Expanding the postseason to two wild-card spots in each league was a decision that wasn’t met with overwhelming approval when it was announced, with some traditionalists decrying the evolution of the game.
But there’s nobody associated with the game today who can possibly think that it was a bad idea as we have more teams than ever before in the thick of the playoff hunt and less than a week of the regular season left to be played.
The wild-card round itself will be a thrilling set of games, as managers try to outsmart each other while keeping the Divisional Series in the back of their minds.
Should a team make any drastic changes to their lineup heading into a win-or-go-home wild-card game?
Who starts the most important game of the season, keeping in mind that whoever it is will not be available until later in the Divisional Series?
Let’s take a look.