The Los Angeles Dodgers staved off elimination on Wednesday by beating the San Diego Padres 8-0 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Had the Dodgers failed to win that game, they would have joined an increasingly long list of teams that received a bye to the Division Series, only to lose to a Wild Card team that had been playing without a layoff.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks Major League Baseball could help limit that advantage by making one relatively simple change. In Roberts’ view, extending the Division Series to make it a best-of-seven would reduce randomness and help nullify the disadvantage that teams have after byes.
“Right now, I wish it were seven games,” Roberts said, via Barry M. Bloom of Sportico. “Obviously the seven-game series certainly gives a better test of the opponents. We’ll see if we can work on that. But I definitely like the seven-game series for sure.”
Roberts added that a longer series would “absolutely” help remedy the effects of the five-day layoff the Dodgers dealt with between the end of the regular season and the start of the NLDS. The Padres played in the NL Wild Card series and had no such delay.
The expanded playoffs and Wild Card series debuted in 2022. Wild Card teams have had notable advantages, at least in the NL, where division winners are 0-5 against Wild Card teams since the format change, with the Philadelphia Phillies’ series loss to the New York Mets keeping the streak going Wednesday. The Dodgers have a chance to buck the trend in Game 5 with a win at home.
