss records in any tangible way in MiLB.