Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange
Checking the sources I have on hand, the change was made at the 1956 winter meetings according to an article in The Sporting News.
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If the change was in fact made at the 1956 winter meetings, it wasn't to be in effect for the 1957 season. At least not from what I found: The 9/10/57 Youngstown Vindicator included an article from AP that spelled out the various World Series schedules. The last paragraph was sub-headed "Provisions for Tie" and read as follows:
Provisions also were made in case either of the pennant races ends in a tie. Should the American League race end in a stand-off, there will be a one-game playoff, on Monday Sept. 30, with the series opening on the scheduled date, Oct 2. Should the National League race end in a tie, there will be a best-of-three playoff, starting Monday.
"In that case," said Frick, "the start of the World Series will have to be postponed to either Thursday, Oct. 3 or Friday, Oct. 4. It all depends on which team wins the American League pennant."
Being that the article was from AP, went into significant detail, and quoted Commissioner Frick speaking directly to the schedule ramifications to the World Series if there were ties, I'm inclined to accept it as pretty much fact
Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange
Also, the AL tiebreaking rule is not so clear prior to 1948 according to a checking of the notes I have. I'll post about that later.
In real life, the NL had ties in 1946, 1951, 1959, and 1962, and the AL in 1948.
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I have - from you some time ago - that the 1920, 1922 and 1924 AL pennants would've been decided by a best-of-three series. I didn't find anything on potential AL ties in the 30's, probably because there were very few tight races in the AL during that decade, so tiebreakers scenarios were not considered & reported. I do show, however, that the 1940, 1944, and 1945 AL races would've been decided by a one game playoff.
If you have in your notes when - must've been sometime between 1925 and 1939 - the AL switched from 3-gamers to one-gamers, please post
