With the Major League Baseball regular season having come to a close yesterday, the teams chasing the World Series crown will be the Yankees, Tigers, Athletics, Rangers, and Orioles in the American League, and the Nationals, Reds, Giants, Braves, and Cardinals in the National League.

The White Sox had the advantage in the AL Central but unfortunately succumbed to the surging Tigers this past weekend. Senior Stefan Modrich, a die-hard White Sox fan, said of the team’s collapse, “I think it’s sad. They did so well the entire season. They need to have more consistent hitting and pitching down the stretch next season.”

With all of the divisions having a winner, the Braves, Cardinals, Rangers, and Orioles are prepping for the new one-game wild card playoff game they have clinched entry into.

“It’s an interesting piece and it’s cool to change things up and give more teams an opportunity,” said freshman baseball coach Mr. Dominic Manola.

MLB has had a wild card playoff team since 1995, but this year an extra wild card spot was added. The two wild card teams in each league will play each other in a one-game elimination round, and the winner will move on to the Division Series to play the first seeded team like in years past.

There have been mixed feelings among baseball fans and analysts about the new wild card spot. Those for it believe it gives other teams who usually get left out every year a chance they deserve and makes the playoff race more exciting and interesting. Those against it say that it makes teams put too much emphasis on one game and could tire out teams, especially pitchers, by prolonging the playoffs.

Modrich said, “I don’t like it because the Wild Card used to be like winning a division. Now it’s a one game playoff which gives the other teams a bye to rest their pitchers, which gives them an unfair advantage.”

Senior Cristian Pacheco, whose favorite team, the Dodgers, came close to winning one of these spots, disagrees.

“I think it is a great idea because it gives a team an extra opportunity to reach the playoffs in which they weren’t able to the previous years. It makes the playoff race much more exciting for the fans and players to watch.”

The two wild card games will be broadcast tomorrow on TBS. The Cardinals vs. Braves game starts at 5 p.m. and will feature starting pitchers Kyle Lohse against Kris Medlen. The Orioles vs. Rangers follows at 8:30 p.m. and features Yu Darvish against Joe Saunders.