The first round of MLB’s first-year playoff format had just concluded by the time Cubs president Jed Hoyer sat down with media Monday to discuss the 2022 season and what comes next for his team.
He watched most of it with his sons, he said. And he certainly has thoughts on the added teams and games at the front end of a format that now includes three wild-card teams per league and a best-of-three wild-card round instead of the two-wild-card, one-game elimination round.
About the only thing he knows for sure right now is that when his next Cubs playoff team is built, he wants it to be built well enough to get one of the National League’s first-round byes.
And that goes back to his original opinions of the new format.
“It’s early, so we’ll see if my answer’s right or not,” Hoyer said. “But my first reaction when I saw it was, ‘Oh, getting a bye is a massive advantage.’ And I probably stand behind that still.
“We’ll find out now if that’s the case.”
Only one of the four wild-card series over the weekend went the full three games. The winner of that one, Philadelphia, lost its closer (former Cub David Robertson) to a celebration-related injury and then almost blew a big lead in the ninth Tuesday before holding on for a 7-6 victory over 101-win Atlanta.
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The Mariners, who upset the Blue Jays in Toronto after an epic Game 2 comeback, likewise opened a big Game 1 lead over the 106-win Astros in the second round — and then did blow it in the ninth on Yordan Alvarez’s three-run walkoff homer against ace Robbie Ray, who was pressed into high-pressure relief.
“I do think fatigue is going to be a factor, whether it’s going to be in [this] round or the round after that,” Hoyer said. “In order to win those series, you’ve got to tax your bullpen, tax your starters. The travel is going to be real.
“We’ll see if I’m right or not.”
Again, he offered these thoughts the day before those wild Game 1 endings after Seattle traveled from Toronto to Houston and the Phillies from New York to Atlanta.
It’s no wonder he talked about what his “next great Cubs team” must exemplify when he answered an hour’s worth of questions about his plans.
“The focus has to be on building a team you feel like can play deep into October — starting pitching, relief pitching, offense, defense, a complete team.
“When the series get shortened, certainly you don’t have to have a perfect team to win in the postseason. We’ve seen that year after year,” he added.
“Our goal has to be higher. Our goal has to be to create one of those teams that you feel like has the best chance in October.”