Dodgers News: Joe Musgrove's Comments On Playoff Format May Show Glaring Issues
When the playoffs begin ever team has a new fresh start. It doesn't matter what you did in the regular season, only what you do in the postseason.
The MLB playoffs becomes a bit tricky especially in the divisional series as a series goes the best of five instead of a best of seven. Teams just have to play there best for three games, which is exactly what the Padres did to the Dodgers.
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove spoke about their series win over the Dodgers and it may open up some conversations of how the playoff format truly is (quotes via Ian O'Connor, New York Post).
“We got beat up on pretty good by these guys this year, and as a kid growing up I sat in those stands and I watched us get beat up by those guys for years. So to be able to knock them off in this round — it’s probably better that we had to face them in a five-game series than a seven. But you’re seeing this team starting to find its identity and really turn it on here down the stretch.”
Even with the Dodgers having the Padres number all season long, it didn't matter. The Dodgers had extra time off due to their great regular season and it allowed the Padres to come off their Wild Card series ready to play the Dodgers and win in just three games.
Rather than punishing the worst teams, the better teams sooner become punished if they are off just a couple games. There's no excuse for poor postseason play, but this may lead to conversations of changing it to all best of seven through the entire postseason similar to the NBA.
It's hard to imagine immediate changes. It's also easy to argue that if you don't win an early round series that you even belong in the postseason.