Why isn't today the last day of baseball season?

I've heard some folks wondering why today isn't the last day of baseball season -- next week seems a bit too late, especially considering that World Series Game 7 is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4! We've only had November baseball twice ever - in 2001 and when Fox experimented one year with days off between games at the same location - so why are they now part of the regular schedule? On top of all that, with the regular season ending Sunday, September 28, last year, why not Sunday, September 27, this year?

The simple answer - as with all things, including awards shows and holidays, not just sports - is that last year was the earliest possible season schedule, and this year is the latest possible. For example, there have been years when the Oscars fall on Sunday, February 22, and then fall on Sunday, February 28, the next. When Thanksgiving falls on November 22, the most common result the following year is that the holiday falls on November 28, not November 21. Therefore, moving six days from one year to the next isn't necessarily a change in the scheduling format; it's most likely the earliest-ever/latest-ever in consecutive years.

Under this new schedule, which began last year with the World Series starting on a Tuesday and ending the following Wednesday (old schedule: Wednesday, Thursday respectively), let's take a look at key dates and their earliest and latest possibilities.

Opening Night/Opening Day (Sunday/Monday): Earliest March 30-31/Latest April 5-6

Last day of regular season (Sunday): Earliest September 28/Latest October 4

First day of postseason (Tuesday): Earliest September 30/Latest October 6

World Series Game 1 (Tuesday): Earliest October 21/Latest October 27

World Series Game 7 (Wednesday): Earliest October 29/Latest November 4

There appears to be no pattern here: why not start the season on March 29? Or April 6? (if those dates were on a Sunday of course)

The pattern appears in a date not listed above, and perhaps not thought about much. World Series Game 4!

World Series Game 4 (Saturday): Earliest October 25/Latest October 31

World Series Game 4 always lands on the last Saturday night in October! This guarantees that in any season, it's always possible for the season to end in October.

As far as the question as to why November baseball is now possible when it wasn't before: the season is 4 days longer due to three days at the beginning of the postseason (one bye day for tiebreakers and the two wild card games) and one extra day (Thursday) that has been added to the All-Star Break since the last CBA. This accounts for the four days that extend the season (in the worst case) to November 4.