Whitecaps Dominate, but Lack Home-Field Advantage

The West Michigan Whitecaps have had an incredible year.

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The Caps finished the regular season with an impressive 92-39 record which ties the franchise record for wins in a single season, set by the 1997 Whitecaps squad.

Their .702 winning percentage was the best by any full-season team in Minor League Baseball since that same 1997 Whitecaps team.

The Whitecaps kicked of the postseason on Tuesday with a big win on the road against the Lake County Captains.

They then came home to LMCU ballpark on Thursday night and wrapped up the series with a 4-0 win to advance to the Midwest League Championship.

I was one of the 7,631 fans in attendance, the largest playoff crowd in the past 20 years.

Credit: Big Joe Pesh / TSM Grand Rapids

The crowd was having so much fun doing the wave and cheering "Let's Go, Whitecaps!"

The Whitecaps have now advanced to the Midwest League Championship with game one on Sunday, September 14th at 2 p.m.

One thing that caught me off guard and many other Whitecaps fans is that the Whitecaps don't have homefield advantage for the Championship series.

Why The Whitecaps Don't Have Home-Field Advantage

I assumed that since they had the best record that they would automatically have home field advantage but that's not how the playoffs work in the Midwest League.

The Midwest League alternates home-field advantage for the championship series each year.

In even-numbered years (like 2022), the winners of the East and North Divisions have home-field advantage.

In odd-numbered years (like 2023 and 2025), the winners of the West and South Divisions get the advantage.

Maybe someone smarter than me can explain why this rule is in place, because it makes absolutely no sense.

The Whitecaps and any other team for that matter that dominated all season long should have the right to win the league's biggest game at home.

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