Phillies Magic Number and NL Postseason Seed Thread

[zambonir]

I can't imagine that matters very much now. And even in the old days you can't set your ad rates based on those one-off viewerships even when within sweeps.

[donaldorc]

I'm indifferent on the expanded play-off format. Having said that, I'd like to see a shorter regular season like EFf.

[zambonir]

Hey what if they did it like the minors (first-half and second-half)?

[julio]

Hey what if they did it like the minors (first-half and second-half)?

First half and second half leaders from each division is 12 teams, assuming no duplication. If there is duplication, what do you do? Add remaining teams with the best overall record (in each league? Overall?) until you get 12 teams? Seed based on overall record?

Also...trying to think about unanticipated consequences here... What kind of behaviors (roster, etc.) could we expect first-half winners to undertake in the second half of the season, if they're guaranteed a post-season berth as of mid-July? Potential impact on trade deadline behavior?

[zambonir]

Well, ideally you'd go back to two divisions. And then yeah any duplication would essentially become the extra wild card.

I think if one was really serious about it, those consequences would be intended. For sure it would change the trade deadline.

In the minors I guess the point is that the rosters change so greatly, both throughout the year and roughly at the break?

[BostonRoss]

What's good for the owners is often not what's good for baseball.

[EastFallowfield]

The 1981 split season was weird to begin with, but having wrapped up a playoff spot in the first half made the second half just like an endless spring training.

[andyb]

Yeah. It is different in the minors because the second half team is sometimes completely difference like with Clearwater this season.

[EastFallowfield]

Someone on the Good Phight made a good point. Mets look like a winner tonight, say the Phils win tonight too, magic number goes to 3.

Phils win tomorrow and they clinch because they'd have the tiebreaker going up on the Mets 7-3 for the season with 3 left, even though the old fashioned magic number would go to 1.

[zambonir]

Well, now it's a tie game for us.

Germane to julio's point, I was kind of tempted to try and get to Queens to see them clinch, but that didn't seem like a good enough reason (even though it would be fun to go to any Phillies-Mets games in Queens in a vacuum.

It would be fun if they could clinch the bye - or even better, the #1 - at home against the Cubs.

[EastFallowfield]

You can see NYC from my front yard but it feels like it takes as long to get to Flushing as it does to get to CBP. But I am tempted but was thinking it couldn't be tomorrow and there's a chance it could be if that tiebreaker math is right.

[zambonir]

Yeah I go to Manhattan pretty often but Flushing is a whole extra leg. I mean, if this had been a seasonlong division race between the two teams or if it had ever actually gotten close, different story. Even the atmosphere at CBP on Friday wasn't that great IMO, though it would have been had the game gone differently, and I'm sure it was on Saturday and Sunday.

Last Phillies-Mets game I went to in Queens Hector Neris was still on the team and Ranger was still in the bullpen. If memory serves they both blew saves (or maybe Ranger blew the save and Hector took a loss).

[EastFallowfield]

My standard Phils at Mets storiy is the Brunteltt unassisted triple play. game.

[zambonir]

I was at Shea the night Kevin Jordan fouled off all those balls during Whitey's last game

[EastFallowfield]

OK, I saw Joe Blanton's Phils debut, Phils scored 6 in the 9th to win 8-6. A big moment for So Taguchi and a few more familiar 2008 names.

[EastFallowfield]

Anyway, a loss tonight pushes a potential clinch to at least Friday, the AppleTV game.

[zambonir]

The classic Milwaukee troll, even if it's not called Miller Park anymore

Outside the visiting clubhouse at American Family Field were multiple cases of unopened bottles of Budweiser.

How an obscure rule could have led to interesting ending to Wednesday’s game vs....

[EastFallowfield]

We skip Harper and Clemens and all the other possible 3s and 2s thanks to synching the 1st place win with the 2nd place loss and getting the tiebreaker vs the Mets all at the same time.

[MichaelJackSchmidt]

[el-pietro]

Updating this after last night
The Phillies currently have 92 wins.
The Dodgers have 62 losses. Their highest win total they can reach is 100. Phillies have the tiebreaker so magic number for the #1 Seed is 8.
The Brewers have 66 losses. The highest win total they can reach is 96. Phillies have the tiebreaker so magic number for the guaranteed bye is 4.
The Mets have 69 losses. The highest win total they can reach is 93. Phillies have the tiebreaker, so magic number for the NL East is 1.
The Braves have 71 losses. The highest win total they can reach is 91. The Phillies have clinched a playoff spot via the last wild card spot at minimum