 Had a team won both halves of the season, they would have hosted all games of the series other than the first game, which the wild card team would host.The results of the format were highly controversial, as the Cincinnati Reds failed to qualify for the postseason despite having the best record in baseball (66–42) over the full season; the St. Louis Cardinals, with the NL's second-best record (59–43), were also left out.The Reds had finished the first half of the season just a half-game behind the Dodgers, while the Cardinals finished the second half just a half-game behind the Expos, who were making their first postseason appearance after 13 years of play.