I may be in the minority, but I think the “one and done” wild card games are the best. It basically guarantees two games a year that are essentially “Game 163”, and who doesn’t like a game 163? It’s 9 innings of desperation from both sides that keeps fans on the edge of their seats. Yeah, it sucks that there’s the chance that you’re bounced out of the playoffs after one game, especially after a long season, but that’s why it’s so important to win the division.
Both teams involved in the AL Wild Card game had their opportunities to win their respective divisions, but failed to do so. On one hand, the A’s collapsed so badly in August and September that they almost missed the playoffs (they were tied for the division lead on August 25 and ended up finishing behind the Angels by 10 games), while on the other hand, the Royals couldn’t put away the Tigers at the end of the season, losing 4 of their last 6 games against them, and going 6-13 against Detroit over the course of the season. Continue reading