“The playoffs are a crapshoot.”
This phrase is often repeated by baseball fans — and only baseball fans, for some reason — when discussing the oddities seen in October’s condensed schedule. We have repeated it often here, both to explain why a stupid 83-win Wild Card contender can beat a more talented club in the World Series (not that we’re bitter, or anything) as well as why we shouldn’t be concerned about a team’s playoff failures, even if they occur several years running.
But given the arms race that has taken place in the American League over the past few years, I think the Cleveland Indians should adjust course.