Ray’s Ramblings: The Length of the MLB Season

Don Larson threw a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series on October 8^th, 1956. We’re nowhere close to the World Series in 2023. Ray Flowers starts his discussion speaking about the length of the MLB schedule and if any changes should be made?

Would a reduction to 144 or 154 games help?

Beyond the regular, what about the idea of extending all playoff series to five or seven games? We play 162 games to get to – a three game playoff series to start? That would be akin to the wildcard round of football games being less than two quarters of football (three of 162 games is roughly two percent, and two percent of 17 games for the NFL regular season is less than half a game). Does any of this seem right to you?

Further, with all the injuries, the deeper we get into the playoffs the more the rosters begin to resemble teams of players we have to look up in the guidebook.

The Jays are, rightfully in my mind, getting smashed for their decision to remove a rolling Jose Berrios after less than 50 pitches and three shutout innings. Manager John Schneider said: “There are a lot of numbers involved and there are a lot of opinions involved.” GM Ross Atkins didn’t give the manager any shade either. “Those meetings are John Schneider’s meetings,” he said. “He has a staff that gives him info he’s asking for. We’re not funneling info into his decision-making.” Further, “John Schneider made the decision to deploy that.”

Is this the game we want to see in the playoffs?

The @Phillies used 7 pitchers in their 3-0 win against Atlanta yesterday.

It was just the third time that seven or more pitchers appeared for a team in a postseason shutout.#Postseason | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/aAsk0UUXT4

— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) October 8, 2023

Ray then talks about the playoff plight of the great Clayton Kershaw.

MLB Postseason Starts w/ 0.1 IP or Less & 6+ Earned Runs Allowed, All-Time:

Clayton Kershaw, LAD – 2023 NLDS G1 vs Ari
Mike Foltynewicz, Atl – 2019 NLDS G5 vs StL
Gil Heredia, Oak – 2000 ALDS G5 vs NYY

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 8, 2023

Kershaw Reg. Season: 2.48 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4.40 K/BB, .695 Win%
Kershaw Post Season: 4.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 4.18 K/BB, .500 Win%