The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees will make for a marquee MLB playoff matchup within the American League bracket.
However the bracket doesn’t arrange the best way you’d suppose. Regardless of the Rays having the perfect report within the AL, and the Yankees having the second-best report within the AL, they received’t be enjoying within the American League Championship Collection.
Somewhat than the ALCS, they get the ALDS — the American League Division Collection, one spherical earlier.
It’s the type of bracketing flaw that may have folks spend the following couple weeks discussing whether or not MLB ought to change all of its guidelines.
However for now, that is the best way it’s arrange.
MLB Playoff Bracket
That is how the bracket arrange earlier than AL Wild Card Collection winners had been decided:
- (1) Tampa Bay Rays
- Play winner of (4) New York Yankees v (5) Boston Pink Sox
- (2) Cleveland Guardians
- Play winner of (3) Houston Astros v (6) Chicago White Sox
We’ll clarify the seeds additional, however the first level right here is why it’s arrange like this to start with.
MLB doesn’t need the No. 1 seed in a state of affairs the place they’d play the 3-seed — even when it additionally has an opportunity of enjoying the 6-seed.
So that they find yourself in opposition to both the 4- or 5-seed within the ALDS, whereas the 2-seed might play the 3-seed however might additionally play the 6-seed.
Rays, Yankees Seeding
The Rays being the No. 1 seed is an easy one. That they had the perfect report in your entire American League. It means they received the AL East Division and bought the 1-seed, and the first-round playoff bye that got here with it.
The Yankees’ seeding is the place it will get bizarre.
Sure, the Yanks had been solely second place within the AL East Division. However in addition they had the second-best report in your entire American League behind the Rays.
If seeds had been achieved simply by report, the Yanks would’ve been the 2-seed. Not solely would they’ve prevented the Rays till the ALCS — in addition they would’ve gotten a bye.
The seeds don’t work like that, although.
MLB offers division winners the top-three seeds within the league it doesn’t matter what. So despite the fact that the Houston Astros had the worst report of the AL’s six playoff groups, they received the AL West Division, so that they bought the 3-seed.
There are actually questions concerning the flaws in that system.
What About Re-Bracketing By Seeds?
The one approach to play this out at the very least just a little in a different way could be to arrange the second-round matchups after the primary spherical.
On this case, the 6-seed White Sox upset the 3-seed Astros. The Rays received’t be going through the bottom seed nonetheless alive, as a result of the bracket was arrange on the semi-assumption that the higher seed Houston would win.
The league might resolve to have the worst remaining seed play the 1-seed within the ALDS, however that’s not the way it’s presently arrange.
So the Rays play a high-powered division rival within the Division Collection. It must be intense, even when it’s early.
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