What is the playoff format for MLB? From the postseason to financial bonuses, our guide contains everything you need to know about the Major League Baseball playoffs.
What is the MLB playoff format?
The Major League Baseball playoffs is an elimination tournament held following the end of the regular season. The purpose of the postseason is to determine the champions of the World Series – MLB’s annual championship game. So, what is the MLB playoff format and how does it all work? Let’s take a look at the key info, including the MLB playoff schedule.
What is a wild card?
Ten teams qualify for the playoffs each year – five from each of the two leagues that make up MLB: the American League and the National League. The six teams that win each of the divisions – AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL East, NL Central and NL West – qualify automatically for the playoffs.
The four remaining teams are known as wild cards – these are the two teams from each of the AL and NL that compiled the best regular season records without winning their division. This structure is a key part of the MLB playoff format and makes the postseason more competitive than ever.
How do the MLB playoffs work?
If you’re looking for MLB playoffs explained simply, here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how it plays out:
Wild Card Game:
The first round of the playoffs is called the Wild Card Game. This is a preliminary round in which the wild card teams from each league face off in single elimination games. The winners of the Wild Card Games play the team in their league with the best regular season record, while the other two remaining teams in each league play each other.
Division Series
The two winners of the Wild Card Games advance to the Division Series – the first proper round of the playoffs (the Division Series, known as either the ALDS or the NLDS, is essentially a quarter-final – there are eight teams remaining at this point). The Division Series is a best-of-five format, with the first team to win three games advancing to the next round.
League Championship Series
The two winners of the Division Series from each league then advance to the League Championship Series, or the semi-final stage – known as the ALCS and the NLCS. The LCS is a best-of-seven format, so the first team to win four games progresses.
World Series
The winners of the ALCS and NLCS – the American League champions and National League champions – then advance to the World Series. The World Series is also a best-of-seven, and the first team to win four games is declared champions for that year.
An example of the MLB playoff format
To give you a clearer picture of the MLB playoff format in action, here’s how the 2024 playoff bracket unfolded:
Wild Card matchups
AL: Royals vs Orioles, Tigers vs Astros
NL: Mets vs Brewers, Padres vs Braves
World Series contenders
Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) vs New York Yankees (AL)
Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers (won series 4–1)
This playoff run showcased the balance of power between tradition and talent, as it saw two of baseball’s biggest franchises going head-to-head in a blockbuster World Series. It also highlighted how Wild Card teams like the Mets and Tigers can still make serious noise, even as lower seeds. The 2024 MLB playoff format continued to prove just how much drama and unpredictability the current system delivers.
To find out more about the World Series, check out our in-depth World Series guide.
How are teams seeded for the MLB playoffs?
In Major League Baseball, 12 teams make the playoffs – six from the American League (AL) and six from the National League (NL). Each league includes three division winners and three Wild Card teams with the best remaining records.
The teams are then seeded 1 through 6 based on regular-season performance. The division winner with the best record gets the No. 1 seed, followed by the second-best and third-best division winners as seeds 2 and 3. The three Wild Card teams are seeded 4 to 6 based on win-loss records.
The top two seeds get a first-round bye and automatically advance to the Division Series. Seeds 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5 face off in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, with all games hosted by the higher seed. From there, it’s a standard bracket with the Division Series, Championship Series, and finally the World Series.
This seeding structure is at the heart of understanding the MLB playoff format in its current form and it makes for some exciting games.
How many rounds are there in the MLB playoff schedule?
The MLB Playoff schedule consist of four rounds:
Wild Card Series
This is a best-of-three series involving the lowest three seeds (3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5) in each league. The top two seeds get a bye.
Division Series (ALDS & NLDS)
A best-of-five series. The top two seeds join here, facing the winners of the Wild Card matchups.
League Championship Series (ALCS & NLCS)
A best-of-seven series to determine the American League and National League champions.
World Series
The AL and NL winners face off in a best-of-seven series to crown the MLB champion.
In total, a Wild Card team would need to win three series to reach the World Series, and four to win it all. Teams with a bye need to win just three rounds.
What is home-field advantage and how does it work?
With each round of the playoffs consisting of an odd number of games, one team always gets to host more games than the other. This is known as home-field advantage.
In the one-off Wild Card Games, the team with the better regular-season record gets home-field advantage.
In the Division Series, the two division champions in each league with the best regular-season record are given home-field advantage. They host the first two games of the series and the final game of the series, should a fifth game be required.
In the League Championship Series, the team with the best regular-season record is again given home-field advantage. However, if that team is a wild card, then their opponents get home-field advantage regardless of regular-season records. The team with the advantage host the first two games and the last two games of the series.
In the World Series, the league champion with the better regular-season record is again afforded home-field advantage. Just like the LCS, the World Series is a 2-3-2 format – the team with home-field advantage hosts game one, two, six and seven.
How do postseason bonuses work?
The MLB playoff format doesn’t just reward success with trophies, as there’s some serious cash involved too. Every player that competes in the MLB playoffs is entitled to a financial bonus, but the amount is determined by several factors.
The bonus pool is funded by 60 per cent of the gate receipts from certain games in each round:
Both Wild Card Games
The first three games of each Division Series
The first four games of each League Championship Series and the World Series
By limiting the pool to the minimum number of games each series, it disincentivises players from extending the series for monetary gain.
The further your team makes it in the playoffs, the more bonus you are entitled to – the World Series winners get 36 per cent of the pool, the runners-up get 24 per cent, the two LCS losers get 12 per cent, the four DS losers get 3.25 per cent and the two Wild Card losers get 1.5 per cent.
How are postseason MLB bonuses shared?
When the money has been divided between the 10 teams, it is up to the players to determine who gets what. In a meeting chaired by a union representative, the players who have been with the team for the entire season decide how the money is shared out. Depending on how the vote goes, players who have not been with the team for the full season, coaches, trainers and other clubhouse staff may be entitled to a bonus or a cash award.
The 2019 pool amounted to $80.9m, the third-highest total in league history. World Series champions the Washington Nationals received $29.1m, splitting it into 61 full shares of $382, 358, with 14 partial shares and two cash awards.
So there you have it, the MLB playoffs explained. You can now share key insight if someone asks you “what is the MLB playoff format?” Interested in finding out more MLB facts and figures? Find out which are the best MLB pitchers and who has the longest winning streaks in MLB history.
Ready to place a bet? Visit Betway’s baseball betting page. Alternatively, stay ahead of the game with the Betway Sports app! Download it now from the Play Store or the App Store to enjoy live betting, real-time updates, and exclusive offers right at your fingertips.
