RULES CLARIFICATION: Playoff Tiebreaker Rules
The Rules of the Potomac Wiffleball League cover what happens if there is a tie between two teams for the final spot in the playoffs. While unlikely, there is a possibility this season that more than two teams could be tied for the final one or two playoff spots. The following process was announced today by the Commissioner’s Office in the event that ties between more than one team exist.
In the event that more than two teams are tied for two or fewer remaining post-season positions, the teams involved in the tie will play a standard double elimination tournament to determine who shall advance to the playoffs. Teams will need to play three to six games in the tournament, depending on their wins and losses, in order to advance.
- Seeding in Tournament: Teams shall be seeded in the tournament based on their run differential (runs scored minus runs allowed) against the other teams involved in the playoff. Should any teams have the same run differential against the teams in the playoff, those teams shall be seeded based on their total run differential for the season. Should any teams still be tied after both run differentials have been applied, they shall be drawn for seeding out of a hat.
- Home Team in Tournament: The team with the highest seed shall be the home team in each game of the double elimination tournament.
- Seeding in Post Season After Tournament: If the tournament is to determine one position in post-season, then the winner shall receive that spot, and be seeded with the other three teams in the playoffs according to the established seeding rules for post-season. If the tournament is to determine two positions in post-season, then the winner of the tournament shall receive the top remaining seed, and the runner-up shall receive the lowest seed, regardless of their head-to-head regular season records. (IE – The double elimination tournament results shall be determinative of seeding.)
This clarification will be in effect for the 2009 Summer Season, but is not an official rule unless it is later adopted for future seasons by 2/3 of the league managers.
