MLB Could Nix One-Game Playoff

The 2010 season was the first of the last three baseball seasons that didn't include a one-game playoff to settle a postseason spot. In both 2008 and 2009 the AL Central needed one more game to decide its division champion, and baseball fans were provided with what essentially served as an extra game seven.

Hopefully you enjoyed those games, because according to a report in the Chicago Tribune, those tiebreaker games will soon be going the route of the dodo bird and seven-team divisions.

At least when it comes to deciding division races.

Apparently MLB is looking into the idea of expanding the postseason from eight teams to 10, which would mean that each league would have two wild card berths. They'd also be utilizing a system much like the one used in the NFL to determine tiebreakers, with head-to-head play being the main factor.

As for how MLB would address the issue of having five teams, the current plan would be to have the two wild cards in each league face each other in a best-of-three series or possibly just a one-game playoff.

Personally I'd prefer that MLB just kept the postseason to eight teams and expanded all rounds to seven-game series, but it doesn't seem that option is being discussed. I understand why MLB and Bud Selig would want to add more teams as it keeps the playoff race that much more interesting in September, and more teams in the running means more fans showing up to parks, which means more money.

I'm also not sure I like the idea of a three-game series as it leaves the other six teams with a lot of time to sit around and not do anything. Which also means that the playoffs could continue to creep further into November, making them a lot longer than they need to be.