How Do MLB Playoffs Work?

Last Updated on February 25, 2024

2023 is the second MLB season since the expansion of MLB playoffs from 10 teams to 12. This expansion made this playoffs more entertaining than ever. But as it is a complicated process, many fans don’t understand how MLB playoffs work. Let us know with the latest update. 

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

The MLB post-season is made up of:

• Wild Card Round
• Divisional Round
• League Championship Round
• World Series

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.

Under this new system, two division-winning teams will receive byes through the first round. They will play straight in the division series. 

Which Teams Qualified for the 2023 Playoffs?

AL seeds:
1st Baltimore Orioles
2nd Houston Astros
3rd Minnesota Twins
4th Tampa Bay Rays
5th Texas Rangers
6th Toronto Blue Jays

NL seeds:
1st Atlanta Braves
2nd Los Angeles Dodgers
3rd Milwaukee Brewers 
4th Philadelphia Phillies 
5th Miami Marlins 
6th Arizona Diamondbacks

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.

As we move forward into the 2023 Division Series matchups, let’s take a look at what’s in store:

American League:

• Rays/Rangers vs Orioles
• Twins/Blue Jays vs Astros

National League:

• Phillies/Marlins vs Braves
• Brewers/Diamondbacks vs Dodgers

Following the Division Series is the Pennant Fight – Championship Series. 

This stage determines which teams will earn the desired pennants for both the American League (AL) and National League (NL). 

The Championship Series features the victorious teams from each of those four matchups. In this round, two best-of-seven contests are held to determine the league champions.

During this round, preference is given to the higher-seeded team who receives home-field advantage. 

As such, they will host Games 1, 2, and if necessary, Games 6 and 7. 

The 2023 Championship Series is set to commence on Sunday, October 15. 

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?

12. Six from both the American League and National League. This is an increase from the previous format that only allowed 10.

2. What are the rules for seeding in the MLB playoffs?

Here’s how it goes: The best record in either league gets the number one seed. The second-best record for a division winner gets two, and the third-best gets three. Same thing for wild card teams. Except they get five or six, respectively.

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.

2023 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.