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Three Way Tiebreaker Rules

Benjamin Grimm Sep 16 2016 05:19 PM MLB Tiebreaker rules

Just in case this comes to pass, here's how MLB breaks ties in the standings: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/59527184/ ... ker-rules/ The Mets finished the season series with a 4 games to 3 advantage over the Giants. They split 3-3 against the Cardinals. So if the Mets and the Giants tie for the two Wild Card spots, it's easy. The do-or-die game will be played at Citi Field. If the Mets and Cardinals tie for the two spots, then it gets more complicated. They'd have to look at the interdivisional record, and right now the Cardinals have the advantage. The Mets are 33-30 against teams in the N.L. East, and the Cards are 36-30 against teams in the Central. So this is something else we can watch, if we care to.

Edgy MD Sep 16 2016 06:05 PM Re: MLB Tiebreaker rules

That's kind of goofy. They're competing in a league-wide race, so it should be their records in the league that distinguishes them. How they fared in the division should count in a division race.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 16 2016 06:30 PM Re: MLB Tiebreaker rules

You're right, but I think I interpreted this correctly: Determining Home-Field Advantage in Two-Team Tiebreakers 1. Head-to-head winning percentage during the regular season. 2. Higher winning percentage in intradivision games. 3. Higher winning percentage in intraleague games. 4. Higher winning percentage in the last half of intraleague games. 5. Higher winning percentage in the last half plus one intraleague game, provided that such additional game was not between the two tied clubs. Continue to go back one intraleague game at a time until the tie has been broken. And then there's this: Three-Club Tie for Two Wild Card Spots: After Clubs have been assigned their A, B and C designations, Club A would host Club B. The winner of the game would be declared one Wild Card winner. Club C would then host the loser of the game between Club A and Club B to determine the second Wild Card Club. It's not possible for all three teams to have the same record against each other, as the Mets and Cardinals each play the Giants seven times, but they only played each other six times. I'm not even going to try to interpret this yet, because there are still three games to be played between the Cards and Giants. By Monday morning the picture will be more clear and then maybe I'll take a crack at it. All I can say is that it's possible that one of the teams will have a 5-2 advantage over the other, and that a 4-3 Cardinals advantage over the Giants may be better (or worse) for the Mets than a similar advantage for the Giants. 2. Three Clubs Do Not Have Identical Records Against One Another • If Club 1 has a better record against Clubs 2 and 3, and Club 2 has a better record against Club 3, then Club 1 chooses its designation, followed by Club 2. • If Club 1 has a better record against Clubs 2 and 3, and Club 2 and 3 have identical records against one another, then Club 1 chooses its designation. Clubs 2 and 3 would follow the two-Club tiebreak rules to break their tie to pick the next designation. • If Club 1 and 2 have identical records against one another, but each has a better record against Club 3, then Clubs 1 and 2 would follow the two-Club tiebreak rules to break their tie to pick the first designation. • If Club 1 has a better record against Club 2, Club 2 has a better record against Club 3, and Club 3 has a better record against Club 1; OR Club 1 has a better record against Club 2, Club 2 and 3 have identical records against one another and Club 3 has a better record against Club 1; OR Club 1 and 2 have identical records against one another, Club 1 has a better record against Club 3 and Club 2 and 3 have identical records against one another, then: a. The Clubs will be ranked by their overall winning percentage amongst the other Clubs combined. The Club with the highest overall winning percentage in that group chooses its designation, followed by the team with the next highest overall winning percentage. b. If two of the Clubs have identical winning percentages, then they would follow the two-Club tiebreak rules to break their tie to pick their designation. c. If all three teams have identical winning percentages, then the tiebreak rules above (No. 1) for three clubs having identical records against one another should be followed.

d'Kong76 Sep 16 2016 06:33 PM Re: MLB Tiebreaker rules

I don't think my heart is safe enough for tiebreaker scenarios. Just win, baby!

Lefty Specialist Sep 16 2016 08:20 PM Re: MLB Tiebreaker rules

Well, considering the other teams in the NL East, they should have a much better record than 33-30.

Chad Ochoseis Sep 17 2016 02:37 AM Re: MLB Tiebreaker rules

I'm interpreting the 3 way tie thusly: If the Cardinals finish with a better season record than the Giants, Mets and Cardinals play. Winner gets 1st WC, loser goes to SF to play for 2nd WC. Location of the Mets- Cardinals game is based on intradivision record. If the Giants finish with a better season record than the Cardinals, that wacky last bullet point applies, and the next step is to compare each team's total record against the other two. So the Mets are 7-6, the Cardinals are definitely below .500, and the Giants are at least 7-7 in their 14 total games against the Mets and Cards. Mets play the Giants for WC1, loser goes to Busch to play for WC2. Location of Mets-Giants is Citi if the Giants are 4-3 against the Cardinals on the season, SF if they're better than 4-3. Bottom line is that the Mets will either finish first or second in the 3-way tiebreaker, which is important because the first two teams get two chances to play in, while the third team plays one must-win game at home.

Chad Ochoseis Sep 19 2016 12:19 PM Re: MLB Tiebreaker rules

The tiebreakers are now decided. By splitting the four game series with the Giants, the Cardinals win the season series 4-3. Since the Cardinals and Mets both beat the Giants head to head, the Giants lose all tiebreakers. The Cardinals win a Mets-Cardinals tiebreaker, since the Cardinals can't both play two games better than the Mets over the remaining 13 and play 1 1/2 games worse in their 10 remaining intradivision games. But all this means is that a WC game or a play-in game for the WC would be played in St. Louis, where the Cardinals are 33-41.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 21 2016 04:30 PM

http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/21/m ... k-the-tie/ The Mets record against its divisional foes might come into play. So these losses to the Braves are worse then they appear to be.

sharpie Sep 21 2016 05:08 PM Re: Three Way Tiebreaker Rules

The rules are idiotic. There is no serious downside to losing the first round as you are guaranteed a second chance (if you are Team A or B). Should be B vs. C, loser out. B/C winner vs. A, loser out.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 21 2016 05:17 PM Re: Three Way Tiebreaker Rules

The Post does a nice job of explaining what would happen: If the Mets are in a three-way tie for the two wild card spots … The three teams choose or receive A, B and C designations, determined by the tiebreakers enumerated above. It is assumed the Cardinals and Mets, owning the head-to-head edge over the Giants, would choose the designations that give them two chances to make the postseason. In that case, on Monday, Oct. 3, the Cardinals (team A) would host the Mets (team B) in the first game. The winner of the game advances to the playoffs as the host team in the Wild Card Game. On Tuesday, Oct. 4, the loser of that game would travel to face the Giants (team C) in San Francisco. The winner of that game earns the second wild card and becomes the road team in the Wild Card Game the following day. So here’s the most dramatic scenario that conceivably awaits the Mets: They close the regular season on Oct. 2 in Philadelphia, and it results in a three-way wild-card tie. They play in St. Louis on Oct. 3 — and lose. They play in San Francisco on Oct. 4 — and win. They play in St. Louis again on Oct. 5 for the Wild Card game. I'm assuming that the October 3 and 4 games would be officially regular season games, which means that the Mets (or Giants or Cardinals) could potentially have a 164-game season.

Chad Ochoseis Sep 21 2016 06:42 PM Re: Three Way Tiebreaker Rules

sharpie wrote: The rules are idiotic. There is no serious downside to losing the first round as you are guaranteed a second chance (if you are Team A or B). Should be B vs. C, loser out. B/C winner vs. A, loser out. And the thought is that there's no "wild card" game - whoever wins goes on to play in the divisional series. That gives A a 50% chance of making it to the divisional series, and B & C each 25% chances (assuming all three teams are evenly matched and that home field doesn't give an advantage). The WC winner definitely has played two games to get to the divisional series The current rules give A and B each a 37.5% chance of making it to the divisional series and C a 25% chance (same assumptions). The WC winner has played either two games or three games (if, for example, A loses to B in the first play-in, A beats C in the second play-in, and A beats B in the WC game). So they may go into the divisional series with the pitching staff completely not set up well. I prefer the current rules, as the B vs C, loser out, etc. approach gives too much of a reward to A for winning the tiebreaker. The three teams played dead even through the season. The tiebreaker should give as little advantage as workable. The Mets record against its divisional foes might come into play. So these losses to the Braves are worse then they appear to be. Nope. It's mathematically impossible for the Mets to simultaneously tie the Cardinals for the regular season and have a better divisional record at this point. That article ridiculously complicated the issue.

TransMonk Sep 22 2016 09:42 PM Re: Three Way Tiebreaker Rules

Per 538.com, There’s A 10 Percent Chance Of A Three-Way MLB Wild-Card Tie