As MLB playoffs expand, regular-season success matters less
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball views expanded playoffs as the more the merrier. Not for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. The National League’s four winningest teams failed to reach the League Championship Series, six months of accomplishment undone in just a few days. Philadelphia is vying to become the first third-place team to reach the World Series. Years of expansion have turned the Fall Classic into a monthlong tournament and the season into a prologue. Some players have complained about the expanded postseason format, saying it doesn’t benefit the top teams.
