Dave Roberts Seeks Change in NLDS Format as Dodgers Force Game 5
SAN DIEGO—Under the current MLB playoff format, division winners continue to be dropped like so many foul pop-ups in the stands. In the National League, Philadelphia and Milwaukee are already gone. In the American League, Houston is dead. Cleveland is trailing Detroit.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are hanging by a thread after defeating the San Diego Padres, 8-0, in an elimination game Wednesday at Petco Park, and are heading into an all-or-nothing Game 5 unsure of their starting pitcher. Only the New York Yankees find themselves with an advantage heading into Game 4 Thursday at Kansas City after beating the Royals Wednesday, 3-2.
It’s become clear after three years of this format that division winners come into the division series flat, having to sit around for five days while the wild card teams get to play. It’s no longer just a pattern, it’s a fact. No National League division winner has made it to the LCS in the current playoff structure.
