We reported earlier this month that Minor League Baseball was extending the Triple-A season by 10 games. Today it was announced these games would be played as a postseason tournament of sorts.
Yes, we will see the 10 extra games–five at home and five on the road against the same opponent. But instead of just being a simple season extension to sync the Triple-A schedule with the MLB regular-season schedule, the extra games will be granted some extra meaning. (At Double-A and Single-A, we’ll actually see postseason play to determine a league champion.) The “Triple-A Final Stretch” tourney comprises the 10 extra games.
For the Triple-A East and Triple-A West, a 2021 Regular Season Champion will be named based on overall winning percentage through the originally scheduled season (concluding Sept. 19 and Sept. 21, respectively). Among the 30 teams, a single 2021 Triple-A Final Stretch Winner will also be crowned based on the highest overall winning percentage during this 10-game stretch. The winning team will be awarded a prize from Major League Baseball.
“We think this format will add excitement to the end of the season while also allowing our teams a chance to reschedule games that were lost earlier in the year,” said Major League Baseball Senior Vice President, Minor League Operations and Development Peter Woodfork in a press statement. “With all 30 teams participating in this Final Stretch, all Triple-A players and communities will have the opportunity to win this year’s postseason tournament.”
Since we are likely to see several clubs post the same record during a relatively short sample of 10 games, MiLB has set forward the following tiebreakers for both the regular-season and Final Stretch period:
1. Best regular season winning percentage.
2. Regular season head-to-head record (if three or more teams are tied, the best winning percentage in games among the teams).
3. Best regular season winning percentage over the final 20 games.
4. Best regular season winning percentage over the final 21 games, etc.
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