The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs are set to heat up with the commencement of the Wild Card Series, featuring four exciting games on Tuesday. This point marks the second year since MLB expanded its postseason format in 2022, increasing the number of participating teams from 10 to 12. The change aimed to intensify the competition and boost the excitement for teams vying to go all the way.
Tuesday’s games showcase a selection of prominent teams, with the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs playing in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Dodgers are set to compete in the evening.
The postseason structure incites curiosity among fans as each side of the bracket includes six teams from the American and National Leagues, drawing three division winners. This arrangement allows room for three wild-card teams in each league, establishing a thrilling and competitive environment.
The top two division victors in each league are rewarded with a bye, directly advancing to the Division Series, leaving eight teams to square off in the Wild Card Series. These games adopt a best-of-three format, held at the higher-seed team’s home ground. The winners proceed to the Division Series, which will begin on Saturday, with the No. 1 seed playing the victor of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 series, and the No. 2 seed facing the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 series.
Maintaining the expanded playoff format has proven beneficial, with notable past instances such as the Philadelphia Phillies reaching the World Series as a No. 6 seed in 2022 and the Arizona Diamondbacks achieving the same feat in 2023. Although the No. 6 seed didn’t make it to the World Series in 2024, the New York Mets made a strong run to the National League Championship Series.
The Division Series remains a best-of-five showdown, formatted as a 2-2-1 series. Subsequently, the Championship Series and the World Series extend to best-of-seven series, following a 2-3-2 home/away format.
Over the years, MLB has modified its postseason format multiple times. Initially, the World Series pitted two pennant winners directly against each other. The creation of divisions in 1969 led to the establishment of the Championship Series. It wasn’t until 1995 that a wild card was introduced, and by 2012, the format expanded further by adding a second wild card in each league. A decade later, in 2022, the third wild card for each league became a reality, shaping today’s more dynamic and inclusive competition.