Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Major League Baseball teams who boasted the best regular season record in the National League and American League, respectively, would play each other in that season’s World Series. It put emphasis on the regular season, that thing they spend six months completing in the first place, with the final games of September taking on added importance not seen in today’s modern game.
That lasted until the 1969 season, at which point expansion forced the hand of MLB execs, and the League Championship Series concept was born. Two rounds of playoffs per league, and a total of four teams that made the postseason and the opportunity to hang a World Series banner on their outfield walls.