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The final day of the regular season

The final day of the regular season could be incredibly dramatic because of MLB's new schedule.

By Matt Goldman
J. Meric/Getty Images

On September 28th of 2011, the baseball world had a collective experience that no other day had ever produced. It's almost universally talked about as the greatest day in regular season history. From the Tampa Bay Rays improbable comeback against the Yankees, to Boston's historic collapse and walk-off loss against the Orioles, September 28th was a day to remember.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FrNoK1V7V4Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Because of a rain delay, the Red Sox and Rays games concluded within three minutes of one another, with Even Longoria capping baseball's best day ever with a walk off home run in the 12th inning to win the AL East. Thanks to mother nature, baseball was provided with it's most dramatic finish to the regular season.

In an attempt to recapture some of that excitement, MLB has made some changes to its schedule that will increase the likelihood of something similar happening again. Instead of having games start at their normal time depending on their geographical location, which would have teams on the east coast starting three hours before those on the west coast, MLB is set to have every game start within a five minute span.

<table width="100%" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">

<tr bgcolor="#EDF1F3">

<th align="left">Away</th>

<th align="center">Home</th>

<th align="center">Time (EST)</th>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Reds</td>

<td align="center">Pirates</td>

<td align="center">3:05 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Rockies</td>

<td align="center">Giants</td>

<td align="center">3:05 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Angels</td>

<td align="center">Rangers</td>

<td align="center">3:05 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Marlins</td>

<td align="center">Phillies</td>

<td align="center">3:05 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Yankees</td>

<td align="center">Orioles</td>

<td align="center">3:05 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Cardinals</td>

<td align="center">Braves</td>

<td align="center">3:05 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Red Sox</td>

<td align="center">Indians</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Cubs</td>

<td align="center">Brewers</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Tigers</td>

<td align="center">White Sox</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Astros</td>

<td align="center">D-Backs</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Royals</td>

<td align="center">Twins</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Athletics</td>

<td align="center">Mariners</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Padres</td>

<td align="center">Dodgers</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Blue Jays</td>

<td align="center">Ryas</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

<tr onMouseOver="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onMouseOut="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">

<td align="left">Nationals</td>

<td align="center">Mets</td>

<td align="center">3:10 PM</td>

</tr>

</table>

No longer will there be a game that's rendered obsolete because of a timing issue, which Tony Petitte talked about earlier this season.

"If a game impacts another game, they're all occurring at the same time, so no team would be put into a lame-duck situation because their fate already had been decided by an earlier result. If we do have games coming down to the wire, we want to make sure we maximize that day."

As of this writing, the AL Wild Card, AL West, AL East, NL Central, and to some extent the NL East are still up for grabs; and with MLB's new format, the ending to the 2015 season could be quite exciting. This decision can seemingly only be a good thing, and even if it doesn't pay dividends this year, it undoubtedly will at some point.

Rob Manfred's tenure as commissioner has been short, but the decision to approve this change, as well as what MLB did for the Home Run Derby have been fantastic. Baseball's future is incredibly bright, and 2015 is just an early example of what's to come.

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