Wednesday, September 29, 1999
Postseason possibilities abound
Several what-ifs exist for Reds, Mets, Astros
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
With the National League Central divisional and wild-card races entering their final week, here are some answers to common questions.
The first round of the postseason — called the division series — is a best-of-five set, with the team with the better regular-season record playing Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 5 at home. The team with the lesser regular-season record will play host to Game 3, and if necessary, Game 4.
The following assumes the Atlanta Braves, who have 100 victories with five games to play, will win the most games in the National League, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have 97 victories with five games to play, will win the second-most games in the NL.
• Q: If the Reds tie Houston for the Central Division title after 162 games, and the Mets haven't won as many games as either, what happens?
• A: The Reds would be declared the division winner by virtue of having a winning record against the Astros in head-to-head competition; the Astros would go in as the wild-card team.
If the Reds win the division, they would play Game 1 of the postseason Tuesday and Game 2 Wednesday in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks; the Reds' first postseason home game would be Friday, Oct.8 (time to be determined); the second Reds home game, if necessary, would be Saturday, Oct.9 and Game 5 would be Sunday Oct.10 in Phoenix, if necessary.
• Q: If the Reds don't win the division but finish ahead of the New York Mets in the wild-card race, what happens?
• A: The Reds would play the Braves in the first round of the playoffs. The schedule is as stated above, at Atlanta for Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, Game 5. Game 3 and, if necessary, Game 4 would be at Cincinnati.
• Q: If the Reds, Astros and Mets finish with identical records after 162 games, what happens?
• A: There will be a one-game playoff Monday afternoon (time to be determined) in Cincinnati between the Reds and Astros — with the game counting on the regular-season record of both teams. The winner of the game would play the Braves in the first round of the postseason.
The loser is out of the playoffs because the Mets, by virtue of having one less regular-season loss — i.e. a better regular- season winning percentage — would win the wild-card berth and would meet the Diamondbacks in the first round of the postseason.
• Q: What if the Reds and Mets tie for the wild card?
• A: There would be a one-game playoff in Cincinnati. If the Reds win, they would play the Braves in the first round of the postseason, with the same schedule as stated above. If the Mets win the one-game playoff, they would play the Diamondbacks, and the Braves would play the Astros.
• Q: What happens if the Reds win the division and win as many or more regular-season games as the Diamondbacks?
• A: If it were to happen, the Reds would host Games 1 and 2 (Tuesday and Wednesday) of the first round of the postseason against either the Diamondbacks (if the Astros should win the wild card) or the Mets (if New York wins the wild card) and, if necessary, Game 5 on Oct.10.
Source: The Cincinnati Reds
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