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A true World Series: how MLB could implement a Champions League style tournament

By Nathaniel Sunshine

May 19, 2012; Munich, GERMANY; Chelsea players including Raul Meireles (16) and Jose Bosingwa (17) celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Gunn-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2012; Munich, GERMANY; Chelsea players including Raul Meireles (16) and Jose Bosingwa (17) celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Gunn-USA TODAY Sports /
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TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 10: Japanese fans cheer in the third inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 10, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 10: Japanese fans cheer in the third inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 10, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images) /

Things MLB would need to change

Honestly, MLB would have to change very little of its structure to implement this style of tournament. The biggest thing would be that the season would have to be shortened to 144 games, if not something even smaller like 130 games, player longevity, and health are something that needs to be looked after. Going all the way from the first qualification round to the last game of the championship could be adding up to 29 additional games to a team’s season.

The main thing that would have to change is a series to determine the league’s third-place team. This could run concurrently with the MLB Championship (former World Series). But this would be a simple thing to tack onto the end of the season and give the NL and AL runner-ups something to play for.

An example

The best way to picture something like this is by seeing it work in action. Using results from last year and the WBC from earlier this year, we can picture how this year’s UEFA would have looked. League rankings were based on traditional skill levels of the leagues represented (NPB is usually referred to as AAAA ball, which is why they are ranked second, for example):

Conclusion

Will MLB offer a UEFA-style tournament? No, probably not, but it sure is a fun experiment.

I think we could see exhibition matches happen against international teams during spring training. Could this tournament take place during spring training, similar to the WBC? This could result in it being taken less serious by the superstars, but it would need to start somewhere.

I envision stories of small teams from Italy or Colombia making it through the World Series. Baseball’s growth worldwide has been satiated with the World Baseball Classic thus far. I guess I will just never be content with how it is called the “World Series.” Without actually featuring teams from throughout the world, it feels cheap. Baseball is becoming an international sport, its championship should reflect that.

But I guess a guy can dream.

Information for this article was found using Wikipedia and Baseball-Reference

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