First Round of the MLB Postseason

The MLB postseason started this week, with a new and improved playoff format after the awkwardness of last year's format. Now the first round consists of eight best of three match-ups in what is being calloed the "wild card" round, with the top two teamss in each league getting a bye into the division round.

All four match-ups resulted in two-game sweeps, and I was generally pleased with the results. The Rangers ousted the Rays 4-0 and 7-1. The attendance at the Rays stadium for the first game was a paltry 19,704, the lowest for a non-COVID playoff game since 1919! The lack of support this year by the Rays' fans is disgusting. The average home attendance this year was 17,781, ranking the franchise 27th out of 30. Tampa Bay doesn't deserve a team, and the rest of the league doesn't deserve to be forced to play on the atrocious artifical turf, in the monstrocity known as Tropicana Field. MLB shoud move the Rays to a city that will appreciate them, as they are one of the best-run franchises in the league. In addition, the Rangers deserve sympathy because they were leading their division for the last part of the season, only to have it snatched away from them by the hated Astros on the last day of the season.

The Phillies beat the Marlins 4-1 and 7-1. Here again, we have a franchise in the Marlins whose fans don't appreciate them. Average hone attendance for the Marlins was a pitiful 14,355, next to last ahead of only Oakland. When is MLB going to realize that the Florida teams need to be moved? Florida has proven that it doesn't deserve any MLB teams. The Phillies, by contrast, have notoriously unruly fans, but at least the fans there care about the team, averaging over 30K per game, good for sixth in the league. And the Phillies owner has done everything he can to field a winner, opening his checkbook to sign top-flight free agents such as Bryce Harper and others. They deserve postseasson success.

Twins over Blue Jays, 3-1 and 2-0. Both of these teams have good fan bases, but the Twins have an awesome new ballpark and have achieved a lot for a team in such a small markiet. In addition, the Twins had an incredible record of losing 18 straight playoff games, so it's good to see them getting off on the right foot this year, winning their first playoff series in more than 20 years.

Diamondbacks over the Brewers, 6-3 and 5-2. The D-backs had a great year, as expected after their good offseason moves prior to the season. But I like the Brewers also, so no strong feelings about this match-up, although on balance I guess I have would preferred the Midwest, blue-collar Brewers to the desert-dwelling D-Backs.