Columbus Clippers Playoff Update

On Tuesday, I reported in my Clip Show piece about the playoff scenarios for Columbus. To wit:

Here’s how the various playoff chases/scenarios shake out as of right now:

IL West	W	L	%	GB
Columbus	71	52	.577	—
Louisville	68	54	.557	2.5

IL Overall	W	L	%	GB
Durham	75	47	.615	—
Scranton/WB	72	50	.590	3.0
Columbus	71	52	.577	4.5
Louisville	68	54	.557	7.0

So, the Clippers took care of their first order of business, which was to hold off the Bats (who are currently still the Wild Card leaders) for the time being, and they continue their home stand throughout the week. Guess who’s coming to dinner next? The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, of course. Columbus opens up a four-game set tonight against the Yanks, with a 1.5 game difference separating the two teams for the second home-field slot in the first round of the playoffs.

And Finally, If The Season Ended Today…

…the playoffs would shape up as follows:

Round 1 (five game series):

Louisville at Durham
Columbus at Scranton/WB

WRONG!! Wrong wrong wrong!  Who fact-checks these columns, anyway??

Oh, it’s me. Whoops!

I received my playoff ticket order form in the mail, and putting aside the cart-before-horse jinx factor of ordering playoff tickets before any playoff spot (hey, they apply any money you spend to your next year’s season tickets if the games don’t happen, so karmically it’s OK), they actually laid out Columbus’s potential schedules. Obviously, the Clippers winning the IL West would affect who they play in the playoffs, but according to the Clippers’ release the records don’t count.

So, going forward, only two things really matter: winning the division, and failing that winning the Wild Card. As it stands now, the Clippers lost last night and Louisville won again, so the Clippers’ lead stands now at 1.5 games. Louisville is currently the Wild Card leader:

And, knowing all of that, here are the only two scenarios we need to know for the Clippers in the playoffs:

If Clippers Win the IL West:

9/8 IL South Winner (ILSW) @ Columbus
9/9 ILSW @ Columbus
9/10 Columbus @ ILSW
9/11 Columbus @ ILSW*
9/12 Columbus @ ILSW*

If Clippers Win the IL Wild Card:

9/8 IL North Winner (ILNW) @ Columbus
9/9 ILNW @ Columbus
9/10 Columbus @ ILNW
9/11 Columbus @ ILNW*
9/12 Columbus @ ILNW*

*if necessary

So, the Clippers will host their first two playoff games regardless of record, and will play the final three on the road if needed. Where it changes is in the second round, if the Clippers make it that far. If they’re division winners, they’d play the first two games (best of five) on the road and host the final three. If they win the Wild Card, they’d host the first two games and play the final three on the road.

I hope this clears it all up, and I apologize for making an incorrect assumption based on what MLB does for their playoffs. I will continue to update the standings down the stretch for Columbus as they play their last 19 games.