This year, baseball’s new playoff format begins the postseason with some sizzle.
Two additional wild-card teams expand the playoff field, but will oppose one another in a one-game playoff, with the winner facing the top division champion.
As if the postseason didn’t already create enough drama, the one-game playoff doesn’t allow either of the wild-card winners to settle in and enjoy their surroundings. The stakes are high, and they’re immediate. One and done.
But the current wild-card standings present the possibility of some extremely intriguing matchups and storylines. Not just team versus team, but batter against pitcher and pitcher versus pitcher. Even if it’s just one game between the wild cards, it could be memorable.
Here are the five potential matchups that look like the most exciting possibilities for the one-game wild-card playoff.