Playoffs
Playoff Calendar: The playoffs will follow a set calendar for game days and off days. All playoff games are played as if in October for weather purposes.
Day 1 and 2: Wild Card game 1 and 2, Day 3: off day, Day 4: Wild Card game 3, Day 5: Wild Card game 4 if necessary. Day 6: off day. Day 7: Wild Card game 5 if necessary
Day 8: off day
Day 9 and 10: game 1 and 2 of Division Series, Day 11: off day, Day 12, 13, and 14: Division Series games 3, 4, and 5, Day 15: off day, Day 16 and 17: Division Series games 6 and 7
Day 18 and 19: off days
Day 20 and 21: League Championship Series game 1 and 2, Day 22: off day, Day 23, 24, and 25: League Championship Series games 3, 4, and 5, Day 26: off day, Day 27 and 28: League Championship Series games 6 and 7.
Day 29 and 30: off days
Day 31 and 32: World Series games 1 and 2, Day 33: off day, Day 34, 35, and 36: World Series games 3, 4, and 5, Day 37: off day, Day 38 and 39: World Series games 6 and 7.
Teams are only eligible for the playoffs if they played 33% of their home games. That would be 27 games or 1 trimester.
In each league, each division winner (3) and three non-division winning teams with the best record (wild cards) will qualify for the playoffs. In case of a tie, a one game playoff will occur. A coin flip will determine the home team. The wild-card round will be a best of 5(2-2-1 format) with the worst division winner hosting the worst wild-card team, and the best wild card team will host the 2nd wild card team.
Teams are reseeded after the wild card series with best record facing worst record. The winners of each series would play each other (home field going to the better record, unless one team is a wild card team) to determine who is the AL or NL Champion. In the World Series, home field advantage will rotate between the American League and the National League each year. The AL will host on even years and the NL on odd years.
Regular Season tie-breakers: Regardless of whatever measures MLB is using to break ties, now or in
the future, the NBC will utilize a regular season Game 163 to break head
to head ties with regard to who wins a division, or which teams qualify
as wild cards or not at the end of the season. Ties for seeding between
division winners and/or wild cards will be broken by others means
depending upon the number of teams involved in the tie as per
appropriate MLB convention
Game 163 tie breaker procedures
A. It takes place in the regular season, so those PA restrictions apply.
B. There is one day off between 163 and Wild Card games. This means rest rules apply from 163 to the Wild Card.
C. It is like the start of a new series in that all pitchers are considered rested.
D. Starters can come in relief like they would in the playoffs.
E. Home team decided by head to head record and by coin flip if that is tied.
All playoff series will be best of seven series (except wild card) with the team that gains home field advantage hosting games 1, 2, and if necessary 6 and 7. The games of the series will be played as the home owner sees fit, i.e. face to face, chat room, etc.
- Face to face (sitting across from each other rolling dice)
2. Owners meet in a chat room and play the game using the “dice” roller. The teams still use the cards. Roll20.net works well and is free.
3. By Neutral Owner: The home owner plays his team while another owner plays the visiting owner’s team. Before the game, the visiting owner can mail an instruction sheet and discuss team strategy with the fill in owner. The neutral owner then runs the team under the instructions of the visiting owners as best they can. It is within the visiting owner’s right to have the game played at a time when the neutral owner can consult with the visiting owner if needed. The visiting owner may choose or reject the fill in owner offered by the home team. It is the visiting owner’s choice on who plays for them.
4. At a Neutral Site: If the above options are not feasible, this method is used. The games themselves will be played in the teams’ stadiums but managed by two neutral owners at a neutral site. The home and away owners can mail instruction sheets and discuss team strategy with the respective neutral owners. The game will be played at a time when the home and away owners desire. The respective neutral owners will play the games as directed by the real owners as best they can, contacting the real owners when needed. The home and away owners will select the neutral site. If they can not agree on a site, the Commissioner will choose the site (unless there is a conflict of interest, then the Web Page Master will choose).
Playoff Rosters
An exclusive 26-man roster will be used in the playoffs and no replacements will be allowed during the series. Each playoff team must submit its playoff roster to the League Office and opponent before the start of each playoff series. Different rosters can be used in each round of the playoffs.
Playoff Usage
Pitchers:
A team may use a three man starting rotation with the #1 starter having no less than 24 MLB starts and #2 and #3 starters having no less than 18 MLB starts. A team may use a four-man rotation if each of the four starters has a least 12 MLB starts. A starting pitcher must have 12 MLB starts to start any playoff game. For 7 game playoff series, starters with 24+ GS are unrestricted and may pitch as often as rest rules allow. Starters with 18-23 starts may only start two games in a series but are allowed to start on 3 days rest. Starters with 12-17 starts may only start twice in a series and may not start on 3 days rest. If a relief pitcher has 55 MLB innings pitched or more on the season, he is considered full-time and thus unlimited for the playoff series. He, of course, must follow standard relief rest rules. Relievers are limited to 10 percent of their major league relief innings pitched for a series if they pitched under 55 MLB innings. For any games that go past the 10th inning, if a pitcher has 30IP (MLB regular season) or more then those innings do not count toward the inning count. Starters can be used as relievers and are considered long relievers for fatigue rating. The normal rest requirement is applied. Series have one off days between games 2 and 3 and 5 and 6. There are two off days between series. Starting pitchers follow regular season rest requirements, including 3 days rest and rest needed by days off. That means if your #1 starter goes in games 1, 4 and 7 of a series, they will not be available until game 2 of the next series.
Batters:
Batters get 10 percent of their major league plate appearances for each series. Full-time players will not need to be kept track of unless they are also limited or restricted. Players who are limited or restricted get 10 percent of the plate appearances versus the limited or restricted side. Once a player is out of plate appearances, the pitcher's #1 card is used when that player comes to bat. After the 10th inning, plate appearances do not count against a player's totals. However, they would count against limitations and restrictions.
To reflect the possibility that a team may face a pitching staff composed of an inordinate number of left-handed or right-handed pitchers, platoon categories have been created just for the playoffs. A player may platoon versus right-handers if he has 300 total major league appearances and is not limited versus right-handers. A player may platoon versus left-handers if he has 160 major league plate appearances and is not limited versus left-handers. Platoon players must be designated as such before the start of a series. Once a player is designated a platoon player, that player may start all games versus his platoon side and may only start in those games. A platoon player may also enter a game when his designated type of pitcher enters the game. The total plate appearances for a designated platoon player need no be kept during a series. Note: If these batter usage rules still do not handle the particular situation of a playoff team, the Commissioner or Web Page Master has the authority to determine what the usage situation is for that team.
Special 5 game playoff usage
Starting Pitching: Match the 7 game series rules. This means, 24 MLB starts, no limit just regular rest requirements. 18-23 MLB starts, can start twice and can start on 3 days rest. 12-17 MLB starts, can start twice but not on 3 days rest.
Relief pitchers with 55 innings in MLB will be used normally. Relief pitchers with less than 55 MLB innings will receive 8% rounded down of their innings in MLB baseball. (40 MLB innings = 2.1 Playoff Innings).
Batters: Need 15 games at a position to start. FT players are normal. Standard platoon rules(300MLB PAs or 160MLB PAs if vs LH see rules on playoff rules page for more info). Players with less than 250MLB PAs can start 2 games, otherwise PH/late game replacement as per normal rules. With the exception case as we described in the 3 game rules regarding multiple part time players filling a position, if 2 players with under 250 PAs were used to fill out a position, each can start 2 times and the player with more PAs gets the 3rd start if PAs available. All non-Full Time players get 7% of their MLB PAs as a max. (7 game is 10% 3 game is 4%).
As in a 7-game series, if a player exceeds his PA limit, then that player may still play but with a pitcher’s #1 batters card. Also, extra innings do not count against the PA limit.
Fielders:
A player may start at a position if he appeared 15 games there during the major league season, with the usual provision for left and right fielders. Players may play any position for which they are rated after the 6th inning. In case of injury, anyone carded at the injured player's position may replace the injured player.
Lineups:
A manager can wait to the result of the weather roll before announcing his starting pitcher for the game.
Injuries
During the regular season, injuries do not extend beyond the series in which they occur. During the playoffs, injuries do not extend beyond the game in which they occur. Rules for replacing an injured player are given in the above paragraphs on fielders.