Community Corner

5 Things to Know About the Pirates & Postseason Baseball

Alert: The campaign doesn't always end after 162 games.

This article was written by Robert Edward Healy III and posted by Erin Faulk.

Much has changed in Major League Baseball since the Pittsburgh Pirates last made the playoffs (more than 20 years ago).

So, with Baseball Prospectus giving the Pirates an almost 99-percent chance of making the postseason this year, Pittsburghers may need a crash course on what to expect during meaningful October baseball.

Here are five things that you'll want to know about the playoffs, which look a lot different these days than they did when the Buccos were there in 1992:

1. It could be one and done. If the Pirates earn one of the National League's two wild-card spots instead of the league's Central Division title, they'll have to play a one-game playoff to advance in the postseason. The winner of the wild-card playoff game will play the league's top seed in a National League Divisional Series.

2. Home-field matters. Most often, in baseball, the home team beats the visiting team, including in the postseason. So, even if the Pirates win the Central Division, they'll want to have a higher regular-season winning percentage than the league's two other divisional winners. That'll guarantee them home-field advantage up until the World Series.

3. The playoffs are four-rounds-long. After the wild-card round—divisional winners are excused from that round—the lowest-seeded divisional winner will play the second-seeded divisional winner in a series. Likewise, the highest seed will play the wild-card winner. After that, the two divisional series winners will play in the NL Championship Series for the right to face the American League champion in the World Series.

4. Some series are a best-of-five. While the championship series and World Series are traditional best-of-seven affairs, the divisional series is only a best-of-five.

5. The All-Star Game mattered. The American League won the All-Star Game this year, 3-0, making the AL champion the home team for the 2013 World Series, even if the NL champ had a higher regular-season winning percentage.


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