Major League Baseball’s postseason kicked off on Tuesday. While it’s an exciting time for fans of the sport, there has been one notable absence from the baseball calendar over the past few seasons.
Game 163.
Once the league’s answer to ties in the standings, Game 163 was eliminated following the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2022. Instead, statistical tiebreakers have been implemented to determine the standings should ties occur.
Where’s the fun in that?
MLB was the only one of the four major American sports leagues to have this kind of tiebreaker game format, and now it’s gone. In addition, the Wild Card round has been changed from a one-game winner-take-all to a three-game series, which is not a problem on its own, but it removes the high stakes that come with playing one elimination game.
Take a look at the 2007 MLB season. The Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres tied for the final Wild Card spot in the National League (NL), which set up the first Game 163 since 1999. In a 13-inning thriller, the Rockies came out victorious with a 9-8 win, sending them to the playoffs while eliminating the Padres. That Rockies team went on to win the NL pennant and make the World Series, while the Padres did not return to the postseason until 2020.
The last year we saw a Game 163 was in 2018, and we were treated to two tiebreaker games. The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers squared off to decide the NL Central, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and Rockies played to determine the NL West. The Brewers and Dodgers emerged victorious in those games, eventually playing each other in the NL Championship Series. The Cubs and Rockies, meanwhile, went on to play the Wild Card game against each other, which Colorado won.
If anything, Game 163 is needed now more than ever. With an extra team having been added to the playoff format in the same CBA that eliminated the tiebreaker game, there have been plenty of scenarios where the tiebreaker game could have been played.
This season, the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets tied in the standings for the final Wild Card spot. The Reds advanced to the playoffs as they had the statistical tiebreaker, but they got swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, with neither game being particularly close.
Had there been Game 163, the two teams would have squared off this past Monday to decide who should play the Dodgers. The Mets roster had more offensive firepower than the Reds, which would’ve changed the whole series and the Dodgers’ strategy.
The point is, without Game 163, the sport is less exciting. Baseball fans love chaos, which is precisely what the tiebreaker game provides.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire after the 2026 MLB season. When the owners and the Players Association come to the table to reach a new deal, restoring Game 163 should be a priority.
Give the fans what they want.
Be First to Comment