Via The Book Blog, Sky Andrecheck presents the various methods MLB uses to break massive ties, and the problems of unfairness involved in each. The worst example is the three way tie, in which teams are seeded and play single elimination (two games, one team getting a bye).

I actually like the way the three-way tie is broken, because it does involve a choice for the team with the best record among the three as to playing at home and needing to win two games or playing on the road and winning one. For most teams, the bye is the obvious choice, but I can see where a great home team like the Giants or a great road team like the Phillies could make that choice interesting. The Giants, if given that choice, might very well decide to play to their pitching strength and take home field for potentially two games. If the B team was given the choice of facing the Phillies at home or in Philadelphia, the right move might be to try to beat them in their own ballpark. I just like that the decision isn’t quite automatic, depending on which teams are playing and how they suit various parks.