How Many Teams Make the MLB Playoffs: A Quick Overview

Major League Baseball (MLB) has always been a popular topic among sports enthusiasts, and its playoff format is no exception.

With the recent change in the playoff format, there has been increased excitement and anticipation for the postseason.

The new format now includes 12 teams – six from each league (American League and National League) – which has expanded from the previous 10-team format.

This not only provides more opportunities for teams to showcase their skills, but it also adds an additional layer of competition.

In this updated MLB playoff structure, three division winners and three Wild Card teams from each league qualify for the postseason.

These additional wild-card spots create an added sense of urgency, as more teams have a chance to compete for a coveted spot in the playoff bracket. The change allows for a dynamic postseason and contributes to a thrilling experience for fans as they follow their favorite teams on their journey to the World Series.

With the new 12-team playoff format in place, there are bound to be endless conversations surrounding the strategizing, the performances, and the unexpected surprises that could emerge.

As we delve deeper into the topic, it becomes clear how this expansion will impact the MLB postseason both on and off the field.

The MLB Playoff Format

The MLB playoff format has undergone a significant change in 2022, now featuring an expanded 12-team bracket instead of the previous 10-team format.

This change allows for more teams to compete and a longer, more exciting postseason.

Wild Card Round

The new playoff format introduces an expanded Wild Card round, replacing the single-elimination Wild Card Games with four best-of-three Wild Card Series. This round includes:

• Two additional Wild Card teams per league (American League and National League)
• The top two division winners in each league receive a bye
• The remaining division winner is paired against the lowest-ranked Wild Card team
• The remaining two Wild Card teams face each other

Division Series

Once the Wild Card round is complete, the playoffs progress to the best-of-five Division Series. In this round:

• The top division winner gets to choose their opponent from the two Wild Card series winners
• The final division winner faces the remaining Wild Card series winner

Championship Series

Upon completion of the Division Series, the winners advance to the Championship Series:

• American League Championship Series (ALCS)
• National League Championship Series (NLCS)

These matchups are best-of-seven, with the victors moving on to the World Series.

World Series

The culmination of the postseason is the World Series, pitting the champions of the American League and National League against each other in a best-of-seven series. The winning team earns the title of World Series Champions and receives the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Number of Teams in Playoffs

The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs consist of a bracket-style postseason that involves 12 teams. These teams are divided into two leagues, with six teams each participating from the American League and the National League. This format recently expanded from having ten teams to now featuring 12 teams in the postseason.

American League Teams

In the American League, the playoff structure includes the three division winners and three Wild Card teams. The division winners are the teams with the best records in their respective divisions: the American League East, American League Central, and American League West. The three Wild Card teams are determined by having the best records among the non-division-winning teams in the American League.

The American League playoff teams are as follows:

• Division winners:
  • American League East winner
  • American League Central winner
  • American League West winner
• Wild Card teams (3 teams with the best records outside division winners)

National League Teams

Similar to the American League, the National League’s playoff structure also consists of the three division winners and three Wild Card teams. The division winners come from the National League East, National League Central, and National League West, while the Wild Card teams are those with the best records among non-division-winning National League teams.

The National League playoff teams are as follows:

• Division winners:
  • National League East winner
  • National League Central winner
  • National League West winner
• Wild Card teams (3 teams with the best records outside division winners)

The 12-team MLB playoff format creates an exciting and competitive postseason, with both the American and National League teams vying for a chance to win the prestigious World Series title.

Determining the Playoff Teams

The MLB playoffs consist of a total of 12 teams, with six teams from each league (American and National). This format has been expanded from the previous 10-team format as part of the new collective-bargaining agreement ratified in March 2022. In this section, we will discuss how these 12 teams are determined, focusing on the division winners and wild card spots.

Division Winners

In the MLB, there are 3 divisions per league: East, Central, and West. The team with the best win-loss record at the end of the regular season in each division is declared the division winner. Therefore, a total of six teams (3 from each league) automatically qualify for the playoffs as the division winners.

Wild Card Spots

Apart from the division winners, another six teams (3 from each league) make the playoffs as wild card teams. The wild card spots are awarded to the teams with the next best win-loss records in their respective leagues after the division winners.

In the wild-card round, these teams are seeded as follows:

• No. 3 seed (highest wild card) will host the No. 6 seed (lowest wild card) for a three-game series
• No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed for a three-game series

This format allows teams that did not win their divisions to have a chance at competing in the postseason. The wild-card round winners then advance to face the division winners in the next round of playoffs.