There are always going to be positive breaks and unfortunate aspects to whatever setup a league uses for its postseason.
In this case, the playoff picture in MLB’s National League and American League leaves a couple teams feeling particularly unlucky — the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Their records both would have a path to the playoffs in the AL.
But in the NL, the Diamondbacks and Pirates both head home after Sunday’s action concluded the MLB regular season.
There’s no perfect system, and this isn’t advocating for something different. It’s just pointing out that these squads had good seasons that weren’t rewarded by the way the numbers broke down.
Diamondbacks Playoff Picture
The Diamondbacks, who finished 86-76, had a chance to make the playoffs until the final day of the season.
They entered Sunday one-game back of the Phillies in the NL Wild Card standings. If the Diamondbacks had won and Phillies had lost, that would’ve put Arizona in the postseason.
But the Phillies won, so they got in and eliminated the Diamondbacks.
Pirates Playoff Picture
The Pirates were eliminated earlier, but they did close the season strong to finish at 82-80.
Part of the misfortune for them was being in the NL Central Division with the high-powered Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.
It was a winning season for Pittsburgh, which is progress, but it didn’t come with the playoffs.
Comparing to AL
The Diamondbacks (86-76) have a better record than three AL playoff teams.
The Cleveland Guardians finished 85-77, and they actually won the AL Central Division and earned a first-round bye as the second-best division champ in the AL.
The Chicago White Sox finished one game back of Cleveland at 84-78, and they’re the 6-seed as the last wild card.
The Houston Astros went 81-81 and are in the playoffs as the AL West champion, meaning they’ll even host the Wild Card Round against the White Sox. The Astros are the worst record of any MLB playoff team ever.
So Arizona has a better record than all three of those teams. Not that it matters in the way the league is set up, but it’s ironic.
And the Pirates, at 82-80, have a better record than the Astros.
It’s fair to think that 82-80 isn’t enough to make the playoffs. It’s just a brutal outcome that Houston won its division with a .500 mark.
But still — some years, things could’ve worked out in these two NL teams’ favor.
The Diamondbacks have had more success than the Pirates in recent years, but neither are perennial powerhouses. They need to catch breaks every now and then in the seasons that they’re particularly good.
This season, neither of them caught too many breaks. They did the best they could, but in the National League specifically, it wasn’t quite enough.
Diamondbacks, Pirates’ Playoff Spots Robbed by NL Standings vs. AL Bracket