Cleveland Indians: Final Team to Benefit From All-Star Game Victory
The Cleveland Indians gained home-field advantage in the World Series thanks to the American League winning the All-Star Game. The new CBA takes away that perk.
The hot takes regarding the MLB All-Star Game deciding home-field advantage in the World Series were produced at a feverish pace, but they are no longer needed.
One season after the Cleveland Indians were the beneficiaries of the rule, Major League Baseball has decided to do away with it after agreeing on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Can confirm @MLB All-Star Game will no longer determine World Series home-field advantage, as @AP reported. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 1, 2016
The rule was disliked by many, but it was easy for Indians fans to shrug their shoulders when Chicago Cubs fans complained about the rule this year.
It was one of those things that wasn’t exactly logical, as it only existed to make the All-Star Game competitive. But the whole point of an All-Star Game is to showcase the league’s top talent in a fun atmosphere. There is nothing wrong with making it competitive, but it shouldn’t have any effect on the postseason, especially not the World Series.
The rule is no more, so it will be interesting to see if the MLB introduces a new incentive to the winners to make the game continue to mean something to the players. Perhaps a large winning bonus or a chance to get out of postgame press conferences for a month could incentivize the players.
And while it was clearly a flawed rule, it was hard to complain in 2016, at least in Cleveland. After failing to win outright home-field advantage in the American League, the Indians ended up with home-field advantage throughout the postseason thanks to some great play in the final week of the season, some help from Toronto, and that All-Star Game victory.
But if the Indians want to make a deep postseason run once again, the easiest path to ensuring home-field advantage once again will be to compete for the best record in the league.
That goal should be realistic if the entire roster can stay healthy in 2017. This is one of the top pitching staffs in all of baseball and there should be no reason to expect a drop-off next year. In fact, improvements from Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin will only make the staff that much more dominant.
So in a new era of All-Star Game baseball, with the game going back to being nothing more than a lighthearted showcase, the Indians will have to earn home-field advantage the old-fashioned way.
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