Hoo boy, imagine the reaction if the heavily-favored New York Yankees lose the American League wild-card game to the Minnesota Twins tonight. The reservations many fans, players, and executives share about a 162-game season boiling down to a one-game play-in will burst out, fueling coast-to-coast debate and setting social media aflame.



Baseball would face immediate pressure to expand the wild-card round and prevent other superior regular-season teams from suffering similar fates. A new format also could include what Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz and many others in the game believe is necessary—a fairer, more rigorous wild-card round that would ultimately provide a greater reward for division champions.



Fans outside of New York would howl in protest over a so-called “Yankee rule,” accusing baseball of kowtowing to the television networks that, in search of higher ratings, want to show the Yankees as often as possible. I work for one of those...