Division Tie Breaker?

[Abev]

A quick story...

My team (Boise City) was experiencing its finest season ever. Now in the 8th season of the assn, BC never made the playoffs.

This year was different.

I owe it partially to my addins [:D]. BC's payroll is almost $200M less than the top payroll team (LA), so the scouting needs to be top notch.

In first place for most of the season and a 5 game lead on Sept 1, things looked really good. Then I intervened. "Lets get everyone some rest" I said. Big mistake. I set the GM tendancies to rest when OK or Worse, and the wheels fell off.

A 5 game surplus turned into a 2 game deficit by Sept 18. Provo, now in first, was tearing it up and not looking back.

We were home to face last place Edmonton. We had already won the night before, and now in the 2nd game of a 2 game series against a 60 win team we knew this was a team we needed to beat up on.

Leading 7-3 going into the 9th, my starter Jonathan Williams(15-9 4.10) began to falter. Before we knew it, the game was tied at 7. With Provo already winning earlier today, we knew we HAD to win.

We signed FA 1B Scott Jacobs 3 seasons ago. Just an average minor leaguer with a little bit of pop but a ton of potential. Hes a bonifide Major Leaguer now. Batting 3 with a .326 avg 27 HRs and 115 RBI. The best part: hes only making $1.1M.

Jacobs led off the bottom of the 9th crushing a 1-1 fastball 397 feet into the cool Boise City air. Boise City was to live for another day.

-----

There was alot of push and pull in the standings over the next 12 days. 2 games out with 2 to go. Provo made everyones life easier by losing the last 2, and we won our 2 by one run each.

----

So equal records at the end of the season. 87-75 for both of us. But Boise City goes to the playoffs. Whats the tie-breaker? BC was 8-12 head to head with Provo. I am not complaining [:)] Is the tie-breaker b/c BC is human controlled? Either way, I'll take it.

[henry296]

Tiebreakers is runs scored.
 
Playoff game is high on people's request list for 2008.

[Abev]

Boise City 889 runs
Provo 886 Runs
 
[:D]

[puresimmer]

OK, I need to come clean here. Since tie breaker playoffs are not supported on PS 2007, I bent the rules a little on the tie breaker rules...

1. If the tie is between human and computer the human team always wins. (I know, I know, but hey you guys deserve some benefits for paying $29.99!)

2. If its 2 computer teams then it is as follows in this order:

A - Record against opponent
B - Run differential
C - Runs against opponent
D - Coin flip

[verizon32]

ORIGINAL: puresimmer

OK, I need to come clean here. Since tie breaker playoffs are not supported on PS 2007, I bent the rules a little on the tie breaker rules...

1. If the tie is between human and computer the human team always wins. (I know, I know, but hey you guys deserve some benefits for paying $29.99!)

2. If its 2 computer teams then it is as follows in this order:

A - Record against opponent
B - Run differential
C - Runs against opponent
D - Coin flip

Can it be changed, so we can have the same rules like you do for 2 computer team.?

[puresimmer]

ORIGINAL: verizon32

ORIGINAL: puresimmer

OK, I need to come clean here. Since tie breaker playoffs are not supported on PS 2007, I bent the rules a little on the tie breaker rules...

1. If the tie is between human and computer the human team always wins. (I know, I know, but hey you guys deserve some benefits for paying $29.99!)

2. If its 2 computer teams then it is as follows in this order:

A - Record against opponent
B - Run differential
C - Runs against opponent
D - Coin flip

Can it be changed, so we can have the same rules like you do for 2 computer team.?

No, I'm not going to change this. Hopefully for PS 2008 we can get the plaoff in there -- that is a nightmare with Wild Card ties etc. though...

[SittingDuck]

Death to the Wild Card.

It would be sooo much easier that way... [;)]

There will be no Bug Selig and Bart Giamatti will not die young in my league, when the time comes.

[verizon32]

How the tiebreaker done between two human teams that tied?

[Abev]

ORIGINAL: puresimmer

OK, I need to come clean here. Since tie breaker playoffs are not supported on PS 2007, I bent the rules a little on the tie breaker rules...

1. If the tie is between human and computer the human team always wins. (I know, I know, but hey you guys deserve some benefits for paying $29.99!)

2. If its 2 computer teams then it is as follows in this order:

A - Record against opponent
B - Run differential
C - Runs against opponent
D - Coin flip

I knew something was up [;)]

I lost in 7 games in the first round anyway. The baseball gods knew about the "human" advantage and excercised their will against my winning.

[KG Erwin]

I have no problem with this.  With the human player, the tie-breaker is implied.  With modern-day wild-cards (an abomination , IMHO), it creates too many complications that just slow down the game.  
 
The traditionalists need to stand firm on this. 
 
On the flip side, this means that the classic 1951 Dodgers-Giants playoff will never happen, but I'm willing to pay that price.  
 
I will adamantly oppose anything that bogs down the game.   If it means that some compromises have to be made, then so be it.  

[DandricSturm]

Possibly a system like in Maximum Football, where (I think) the player selects which teams will make the playoffs?

[Schedule King]

ORIGINAL: puresimmer

Hopefully for PS 2008 we can get the plaoff in there -- that is a nightmare with Wild Card ties etc. though...

Not necessarily. In MLB's case, the rules are not as complicated as they might appear at first glance. You could also do some selective simplifying to help things out.

Here's a rundown on how tiebreaking playoff games are determined, both for today and in the past. The scenarios presented below closely follow the actual MLB rules, but in some instances have been simplified somewhat.


Single elimination scenarios
(one loss and a team is eliminated)

Two team tie
The teams are randomly designated A and B. The playoff game is then:

Day 1: B at A

Three team tie
The teams are randomly designated A, B, and C. The playoff games are then:

Day 1: B at A
Day 2: C at A/B

Four team tie
The teams are randomly designated A, B, C, and D. The playoff games are then:

Day 1: B at A, D at C
Day 2: C/D at A/B

Five team tie
The teams are randomly designated A, B, C, D, and E. The playoff games are then:

Day 1: B at A, D at C
Day 2: E at A/B
Day 3: C/D at A/B/E


Double elimination scenarios
(two losses and a team is eliminated)

Double elimination playoffs are the way MLB used to resolve ties before divisional play was introduced in 1969. Note that from about 1929 up to 1956 the AL used the single elimination method; in other years it used the double elimination method. The NL used the double elimination method right up until 1969.

Two team tie
The teams are randomly designated A and B. The playoff games are then:

Day 1: A at B
Day 2: B at A
Day 3: B at A*

*if necessary

Three team tie
The teams are randomly designated A, B, and C. The first three playoff games are:

Day 1: B at A
Day 2: C at B
Day 3: A at C

After these three games, there are two possibilities. The first is that one of the teams may have lost twice, in which case it is eliminated and the remaining two teams continue to play the tiebreaker; the other is that all of the teams may have won once and lost once in which case all three clubs continue on in the tiebreaker.

If one of the teams has been eliminated after the first three games, the possible matchups are:

If A was eliminated:
Day 4: B at C
Day 5: C at B*

If B was eliminated:
Day 4: C at A
Day 5: A at C*

If C was eliminated:
Day 4: B at A
Day 5: A at B*

*if necessary

If none of the teams have been eliminated after the first three games, then the remaining games are:

Day 4: B at A
Day 5: C at A/B

Four team tie
The teams are randomly designated A, B, C, and D. The playoff games are then:

Day 1: A at B, C at D
Day 2: B at A, D at C
Day 3: B at A*, D at C*
Day 4: A/B at C/D
Day 5: C/D at A/B
Day 6: C/D at A/B*

*if necessary


The above illustrates the games set up once the tied teams are determined; the step before that involves working out which tiebreakers are played and in what order when there are simultaneous ties for a division title and a wildcard berth. This is further complicated by the fact that MLB used one set of rules from 1994 to about 2003, and then a different set of rules from about 2003 to the present. But I'll leave that for another post.

[Amaroq]

Brilliant knowledge, Schedule King! I'm waiting anxiously for the next installment. [:)]

[henry296]

Shaun,
 
Did you change the tiebreakers in version 1.32?  I finished tied for first and lost the tiebreaker.  In 1962 I finished tied with Cincinnati and they had they better head to head record and won the division title.
 
Todd

[Schedule King]

ORIGINAL: Amaroq

Brilliant knowledge, Schedule King! I'm waiting anxiously for the next installment. [:)]

Thanks, and apologies for not getting back to it sooner. I was rooting around trying to find more about the way MLB has handled its tiebreaking playoff games in the past, and did find a few interesting things.

I'll eventually get it organized into a readable form, and will probably post it in its own thread.

[XCom]

ORIGINAL: verizon32

How the tiebreaker done between two human teams that tied?

Any answer here? Is it done the same way as two computer teams?