Four hours before the 2020 MLB season finally was set to begin, the league reportedly changed its playoff format Thursday for this 60-game season. That somehow is a real sentence, but nothing should be surprising when it comes to sports as a whole right now.
MLB playoffs would now expand from 10 teams to 16 this year. ESPN's Buster Olney reported all second-place teams would qualify for the playoffs, and the seventh and eighth teams would then be chosen by the best record among the remaining teams. USA Today's Bob Nightengale also reported instead of a wild card game, the playoffs would start with best-of-three first-round matchups.
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This should be big news for many MLB teams, as over half the league now will make the playoffs. And it also benefits one of the top teams in baseball -- the A's.
Despite being one of the best teams in the game the past few years, the A's notoriously have started slow, which has kept them stuck in the AL Wild Card Game. The A's were just 30-30 through the first 60 games last season, sitting at .500. But over their final 60 games, they went 39-21, sweeping powerhouses like the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
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Oakland won 97 games for the second straight season last year, and then fell in the wild card game for the second straight season as well. It was an emphasis throughout the offseason to avoid the dreaded one-game playoff, and that reportedly already has happened before the season even began. A three-game playoff series is perfect for the A's, too.
By the time the playoffs begin, top prospect Jesus Luzardo should be well entrenched in the A's starting rotation. That gives Oakland a 1-2 punch of Frankie Montas and Luzardo to open the playoffs. Good luck to whoever is hoping to beat that duo. Montas and Luzardo easily could be two of the dirtiest starting pitchers in the league, and will be fresh for a postseason run after a short regular season.
The wild card game is incredibly random, which brings tons of excitement, but hurts plenty of teams. A three-game series, however, could turn into the A's own mini Home Run Derby. Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Matt Olson, Khris Davis, Mark Canha and Stephen Piscotty can flip a series with their power. That doesn't even include Ramon Laureano, who hit 24 dingers last year.
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Any of the A's bats can get red-hot in a three-game series. Oakland no doubt has one of the deepest lineups in the league, and one that should be fun to watch day in and day out this season.
The A's blew 32 saves last season, the worst in baseball. They were a .500 team after 60 games. And still, they finished with the fifth-most wins in the AL. This new format gives them more wiggle room early on, and an even better chance to get over the hump and win their first World Series since the Loma Prieta earthquake.