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Twins Blog: Wild About The Wild Card

by Dan Cook, WCCO Radio

2015 has been a far more exciting and entertaining season for Twins fans than many of us anticipated. And while there are many factors that play into the level of interest in a ball club that's spent the last four seasons mired in 90-plus loss territory, there's one that stands above the rest. Namely, the existence of the Wild Card game.

On June 1 of this season, the Twins held a half-game lead over the Royals.  But look what happened after that: By July 1, they were 4.5 games behind Kansas City, by Aug. 1, they were eight games back and by Sept. 1, the Royals had a 12-game strangle-hold on the American League Central Division.

That means in a season where the Twins have already achieved their best win total since 2010 - with three-plus weeks remaining in the season – were it not for the existence of the Wild Card game, the season would've been all but lost by mid-August.

In 1995, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig ushered in the Wild Card era by reorganizing each league into three divisions and adding a fourth playoff team as the proverbial "Wild Card."  Traditionalists howled.  Progressives applauded.  And six teams who otherwise would've been excluded from post-season participation went on to win the ultimate prize – a World Series championship.

Along the way, there were discussions about adding a second wild card.  But how would that work?  Even a three-game series would push the Fall Classic back to a spot on the calendar which would bring inclement weather very much into play.

The answer came almost by accident.  In three straight seasons (2007-2009), baseball ended up with one of the most exciting contests in sports: a tie-breaking Game 163.  Two of those games involved your Minnesota Twins ('08 and '09).

One game, the winner moves on to the post-season and the loser goes home.  A bit brutal considering that one nine-inning contest can determine a team's fate after they spent 162 of them just getting there.  But that "do or die" vibe generated intense interest from the fan base.  So intense, in fact, that MLB couldn't help but take notice.

That led to the introduction of a second Wild Card for the 2012 season and a one-game playoff between the two Wild Card teams in each league – sort of a manufactured "Game 163."

You can argue that having those games every year dilutes the special feeling that comes from a Game 163.  You can argue that if the second Wild Card team goes on the road and gets beat, then an entire fan base loses out on a chance to experience the post-season in-person.

What you can't argue is that the creation of that second Wild Card has opened the door not only for more teams to make the post-season, but for that many more teams to remain in contention late into the season.

Which brings us back to the Twins.

After four difficult seasons, not only are things looking up for the Twins future, but they're actually a playoff contender in 2015.  It'll be a difficult feat to accomplish with two terrific teams in the AL East and a pair of strong contenders in the AL West – not to mention the team dominating the entire league and biding its time until they're crowned AL Central champs.

But don't count the Twins out.  Monday, they begin a crucial 10-game home stand against three teams who are a combined 12 games under .500 – meaning that those 10 games will play a huge role in whether fans will finally have a shot at seeing playoff baseball return to Target Field.

Say what you want about the commissionership of Bud Selig, but when it comes to the Wild Card, he got that one right.

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