Manfred said he would feel the same about the playoff structure regardless who the top contenders might beGETTY IMAGES
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred supports the current postseason format that includes the Wild Card game and is not concerned with the prospect of either the Red Sox or Yankees being potentially relegated to the one-game playoff this fall despite having more than 100 wins. He said, "We wanted to make sure we did everything possible that teams played hard through our 162-game season. We take great price in that our regular season is meaningful" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). Manfred also stressed that he "would feel the same about the playoff structure regardless who the top contenders might be" (NEWSDAY, 7/18). In Boston, Nick Cafardo writes if the Yankees and Red Sox "ever lost that one-game wild-card game, the fan base of either side would go absolutely crazy." They would "rail against the system and demand a change in the format." However, Manfred "isn’t about to bend or change anything." These are the "rules as we know them and Manfred is big on following the rules." He is "not going to melt under public pressure." He "tried to create a system in which the wild-card team has some type of disadvantage and this would be it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/18). Also in Boston, Steve Buckley notes there is some "pearl-clutching going on by people who see it as unfair that a team could win 100-plus games and yet suffer the indignity of having its fate determined by a one-game playoff." These are "called 'dumb' people." They "don’t get it, don’t see the big picture, don’t see any picture." Buckley: "Kudos to the commissioner for sticking up for the wild card" (BOSTON HERALD, 7/18).
