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How Many Wild Card Teams Are in MLB? League’s Postseason Format Explained
Here’s all you need to know about the MLB postseason. Read on to know more.
Major League Baseball, whose regular season spans over a time of around 6 months, is one of the most popular and professional sports leagues in the world. The league which features around 2500 games is divided into two parts - regular and post-season. Here’s all you need to know about the MLB post-season:
How many teams play in the MLB post season?
12 teams, six each from both the American and National League, take part in the MLB postseason. Earlier, 10 teams used to take part in the post season but the number was later increased to 12 after the change in rules in 2022.
How many rounds are in the MLB playoffs?
- Wild card round
- Division round
- League Championship round
- World series
How are the teams selected for MLB post season?
While three teams are seeded directly for the postseason, the remaining three are chosen as wildcard teams. based on the Following is the seeding format used for the MLB post-season for both American and National leagues:
1st seed- The team with the best record in the league
2nd seed- Second best record for a division winner
3rd seed- Third best record for a division winner
4th seed- Best record for wildcard teams
5th seed- Second best record for wildcard teams
6th seed- Third best record for wildcard teams
What is the format for Wild Card series?
The top two teams directly enter the Division series while the remaining four teams compete in the wildcard series. The third seed competes with 6th seed while 4th and 5th seed clash with each other.
Every wildcard game is hosted by the team with a higher ranking in seeding. Hence, 3rd and 4th seeds are bestowed with the hosting responsibility and the series has to be completed within 3 days time frame so that the top two seeds don’t have to wait longer.
The two winners of the wildcard series then advance to the division series while the remaining two have to bow out of the postseason after their loss.
What is the format of Division series?
The top seed competes against the winner between the 4th and 5th seed while the second seed contests against the winner between the 3rd and 6th seed. The series takes part in the best-of-five, 2-2-1 format, with the higher seed getting the hosting advantage.
What are the division title tiebreakers?
Tiebreaker games, which were also known as the 163 game, have been eliminated and are not in use anymore. In case of ties, the following factors are taken into consideration to make the final decision:
- Record against other teams in their division
- Record against other teams in their league, but outside their division
- Record of last half of intraleague games
- Record of last half of intraleague games plus one
Which winner gets the home field advantage in World Series?
Both the League Championship Series and World Series take place in the best of seven a 2-3-2 format. The team with the best regular season record gets a chance to host the World Series, despite the playoffs seeding. In case of a tie between the records of two teams, the division tie-break rules apply.
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