By the way...I feel like now's a good time to point out that since Rob Manfred is all-in on playoff expansion....
If the MLB's 16-team playoff plan were in place right now, we would have
- All eight spots clinched in the AL (the division winners, WC contenders, and Oakland), with those teams having nothing to play for except seeding, and
- Seven of eight spots clinched in the NL (division winners, WC leaders, Reds, and Phillies), with San Diego and the Mets fighting in the vaunted Battle Of Two Sub-.500 Teams That Stopped Winning Games Around Labor Day.
If the MLB's 14-team playoff plan were in place right now (1 seed gets a bye, 2-7 play the WC round, higher seeds get to choose their opponent), we would have
- Six of seven spots clinched in the AL, with Toronto and the fading Oakland squad in play for the seventh seed with a magic number of 1
- Six of seven playoff teams set in the NL, but LA and SF still fighting for the number 1 seed (with magic number 2) and Philly and the sleepwalking San Diego team in play for the seventh seed (with a magic number of 1).
So kind of like the current September setup but with most of the interesting races replaced by less interesting races. Feel the excitement!