If you’re a baseball fan like me, you know the regular season is fun, but the real excitement kicks in once we hit the playoffs. The MLB playoffs are where legends are made, and teams battle it out for a shot at the coveted World Series trophy. The playoffs have changed a bit over the years, especially with the latest expansions and tweaks, so it’s important to understand how the whole thing works now.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the ins and outs of the MLB playoffs, from how teams qualify to what the Wild Card games are all about. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or new to the sport, knowing the structure will give you a better appreciation of the high-stakes drama unfolding every fall.
Regular Season to Playoffs
Alright, let’s start with how teams even get to the playoffs. Major League Baseball has two leagues—the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). And, each league is split into three divisions: East, Central, and West. Over the course of the 162-game regular season (yes, it’s a marathon), teams in each division fight for the top spot.
Winning your division is a big deal because it guarantees you a spot in the playoffs. In total, six teams from each league make the playoffs: three division winners and three wild card teams. More on the wild card teams in a second. The division winners are automatically given a higher seed, which can give them a home-field advantage—a huge plus when the pressure’s on.
Now, this part is new. MLB recently expanded the playoff field from 10 teams to 12 teams starting in 2022, adding a little more excitement and opportunity for teams that might not have won their division but still had a strong season. If you followed last year’s playoffs, you probably saw how this made things even more intense.
The Breakdown of MLB Post-Season
Where top-notch teams can engage in a series of knockout rounds until we find out who reigned supreme as the revered MLB Champion. Here’s how it’s structured:
Step One: Division Winners
Win a division, and you’re in. An excellent win-loss record automatically gets you into the playoffs if you come out as the king of one of these six divisions: AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL East, NL Central, and NL West.
Step Two: Wild Cards
Three teams from each league (American League and National League) possessing great win-loss records also get a spot in the playoffs, which is called wild cards.
Step Three: Seeding
All 12 playoff teams are ranked or “seeded” from 1 to 6 in both leagues. Their regular-season performance determines their ranking. Higher seeds indicate better regular-season achievements.
Step Four: Series Structure
A wild card game starts the series followed by a division series, league championship series, and world series. Teams will partake in best-of-five or best-of-seven series, with whoever has more wins moving on to the next round.
Number of Rounds in the MLB Postseason
You will the 4 rounds in the MLB Postseason.
- Wild Card Spots
- Divisional Round / Wild Card Series
- League Championship Round
- World Series
1. Wild Card Spots
So, what’s the deal with the wild card spots? You might be wondering why teams that don’t win their division still get a shot at the postseason. Well, that’s where the wild card comes in.
Each league now gets three wild card teams, which are the non-division-winning teams with the best records. It’s a way to reward strong teams that might’ve been in a super-competitive division but didn’t quite take the top spot.
These wild card teams compete in the Wild Card Series, which is another recent change. It used to be a one-game playoff—one game to decide your season—but now it’s a best-of-three series.
Personally, I love this change because it gives teams more of a fighting chance, rather than having their entire season hinge on a single game. It also means more playoff baseball for us to enjoy, which is never a bad thing!
In this Wild Card Series, the higher-seeded team gets to host all the games. Home-field advantage matters a lot here, especially when the crowd is going wild and the players are feeding off that energy. If you caught last season’s Wild Card games, you’ll know how intense those matchups can get.
2. Wild Card Series
As I mentioned earlier, the Wild Card Series is a best-of-three showdown. This means the first team to win two games moves on to the next round.
The cool part is that the entire series is played at the home park of the higher-seeded team. That’s right, no travelling for the lower-seeded wild card team—so they better bring their A-game to hostile territory!
This series adds a lot of intensity. Every game matters, and because the series is short, there’s no room for errors. A single bad inning can send you packing, which is why the Wild Card Series is so fun to watch.
It’s where you’ll see some of the craziest, most unpredictable moments in baseball.
Once the dust settles and the two winners emerge from the Wild Card Series, they move on to face the top two seeds in their respective leagues in the Division Series.
3. Division Series (ALDS and NLDS)
Now we’re getting into the Division Series, also known as the ALDS (American League Division Series) and NLDS (National League Division Series). This round is a best-of-five format, meaning the first team to win three games advances to the next round.
The matchups here are pretty straightforward: the #1 seed faces the lower-seeded winner from the Wild Card Series, and the #2 seed plays the other Wild Card winner.
The higher-seeded team gets home-field advantage, meaning they host more games in the series. Specifically, they get to host Games 1, 2, and 5 (if necessary), which can make all the difference in a tight series.
The Division Series is often where we see some of the most dramatic moments of the postseason. Teams have already survived the grueling regular season and the wild card chaos, so the stakes feel even higher.
It’s all about momentum at this point—get on a roll, and you’re just a few wins away from the Championship Series.
4. Championship Series (ALCS and NLCS)
After the intensity of the Division Series, we move on to the Championship Series—the ALCS (American League Championship Series) and NLCS (National League Championship Series). This round is where the stakes get even higher, as teams are now just one step away from the World Series.
The Championship Series is a best-of-seven format, meaning the first team to win four games advances to the World Series. The teams that advance here are the winners of the ALDS and NLDS. The higher-seeded team gets home-field advantage, which means they get to host more games if the series goes the distance.
You will enjoy some most memorable and heart-pounding moments in the ALCS and NLCS.
Every game feels like it could shift the momentum completely, and with the finish line in sight, you see players giving everything they’ve got. The atmosphere in these games is electric, both in the stadium and for those of us watching at home.
One thing to note is that this round often becomes a battle of strategy—especially when it comes to pitching. Teams need to balance using their best pitchers to win games while keeping them fresh for the next round.
And don’t forget about the fans. These series are where fan bases really get loud and show up in force, pushing their team to make history.
5. World Series
And here it is—the ultimate prize in baseball: the World Series. The two best teams, one from the American League and one from the National League, face off in another best-of-seven series. The winner is crowned the World Series champion, and trust me, this is what every team dreams about from the start of spring training.
The home-field advantage in the World Series is determined by the team with the better regular-season record, which is a slight change from previous years when it used to rotate between the leagues. So, if your team had a stellar regular season, they could be rewarded with those crucial extra home games.
The World Series is where baseball’s biggest moments happen. Think of classic matchups like the Yankees vs. Dodgers, or the Red Sox’s epic comeback in 2004. These games are the stuff of legend. Heroes are made, underdogs can surprise everyone, and sometimes, we even get Game 7 drama, where it all comes down to a single game to decide the championship.
Home-Field Advantage Throughout the Playoffs
We’ve mentioned home-field advantage a few times, but it’s worth going into a bit more detail because it plays a huge role in the postseason. In most rounds, the team with the better regular-season record gets to host more games. This advantage can be a game-changer because players are more comfortable in their home stadium, and the crowd’s energy can really swing the momentum in their favor.
In the Wild Card Series, all games are played at the higher-seeded team’s ballpark. In the Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series, the team with the better record (or higher seed) gets more home games. In those longer series, the typical format is 2-3-2—meaning the team with home-field advantage hosts Games 1, 2, and, if necessary, Games 6 and 7.
The impact of home-field advantage shouldn’t be underestimated, especially when it comes to deciding close series. Teams with rabid fan bases, like the Yankees or Cubs, can make it feel like a madhouse for visiting teams, adding even more pressure to those high-stakes games.
Tiebreakers and Playoff Seeding
So, what happens if two teams finish the regular season with the same record? MLB has a set of tiebreaker rules to determine who gets into the playoffs and where teams are seeded. If two teams are tied for a playoff spot or division title, they don’t play an extra game anymore (they used to). Instead, tiebreakers are based on things like:
- Head-to-head record during the regular season.
- Intra-division record, which means how well a team did against other teams in their own division.
- Inter-division record, which looks at how they performed against teams outside their division but still in the same league.
These tiebreakers help determine everything from wild card spots to which teams get home-field advantage. It’s all about those little edges that can make a huge difference in the postseason.
Old Playoff Rule of the MLB
Before getting a facelift, Major League Baseball’s postseason was made up of 10 teams.
Five teams contributed to each league – American and National.
To make up these ten teams were three division winners from each league, plus two Wild Card Teams.
Since only one team could advance, the two Wild Card Teams would face one another in a single elimination match. The winner would move on to the Division Series.
After that, there was a best-of-five series called the Championship Series. And to finish it off there was another one called the World Series, just longer at being best-of-seven.
In total, this came out to anywhere between 32 and 53 games.
New MLB Playoff Format Introduced in 2022
Major League Baseball introduced a brand-new playoff format in 2022.
The aim was simple: incorporate more teams and expand the Wild Card round.
With this format, there are now 12 total teams – six from either side.Just a few years ago, the playoffs were only open to 10 teams.
In the past, the wild card was a single-elimination game, which was exciting but also brutal—one game to decide your season. Now, the best-of-three Wild Card Series adds more depth to the playoffs, allowing teams to prove themselves over multiple games.
Which Teams Qualified for the 2024 Playoffs?
As of mid-September 2024, no teams have officially clinched a spot in the MLB playoffs. However, based on the current standings, several teams are very close to securing their postseason berths.
In the American League (AL), teams like the Yankees, Astros, and Guardians are leading their respective divisions and are nearly guaranteed to qualify. The Orioles and Royals are also strong contenders for the Wild Card spots.
In the National League (NL), teams like the Phillies, Dodgers, and Brewers are leading their divisions. The Padres and D-backs are currently in strong Wild Card positions, while the Mets are still in contention but facing tight competition from the Braves.
The playoff field will be finalized as the season concludes, with the Wild Card Series set to begin on October 1, 2024
Keep your yes in our website to get the final result.
Coming up next is the highly anticipated Divison Series
The Divison Series is the second round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs, taking place after the conclusion of the Wild Card Series.
At this stage, there are a total of eight teams remaining. This includes the top four teams who emerged as victors from their respective regular season divisions, as well as the other four teams who triumphed in the initial round of playoffs.
Each matchup in the Division Series pairs a regular season division winner with a team that won a Wild Card tie. The series follows a best-of-five format, requiring a team to secure three victories in order to advance further into the playoffs.
Contrary to expectations, having a higher seed and home-field advantage does not mean hosting all five potential games at their own stadium.
Instead, the higher-seeded team serves as the home team for Games 1, 2, and if necessary, Game 5.
This unique distribution of home-field advantage adds an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability to the competition, making each Division Series matchup a thrilling spectacle for baseball fans.
Following the Division Series is the Pennant Fight – Championship Series.
The 2024 MLB Championship Series is set to be an exciting showdown between the best teams from the American League (AL) and the National League (NL).
- The National League Championship Series (NLCS) will begin on Sunday, October 13, 2024. The series will be a best-of-seven format, with the winner moving on to the World Series. If needed, a decisive Game 7 will take place on Monday, October 21, 2024. The games will be broadcast on FOX or FS1(CubsHQ.com).
- The American League Championship Series (ALCS) will start a day later on Monday, October 14, 2024. Like the NLCS, it will also follow a best-of-seven format, with a potential Game 7 scheduled for Tuesday, October 22, 2024. These games will be broadcast on TBS, truTV, and Max.
This series will determine which two teams face off in the 2024 World Series.
Finally, we arrive at the Pinnacle of Major League Baseball – the World Series.
After the American League (AL) and National League (NL) pennants have been awarded, it’s time for the champions from the Championship Series to face off in a thrilling best-of-seven showdown.
Similar to previous rounds, the team with the superior win-loss record during the regular season will receive home-field advantage, hosting Games 1, 2, and if necessary, Games 6 and 7.
The much-anticipated World Series is scheduled to kick off on October 27, with Game 7 penciled in for November 4 if needed. As teams gear up for this ultimate battle for baseball supremacy, anticipation soars among fans worldwide.
FAQs on MLB playoffs
1. How many teams make the MLB playoffs?
he MLB playoffs currently feature 12 teams—six from the American League (AL) and six from the National League (NL). This format was introduced in 2022, expanding the playoff field from the previous 10 teams.
2. What are the rules for seeding in the MLB playoffs?
In MLB playoffs, teams are seeded based on their regular-season records. Each league has three division winners and three Wild Card teams. The top-seeded team faces the lowest-seeded division winner or Wild Card team in the Division Series.
The second seed faces the remaining division winner or Wild Card team. Wild Card teams compete in a one-game playoff to secure a spot in the Division Series. Higher-seeded teams have home-field advantage for games 1, 2, and 5, while the lower-seeded teams host games 3 and 4, and if necessary, game 6. Tiebreakers resolve teams with identical records.
3. How many rounds are there in the MLB playoffs?
There are four: Wild Card Round, Divisional Round, League Championship Round, and World Series.
4. What is the format of the Wild Card Series?
Instead of going with a single-elimination wild card game, they decided to switch things up this year by doing a best-of-three series instead. All three games will take place over three consecutive days at the higher-seeded team’s field (Number three or four).
5. How do tiebreakers work in the MLB playoffs?
Tiebreaker games (also known as Game 163) are not used anymore. They’ll be solved by looking at head-to-head records. If that doesn’t break it or help, other factors like records against other divisions or leagues will be looked at.
6. Which team gets the home-field advantage in the World Series?
The team that had the best record during the regular season gets home-field advantage to begin their quest for glory, no matter what their playoff seeding was.
2024 TV guide for MLB Playoffs
On Friday, October 27th, this year’s World Series is set to begin and will be broadcast on FOX. You can find a full schedule of these playoff games on DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV— each of which carries Fox and FS1.
Postseason started off with four Wild Card Series games sponsored by Hankook Tire, which were available to watch on ABC and ESPN.
The Division Series Game 1s are scheduled for Saturday, October 7. ALDS games will be aired on either Fox or FS1, but NLDS games will be aired on TBS. And just a little bit after that, ALCS Game 1 will take place on Sunday, October 15, and can be watched on either Fox or FS1.
Hello everyone. My name is Jason Butler, and I live in California, America. I was a professional AAA Minor League Baseball player. I lost my chance of playing MLB for injury issues, but I did not lose my love for baseball. I attended the coaching training program and am now working as a coach in a small school in San Diego.
I always love to share my experience and knowledge if that can help you. Play baseball, and stay fit.