Play-off Rules

Play-off Rosters:

Active rosters for the play-offs will be set to 25. No roster moves are permitted during a play-off series (they are turned off), but play-off teams may make roster moves between series. Batters with less than 50 plate appearances in the corresponding Major League season or pitchers with less than 20 innings pitched in the corresponding Major League season are INELIGIBLE for the play-offs. The system will automatically cut any such player from your roster before the play-offs and the offending team will have to compete with 24 players.
Please refer to the USAGE/LIMITATIONS section of GAME INFO for more on play-off rosters.

NOTE: Special games scheduled to break ties at the end of the season are considered part of the season. The division championship play-off games will be played on the rest day scheduled between the end of the regular season and the first day of the play-offs. Please be aware that players who are at the limit of their use at the end of the season, will likely be WORN-OUT for that extra game. There is no extra usage offered to those players for the extra game. The ROBOT will not use these players or pitchers on the road and you should not at home unless you don't mind risking an overuse injury. As you know, injuries and pitcher BFA carryover into the play-offs. Overused and Worn-Out condition only lasts until the last day of the regular season (including one-game play-offs), the slate is wiped clean for the play-offs themselves!

Play-off Qualifiers:

In both 20 and 24 team organizations, 4 teams qualify for the play-offs in each circuit (league).

1. In 20 team organizations, the two division winners make the play-offs in each circuit (league), as well as 2 Wild card teams. The wild-card teams are the teams with the two best records who did not win a division regardless of their division.

2. In 24 team organizations, the three division winners are joined in the play-offs by the team (wild-card) with the best record who did not win a division.

Home Field Advantage:

--All play-off series are 7 game in length. The team with the home field advantage plays the first two and last two games at home.

--Wild Card teams never have the home field advantage in a series unless they are playing another Wild Card team and had a better regular season record.

--All pairings are determined by best regular season record as follows:

20 team organizations: In the first round of the play-offs, the team with the best record meets the wild card team with the worse record. The other division winner faces the other wild card team. In the next round and in the Championship Series, the team with the best record is at home unless a wild card team has a better record than a division winner, in which case the division winner is at home.

24 team organizations: In round one of the play-offs, the division winner with the best regular season record meets the play-off team with the worst record. The other two play-off teams face off in the other series. Rules are the same for the second round and championship round as they are for 20 team organizations.

Tiebreakers:

--A one-game play-off will be scheduled to determine the division winner or wild card team in the case of a tie. The game will be played during the rest day between the end of the regular season and the first round of the play-offs. Statistics compiled during the game will count towards regular season records. The extra game will be counted towards the regular season record for the purposes of determining tiebreakers.

The game will be played in the park of the team, which wins the following tiebreakers:

1. Managed team always gets home game if other team is vacant (unmanaged).
2. More wins on the road.
3. Greater runs scored differential
4. Commissioner's coin flip

--The following tiebreakers will be used to determine home field advantage in the event of equal records:

1. More road wins
2. Greater runs scored differential
3. Coin flip

If there should be a three-way tie or more for a division championship, or wild card berth, the two participants in the one game series to determine the winner, will be arrived at using the following tiebreakers:

1. More road wins. If this does not eliminate all but two participants, we will go to #2.
2. Greater runs scored differential. If this does not eliminate all but two participants, we will go to #3.
3. Coin flip.

Play-off Schedules:

Once the one game play-offs are played and the match-ups for the first round of the play-offs are set, the actual games are set up on the HOST and reflected in the schedule.
Teams will have two days from the time of the games being set up to cut their rosters to 25 and to get their away instructions in for the first two games. The schedule below is identical in all Leagues whether there are one-game playoffs or not.
The schedule works like this:

End of season on last Tuesday of the regular season:
One-game play-off games set up on Tuesday after the end of the season.
Instructions for one game play-off are due on Thursday.
One game play-off game(s) played by Friday.
First round of play-offs set on Friday.
2 days to get instructions and cut roster to 25 for first play-off series beginning on Sunday (after the season)
2 days to play first two games of series.
1 day to get instructions in for games 3,4,5
3 days to play games 3,4,5
1 day to get instructions in for games 6,7
2 days to play games 6,7
2 days to adjust rosters for round 2 of the play-offs and get instructions in for games 1,2
2 days to play games 1,2 of round 2 of play-offs
1 day to get instructions in for games 3,4,5
3 days to play games 3,4,5
1 day to get instructions in for games 6,7
2 days to play games 6,7 of round 2
2 days to adjust rosters for round 3 of the play-offs and get instructions in for games 1,2
2 days to play games 1,2 of round 3 of the play-offs (Championship)
1 day to get instructions if for games 3,4,5
3 days to play games 3,4,5
1 day to get instructions in for games 6,7
2 days to play games 6,7 CHAMPION CROWNED END OF PLAY-OFFS

Note: Less detail is shown on the actual schedule page but there is a pattern which is followed in each round as shown above.

NOTE: TECH runs the play-offs and may allow for changes in the schedule based on managers’ schedule conflicts within reason. TECH will attempt to stay in touch with all participants but may not be able to. If you have a question about the schedule please contact TECH.