Rose Prefers the Old 5-Game Playoff Series

Pete Rose doesn’t think he’s going to like the new seven-game baseball playoff format.

He prefers the old “pressure-packed, do or die” best of five-game series.

“I think pressure baseball creates the best baseball,” said the Cincinnati Reds player-manager. “The five-game playoff created a lot of excitement and interest because there was such intense pressure on each game.”

Both the American and National League playoffs will expand from the old best-of-five game format to a best-of-seven game series this year. The World Series will remain a best-of-seven affair.

As it is now, seven-game playoffs and a few days of bad weather could push the final game or two of the World Series into November. Without any weather problems this year, the earliest the seventh game of the World Series could be played is Oct. 27.

“I think some of the glamour of the World Series is being taken away by the longer playoffs,” said Rose.

Managerial moves in the playoffs this year may be different because of the added games, figured Rose.

“There’s less pressure on the early games, so a manager can have more patience in certain situations,” he said.