AS CRAZY AS THE END OF THE SEASON CAN GET IN BASEBALL, IT CAN GET EVEN CRAZIER IF THEY ADD A ‘IF’ GAME TO THE REGULAR SEASON. HERE’S WHY IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR BASEBALL.
By Will Satler | wsatler@msudenver.edu | September 26th, 2018
COLORADO — It’s definitely a possibility. After the Rockies 10-1 win over the Phillies Tuesday night, they leapfrogged the Cardinals for the 2nd wild-card spot and pulled within a half-game of the Dodgers in the NL West after the Diamondbacks walked off on LA. With just 5 games left in the season for the Rox, if they continue to win-out (5-0, 2 more games against the Phillies and 3 against the Nationals) the worst they can do is play a game 163 in LA on Monday.
There are many confusing and random ways that not just one but two games could be added to the regular season for the MLB this season as it is still mathematically possible for a 5-team tie in the NL. We’ll keep it simple for your sake and mine, and talk about the many positive effects a game 163 could have for baseball if the Rockies and Dodgers tied for the NL West title.
Since LA holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rox, the theoretical game 163 would take place at Dodger Stadium Monday night. The winner would be crowned the division champ, a first in Colorado history, or a 6th straight for the Dodgers. The Rockies would most likely start youngster German Marquez (13-10, 3.91 ERA), who has been progressively getting better as the year has gone on. For the Dodgers, the projected started on a potential game on Monday would be Walker Buehler (8-5, 2.84 ERA) who had a strong first half, but while dealing with lower back pain, has struggled in the second half.
Not only will an extra game add revenue from the conditional TV and ticket sales, but it would essentially serve as a ‘pre-playoff’ playoff game. Fans from all over the nation would tune in Monday night as two teams battled for a division crown. If we wanted to make this more fun, add in the Brewers and Cardinals in their own additional game 163 for a wild-card spot, with the loser getting knocked out of the playoffs.
Since 2007, there have been 4 different game 163s, most notably when the Rockies and Padres met at Coors for arguably the best game in MLB history and ironically when current Rox manager Bud Black, the manager of the Padres, fell on a controversial play at home featuring Rox outfielder, Matt Holiday.
Whether we get a game 163 or not, there is not arguing whether the end of the 2018 season more specifically in the National League will be one we won’t soon forget. But hey, an extra day of baseball? Who’s complaining about that?
Will Satler 