MLB Playoffs Good & Bad Septembers Does It Matter?
By Mr. East
The Major League baseball Playoffs get started on Wednesday, so I thought I'd get you tuned in, to avoid the "trap" thinking that sends many a gambler down the road to destruction. You will here alot of the stuffed suits begin to talk about what teams exhausted themselves to get here, and do they have anything left? You will here them talk about how the Yankees, and Rays limped home, with no one apparently wanting the division. You'll hear about A.J. Burnett and his struggles, and how some teams finished strong, and others are playing poorly. Does it all mean anything? I'm here to tell you that is meaningless. Here is why I can confidently say that, with the proof to back it up.
Here are this year's World Series contenders and their respective records from September 1st on:
PHILA 23-7
SF 19-10
MINN 18-12
TEXAS 16-14
TB 15-15
ATL 14-16
CINN 14-16
NYY 13-17
Looking at the above one would wonder how 5 of these teams even made it here? It is the first time in the last 9 years 4 teams finished from September 1st to the close of the season at .500 or worse. Just 8 teams total from the previous 8 years. So again I ask, does it matter?
Here is a look at the best and the worst teams in the last 8 years from September 1st on, and their post-season records:
TEAMS THAT WON 20+ GAMES:
POST SEASON RECORD: 38-36
TEAMS THAT FINISHED FROM SEPTEMBER 1st ON AT .500 OR LESS:
POST SEASON RECORD: 35-34
So does it matter? Not by these numbers, in fact it may be better to finish poorly, because of the 9 teams that finished with 20+ wins, 3 were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, and 2 made a world series appearance, with 1 team winning it all.
Of the 8 teams that finished .500 or worse, 4 got knocked out in the first round, but 3 of the 8 made it to the World Series, with 1 winning it all, so the odds have shown the worst finishers, making World Series appearances 38% of the time, to the best finishers reaching the World Series 22% of the time!
So when you here the stuffed suits proclaiming how particular teams finished strong as their reason for them to make the World Series, you can chuckle, just like when they say a team is playing poorly and won't make it, you can chuckle as well, because now you know, it means NOTHING!....except the poor finisher has actually proven to be a better choice!
Philadelphia finished with the best overall mark of any of the 8 teams at 23-7. What does that mean? The last 8 years these teams have gone 34-32 in the post-season, so again it means nothing! The team with the best record down the stretch from September 1st on has won just 1 World Series in the last 8 years, so again it is meaningless.
So if you like a side in an October game, don't worry about how a team finished the season, as you can see, good or bad, it is absolutely meaningless, when it comes to the second season, the playoffs!