The MLB playoffs work under a 12-team postseason format, with six teams from each league (American League and National League) qualifying for the playoffs. Here's how it breaks down:
Teams and Seeding:
- Each league sends 6 teams to the playoffs.
- 3 division winners (East, Central, West) automatically qualify.
- 3 Wild Card teams (the non-division winners with the best records).
- Seeds are assigned per league as follows:
- No. 1 seed: Best division winner record.
- No. 2 seed: Second-best division winner record.
- No. 3 seed: Third-best division winner record.
- No. 4, 5, 6 seeds: The three Wild Card teams ranked by their regular-season records.
Playoff Rounds:
- Wild Card Series (best-of-three games):
- No. 3 seed (third division winner) hosts No. 6 seed (third Wild Card).
- No. 4 seed hosts No. 5 seed.
- Played on consecutive days, all games hosted by the higher seed.
- Division Series (best-of-five):
- No. 1 and No. 2 seeds get a first-round bye and automatically advance to this round.
- No. 1 seed plays winner of (4 vs 5) Wild Card Series.
- No. 2 seed plays winner of (3 vs 6) Wild Card Series.
- League Championship Series (best-of-seven):
- Winners of Division Series face off to decide the American League and National League champions.
- World Series (best-of-seven):
- The AL and NL champions compete for the MLB championship.
Home-Field Advantage:
- In the Wild Card Series, the higher seed hosts all games.
- In the Division Series, the top two seeds host the first two games and the deciding game if necessary.
- In the League Championship Series and World Series, the team with the better regular-season record gets home-field advantage in a 2-3-2 format (hosting Games 1, 2, 6, and 7).
To win the World Series, a Wild Card team must win three series, while a team with a first-round bye needs to win three rounds as well. This playoff format has been in place since 2022 and aims to balance rewarding the best teams with added postseason excitement through an expanded Wild Card Series.
