MLB's wild-card games created a fair and fabulous playoff format – one that likely ends after this year

We may not realize it now, but these are the good old days for Major League Baseball’s pennant drive and forthcoming playoffs.

It’s not easy to develop an equitable playoff format that checks a wide array of boxes:

Properly rewarding dominant teams and upholding the integrity of a 162-game season.

Providing access to the postseason for wild-card clubs so that fewer fans – and franchises – check out too soon.

And, lest we forget, making a ton of money for owners and players alike.

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Baseball got it just about right in adding a second wild card berth in 2012 – and one-game elimination showdowns in each league. It jolted an otherwise staid format, producing the most indelible playoff moments over the past decade. While the other three playoff rounds – Division Series, League Championship and World Series – can sizzle or stagnate from year to year, the wild card game has almost unanimously delivered.