MLB Playoff Schedule Announced

[RickD]

OK. Here for your reading pleasure and discussion is the insane playoff schedule set by MLB. Thanks for nothing Bud Selig.

The World Series begins on Wednesday, Oct. 24, in the National League city. Here's how MLB will get from 30 teams down to 10 playoffs teams, and finally two World Series participants:

• Wednesday, Oct. 3: Final day of regular season.
• Thursday, Oct. 4: One-game tiebreakers will be played, if necessary, to determine wild-card teams and division winners.
• Friday, Oct. 5: AL and NL wild-card teams to play one-game playoffs. TV: TBS
• Saturday, Oct. 6: AL and NL division series featuring two division winners get underway. TV: TBS or MLB Network.
• Sunday, Oct. 7: The other AL and NL division series, featuring wild-card survivors and top two division-winners begin. TV: TBS or MLB Network.
• Friday, Oct. 12: Possible Game 5s for second AL and NL division series are played.
• Saturday, Oct. 13: ALCS Game 1. TV: TBS
• Sunday, Oct. 14: NLCS Game 1. TV: Fox.
• Sunday, Oct. 21: Possible ALCS Game 7.
• Monday, Oct. 22: Possible NLCS Game 7.

The format is geared to punish wild-card teams, as they potentially could be forced to play three consecutive "win or go home games" on the final day of the season, a one-game tiebreaker and then the wild-card round.

One other wrinkle on the Division Series: For this year only, the five-game Division Series will be played in a 2-3 format, with the lower-seeded club getting the first two games at home. That's to eliminate a travel day between potential Games 4 and 5.

The Division Series will revert to a 2-2-1 format in 2013. By which time we'll have this format down pat.

That is, until Bud Selig has another itch he needs to scratch!

[Old Sweater]

Far cry from the days the World Series started in early October. Funny how they found room for 2 wild card games but never could for that stupid 5 game division series.

[RickD]

Forget rain, they'll have to shovel snow off the field to play the World Series.