Sports – FiveThirtyEight RSS





The Mets May Be The First Victim Of MLB’s New Postseason Format

A common gripe, as Major League Baseball’s postseason ballooned in recent years, has been that the lowered standard of admission would devalue and de-intensify the regular season. Gotta-have-it games, tough managerial decisions, final-out bursts of euphoria or despair — for the best teams, the teams that really matter, these sorts of things would be consigned […]

Continue reading



The Ravens Should Have Gone For It

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: An NFL head coach decides to go for it on fourth down in a big, closely fought game. The team fails the attempt and goes on to lose the game. Fans are outraged, and media members are contemptuous. It’s a scene we’ve seen play out dozens of times […]

Continue reading



1 In 5 Pitchers Are Frequently Violating MLB’s Future Pitch Clock

The pressure of postseason baseball is one its biggest selling points — that feeling of tension that builds up to every season-defining pitch. But that buildup can also make the games take forever. According to Retrosheet’s data, the average playoff contest in 2021 took 3 hours and 40 minutes, up nearly 15 percent from a […]

Continue reading