Ever since Major League Baseball instituted the one game wild card in 2012, there has been a controversy over if it was the right decision. In my opinion, the wild card was a great addition needed to add excitement to the game. It’s no secret that the long, 162 game regular, season detracts many people from watching the sport. Heading into the playoffs there is a need for excitement and a one game, winner take all wild card game is perfect for this.
There are few things in sports that are more exciting than an elimination game. This is why the wild card is a great idea, because there are no series in baseball that are guaranteed to go down to an elimination game. Starting off, a series with an elimination game is a great way to get people excited if they have no stake in the playoffs. March Madness and the National Football League playoffs are so popular because they only play one game, there is no tomorrow, it is either win and move on or lose and go home.
Look at the most recent wild card game, a match up between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. This was an epic game where the Twins jumped in front with a lead off home run by second baseman Brian Dozier. The Twins then jumped on Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino for two more runs before Yankees manager Joe Girardi went to his bullpen for the remaining 8 and 2/3 innings.
The Twins pitcher Ervin Santana started off with a three run lead, but quickly let the Yankees tie the game back up thanks to a Didi Gregorius’s three run home run. This is an example of what makes the wild card so exciting. In a normal game, the manager would typically let their starter go and hope he can pitch deeper in the game to save the bullpen. In a game that matters as much as this elimination game did both managers quickly turned to their bullpens and brought their best pitchers into the game in hope of shutting down the opposing offense.
Critics claim that it can be unfair to teams because their whole season comes down to one game. I’d argue that it is not unfair, the wildcard teams should be happy to be there in the October dance. Allowing time for a wild card series would be unfair for division winners who would have an unnecessary long break between games. The wild card game actually makes baseball fairer because, now, ten out of thirty teams are now eligible to play in the post season instead of the previous eight.
Baseball’s wild card game is a great boon to fans of the game because every single pitch matters. Baseball has been around for almost two centuries, hence the name America’s pastime, during this time frame there have been many changes to the game. Some of the changes have been good for the game and others have been bad. The wild card game that was put in place five seasons ago is great for the sport of baseball. It provides excitement to the fans and makes the payoff race more competitive for the teams.
This change to the playoff format is one that Major League Baseball should not change.
