In 2007, the Colorado Rockies finished the regular season with a 14-1 surge and swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs to earn eight days off before the World Series. After winning 21 of 22 games, the Rockies were flat in the Fall Classic and were soundly swept by the Boston Red Sox.

The situation was similar in 2006, when the Detroit Tigers swept Oakland in the ALCS and sat for six days while the St. Louis Cardinals went the distance before eliminating the Mets in the NLCS. The Cardinals went back to work after a single day off and routed the once-hot Tigers in a five-game World Series.

So, should fans be concerned that the Philadelphia Phillies have sat for six days waiting for the Rays and Red Sox to settle the AL championship?

Probably not. What’s happened the last two Octobers hasn’t been the norm. In the last 13 postseasons, since the current wild-card format began in 1995, the World Series club that had the most rest going into the final round has won the final game of the season 10 times. A few extra days off in October for pitchers and the injured have to be an advantage.

In this same span of years, four teams have had six or more days of rest before Game 1 of the World Series. That includes the 2006 Tigers and 2007 Rockies, who managed just one win between them in their World Series appearances.

The other two clubs, however, both won World Series titles. In 1995, the Atlanta Braves sat for six days after taking four straight from Cincinnati in the NLCS. Despite the layoff, they claimed the first two games of the Fall Classic at home against Cleveland, and secured the World Series crown in six games.

The next fall, it was the New York Yankees who had six days off. Meanwhile, Atlanta charged back from a 3-1 NLCS deficit to St. Louis to advance, and then John Smoltz and Greg Maddux shut down the well-rested Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the first two games of the World Series. The Braves returned home with a five-game winning streak, but the Yankees stormed to four straight victories to dethrone the defending World Series champions.

If there’s any good news in all this for the Tampa Bay Rays, it’s that three of the last five World Series winners had just two days off before Game 1. That was the case for the 2003 Marlins, who upset the Yankees in a six-game affair, as well as the Red Sox in both 2004 and 2007. The Rays will host Wednesday’s first game following a dramatic Game 7 win in the ALCS and two days of rest.