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LrkrBoi30 sez,

M's would have to play KC for the right to be the WC2 and play the WC1 in an elimination game, even though we won the head-to-head series. They only use the tiebreaker to determine home field advantage, not an actual playoff birth (so at least we would host the play-in for the play-in)

Evidence: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/59527184/playoff-tiebreaker-rules

Keep up the good work! I had a birthday recently so I upgraded from LurKrBoi29, by the way.

...

You're right.  Thanks for the correction.  :- )

I can't find the link I mis-read, but it doesn't matter ... I shoulda remembered the 2013 season.  It wasn't all that long ago.  Texas and Tampa both won 91 games, tying for the second Wild Card, and they played a game to decide the #5 WC ... interestingly, the season series was 4-4 between them.  But if MLB used tiebreakers here, they'd have gone to tiebreaker #2 rather than playing a game.

Thanks amigo.

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By the way, "LrKrBoi29" had been Dr. D's wry protest about the guys who read the shtick obsessively while sniffing at it on other sites.  Also, LrKrBoi29 frequently tries to marginalize the Think Tank at SSI while, of course, never daring to show up and defend his own positions in debate.

But ... :- )  Back when Newt Gingrich was running the House, the Democrats scoffingly began calling him "Mr. Newt" in reference to his overblown self-opinion.  The conservative talk shows started calling him "Mr. Newt" in a completely different sense, and the happier sense assimiliated the dour sense.

Same with Ichiro. When he first got here, USSM called him "Ichiro!" in an attempt to convey the idea that Soccer Mom overrated him so much.  Then came the huge successes, the 5-WAR seasons, and even USSM started calling him Ichiro! in a good-natured sense.

If a coupla guys show up and flip Dr. D's use of "LrKrBoi29" onto its keister, he'll be delighted!

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SABRMatt sez,

The problem isn't the last two games for me ... the problem is that the Royals have 3 games against Detroit and then 11 games against no-one even remotely good while we get the hot blue jays for 4 the THERMO-NUCLEAR Angels for 7 and the annoyingly effective Astros for three. 

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Another point with traction.  That's why they call it a Think Tank.  :- )

• Astros have been tough on us
• Angels are better than Detroit, even in Stretch Drive Mode
• Hadn't realized the Blue Jays were so hot ...

Ya, if KC's schedule is that much easier than the M's, and if the M's need to gain TWO games on the Royals to get a clear WC game, then ... that takes a lot of luster off of --- > the M's position as of Sept. 15, 2014.  Let me read that last phrase again.

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All that stuff about "it's just a Wild Card game" is self-evidently bankrupt.  We have been enjoying the entire two months of August and September precisely because of, and only because of, that Wild Card game.  As diderot pointed out, the Mariners got over 100,000 fans to the Oakland series...

Now, that said, if you have to play TWO (2) single games to get into the playoffs, that is asking too much.  I'll go down to CLink on a 50% chance of finding a ticket.  I will not make the trip on a 25% chance of getting into the building.

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Dr D sez,

That said, Tampa Bay did have two games to get into the real playoffs last year:

• David Price threw a lockdown to beat Texas, 5-2
• Alex Cobb and the bullpen (hmmmm) threw a lockdown to beat Cleveland, 4-0

Tampa then lost to the eventual champion Red Sox, who mulched everybody they faced, going 11-5 en route to a walkaway trophy.  But Tampa's route through single games was compelling, from the point of view of Mariner fans.  Not hard to envision the bullpen winning one game, and Felix or K-Pax the other...

...

The real takeaway here, for me, is that Matty's and LrKrBoi's ideas --- > mean that the position ON SEPT. 15th is worse than I realized.

The Mariners have got a little work to do.  Or Kansas City does.  If the M's want to take over the pole position.  But, of course, the M's have as many games left as the Seahawks do, and we doubt the Seahawks would pack it in with 14 games left and -1.0 GB.

It's on.

Enjoy,

Dr D