Unless it is in a northern city that gets an early blizzard

Yes, go Padras!

This year, MLB teams played 20 interleague games.

Next year, teams will play 46 interleague games.

Do not understand why they want to have less rivalry games

The good teams raise to the challenge when it counts the most.

I’m those good old days there were fewer teams and no divisions.

Here is an article that says since 1969 - when playoffs started - only 12 teams with the best record have gone on to win the World Series.

Since the article - which is from 2018, you can add the Red Sox in 2018 and the Dodgers in 2020.

In 2019, the Nationals, a wildcard team with a record of 93-69, won the World Series.
In 2021, the Atlanta Braves, who would have finished 19 games behind the Giants, won the World Series.

How many teams with season's best record won the World Series? - Sports Illustrated

The only way to change that is to get rid of the divisions and have every team play the same schedule. As it is, there is no way to tell if the team with the best record is actually the best team. It possible that a team with a worse record has played better teams. If a team is in a division with a lot of weak teams, they might have a better record because they played a lot of weak opponents.

As an outsider the way I see it, it all comes down to $$$$ keep them playing as long as possible to keep the. $$$$ flowing.

Money
 

With many 100 million dollar player contracts it has to be about the money. Bingo! Poor families can’t afford to see a game in person without a benevolent gift of tickets.

In a 5 or even a 7 game series anything can happen. Ace starting pitcher can go 3 games and take it all even with a weak overall team

Unless the Braves and Dodgers win two in a row, we will have the Padres and the Phillies in the National League Championship Series - and one of them in the World Series. Of the six teams that made the NL playoffs, they were the two worst teams.

Dodgers 111-51
Braves 101-61
Cardinals 93-69

Mets 101-61
Padres 89-73
Phillies 87-75

I've used the various on-line resellers of tickets to buy "same day" Nationals game tickets very reasonably...

15-20 rows behind the 3rd base dugout for $20...

Outfield and upper deck tix even cheaper...

Happens in all sports. Always thought baseball should have 7 game series in this round but they don’t. One more win for SD and it is by by LA.

Absolutely true.

But it's also true that during the season a lesser team may catch a better team when their better team's star player is out injured or in a slump. Or it could be that their ace has a bad outing. Then there's the fact that some teams peak early and go into a slump at the end of the season and another team that hasn't played all that well suddenly surges toward the end of the season and through the playoffs.

As I said, the only way to have solve the problem is to have no divisions and to have every team in the league play the same opponents the same number of time at home and away. But even that would be perfection because of factors that I just mentioned.

The bottom line is that none of this is going to happen. As B-Flat says, it's all about money. The league and the owners want to have as many games as possible. They want fans of as many teams as possible to think that their team has a chance. That's why there are divisions and that's why the regular season has been lengthened. That's why there are more teams in the playoffs and that's why there are more playoffs games.

The same thing is happening in the NFL with only four teams in each division and now the season being lengthened to seventeen games. I suspect that we'll see eighteen games soon.

The other thing about that has changed is that although the Dodgers won their division by 22 games, there are only four other teams in their division. Three of those teams have a .500 record or worse. Before expansion you had to beat more teams to win the pennant and all of the teams in each leagued played the same opponents the same number of times at home and away.

We live in a different era now. Nothing in sports is that same as it used to be. Was it better back then? It was certainly simpler. It seems that it might have been more equitable but was it as entertaining? I think everyone has to decide for themselves.

But think about this. For most of the people that are alive today, this is the way sports has always been. They simply accept it as it is and are happy to follow their favorite team.

As for me, I root for two baseball teams, The Red Sox and whoever is playing The Yankees. :)