If the Red Sox Were Eliminated

If Today's Format Were Used in 1978, It Would Have Been So Different

Sep 20, 2007

If today's playoff structure were used in 1978, the differences would have been beyond radical.

This is what the final standings would have looked like if there were three divisions in 1978:

American League East

American League Central

American League West

Brewers and Red Sox in the First Round

The Yankees would win the American League Eastern Division title by virtue of beating the Red Sox in head-to-head competition, while the Texas Rangers would win the American League West title by beating California in a playoff game (or maybe it would be the other way around). The first round of playoffs would pit the Yankees against Rangers and the Brewers against the Red Sox.

Red Sox Would Be The Wild Card Team

Many baseball writers and fans have complained that the three division format that creates the need for a fourth team or a “wild card” team hurts the game. They are wrong. The new format creates excitement and rewards teams that want to win but were not good enough to win using the old format.

Fans in Milwaukee, whose team was moved from the old Eastern Division to the newly created Central Division, would have experienced a nail-biting division race that ended with the Brewers edging out the Royals by a mere game. Two of the divisions ended in ties, but an advantage of the new format is that there is a playoff game only to decide if a team gets into the playoffs. Since the Red Sox made the playoffs as the “wild card,” there would be no Yankees-Red Sox playoff game, but Texas and California had to play one game to determine which team would get into the playoffs.

The Real 1978 Final Standings

American League East

American League West

Royals Would Not Even Be In The Playoffs

The Royals won the Western Division in 1978, but using today’s format, they would not have been in the playoffs. The Brewers had a better record than the Royals, but because the Yankees and Red Sox were in their division and each had a better record, the Brewers didn’t make the playoffs. The Yankees played the Royals in the American League playoff series in 1978, but using today’s format, they would have played Texas. The Royals would not have made the playoffs.

The Game Would Not Have Been Played

But of greatest significance is the fact that in 1978, losing the Eastern Division title to the Yankees in a one game playoff eliminated the Red Sox, but under today’s format, there never would have been a one game playoff between the Yankees and Red Sox for the Eastern Division title. The Yankees would not go to Boston and on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, face former teammate Mike Torrez in one game for all the marbles. The drama of Ron Guidry, who had one of the greatest seasons any pitcher ever had, putting it all on the line for one game, would never have taken place. The tension of Carl Yastrzemski facing Rich Gossage with two outs, runners on first and third and the Yankees leading 5-4 would never have been. And Bucky Dent would never have had the opportunity to hit his home run.

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