No matter what, if the Giants win, they take the NL West crown. --If the Padres win Sunday and the Braves lose, the Padres and Giants would tie for the National League West title, but the Padres would get the N.L. West seed in the playoffs by virtue of their 13-5 head-to-head edge on the Giants this season. The Padres would also have the home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs against the Cincinnati Reds because the Padres held a 4-2 regular-season, won-loss advantage on the Reds. --If the Giants win and the Braves win, Atlanta would take the wild card and San Diego would be on the outside looking in. --If the Padres and the Braves both lose, San Diego would travel to Atlanta for a one-game playoff Monday to determine the NL wild-card winner. --And the most complicated scenario of all: If the Padres and Braves both win, meaning all three teams end the season with the same record, the Padres and Giants would battle it out in San Diego on Monday for the NL West title. The loser would then travel to Atlanta for a game Tuesday to determine the wild-card winner.
Are you sure about this? If the Padres win tomorrow and the Braves lose, the Giants and Padres play a one game playoff on Monday to determine the NL West winner and the wild card spot because Atlanta would be eliminated by virtue of being 1 game behind both teams. The Padres don't win the NL West because of their head to head record with the Giants.
from mlb.com If the Padres win and the Braves lose, then Atlanta is eliminated on Bobby Cox's final day as manager, and San Diego is declared West champion by virtue of head-to-head. The Padres would host Cincinnati in Game 1 of one NLDS on Thursday, and San Francisco would open Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies.
Well, if true, that's a new one for me. When the Giants won on Thursday and the Padres lost to the Cubs, the Giants were declared to have least clinched a tie for the NL West and a playoff would be required on Monday should the Padres sweep this weekends series. One game to play. We shall see!
wow....Objection...my apologizes I just read what you said at ESPN, SI and MLB.com.....so they can't all be wrong. lol
I'm sorry but that is about the dumbest thing I have ever heard that the Padres win the division by way of the tie breaker... and totally not fair to the Giants at all.
How would it not be fair to the Giants? Both teams would be in the playoffs.
If the Padres and Giants tied for the division and only 1 spot was available to make the playoffs, then they would hold a 1 game playoff to decide the division winner. But if both teams are already in the playoffs they are not going to hold a 1 game playoff to decide which one is the division winner and which one is the wild card. Head to Head in the regular season decides which is which.
Sounds pretty sane to me.
I understand. I just think when your messing with seeding, home field advantage and all that stuff....it should come down to a 1 game playoff.
Yeah, but another way to look at it is holding a 1 game playoff for 2 teams that are already in the playoffs seems kind of silly. I'm sure both teams would rather have the extra day off to rest.
In the scenario where the Padres win and the Braves lose and the Padres and Giants finish with identical records, the Padres should be awarded the Division Title based on their record against the Giants in the regular season. Head to Head should count for something and in this scenario it would.