Dave Roberts thinks MLB should make big change to playoff format

The Los Angeles Dodgers staved off elimination on Wednesday by beating the San Diego Padres, 8-0, in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. 

Had the Dodgers failed to win that game, they would have joined an increasingly long list of teams that received a bye to the Division Series, only to lose to a wild-card team that had been playing without a layoff.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks Major League Baseball could help limit that advantage by making one relatively simple change. In Roberts’ view, extending the Division Series to make it a best-of-seven would reduce randomness and help nullify the disadvantage that teams have after byes.

“Right now, I wish it were seven games,” Roberts said, via Barry M. Bloom of Sportico. “Obviously the seven-game series certainly gives a better test of the opponents. We’ll see if we can work on that. But I definitely like the seven-game series for sure.”

Roberts added that a longer series would “absolutely” help remedy the effects of the five-day layoff the Dodgers dealt with between the end of the regular season and the start of the NLDS. The Padres played in the NL wild-card series and had no such delay.

The expanded playoffs and wild-card series debuted in 2022. Wild-card teams have had notable advantages, at least in the NL, where division winners are 0-5 against wild-card teams since the format change, with the Philadelphia Phillies’ series loss to the New York Mets keeping the streak going Wednesday. The Dodgers have a chance to buck the trend in Game 5 with a win at home.