How many teams make the playoffs in baseball? Major League Baseball unveiled a postseason format in 2022 that expanded both the pool of teams and the Wild Card round. Here are answers to questions you might have about the format.

How many teams reach the postseason?

The bracket-style postseason involves 12 teams (six from each league) — an increase from 10 teams (five in each league) in the previous format. That includes the three division winners in each league and three Wild Card teams per league.

What is the format for the Wild Card Series?

Each Wild Card Series game will be played in the home park of the team with the higher seed (so, the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds will have the hosting duties). The games will be scheduled to take place in a three-day window so that the division winners with byes are not forced to wait around longer than is beneficial.

The winners of the Wild Card Series will advance to the Division Series, and the losers are eliminated from the postseason.

Are teams reseeded after the Wild Card Series?

No. The No. 1 seed will face the winner of the Wild Card Series between the Nos. 4/5 seeds, while the No. 2 seed will face the winner of the Nos. 3/6 series. This ensures that the No. 1 seed won’t face another division winner in the Division Series round while still preserving the bracket system.

Is the Division Series still a best-of-five?

Yes. The only thing that has changed with regard to the Division Series is how teams get there. It will remain a best-of-five in a 2-2-1 format, with home-field advantage going to the higher seed.

Are there any other changes to the postseason?

No. The League Championship Series and World Series rounds remain best-of-seven in a 2-3-2 format, with regard to home-field advantage.

What if two (or more) teams vying for a division title or postseason spot have identical records at the end of the regular season?
Tiebreaker games (otherwise known as Game 163) have been eliminated. All ties will be resolved mathematically, with head-to-head record being the first tiebreaker. Here is a full explanation of the tiebreaker system.

Which pennant winner gets home-field advantage in the World Series?

Home-field for the World Series round goes to the team with the best regular-season record, regardless of postseason seeding within that team’s league.

How many teams reach the postseason, and how?

If the two teams had identical regular season records, the tiebreaker format linked above (head-to-head record, then intradivision record, then interdivision record) applies.

As mentioned, the playoffs now include six teams from each league, up from the previous five. The three division winners still advance, with the change being that three wild-card teams per league now qualify for the postseason.

What about the rest of the format?

Nothing new to report. The League Championship Series and World Series are still best-of-seven in a 2-3-2 format. Home-field advantage in the World Series goes to the team with the better regular-season record (regardless of their playoff seeding) — the aforementioned tiebreaker rules apply if the teams happen to have the same regular-season records.

Understanding the divisions

Before you understand the playoff berths, you need to remember how the divisions are set up. There are three divisions in each of the separate leagues. The three divisions are East, Central, and West. Between the American League and National League, you will have teams that represent all six divisions in the postseason.

It is important to remember that a National League team will not play an American League team (or vice versa) until the top two teams play each other in the World Series.

Who gets to play?

12 teams, total, will enter the postseason. 6 teams from the National League and 6 teams from the American League will make it into the playoffs. It is important to note that just because there are 6 teams – that doesn’t guarantee that there will be two teams from each division.

The 6 teams will be made up of the 3 division winners (one from the East, one from the Central, and one from the West) and the 3 teams with the best overall record. This is where it is important to pay attention. If your team plays in a loaded division, your team may not win the division but may still have an opportunity to make the playoffs. So you are competing not just with teams in your division, but with teams across the league.

What is the benefit of winning the division?

Your team’s goal should be to win the division. Remember, the three-division winners are automatically qualified for the postseason. Here is a wrinkle in the postseason picture: The top two division winners get a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The third-division winner does not get a bye and has to play more games to make it deeper into the playoffs.

How many rounds are there in the postseason?

There are four rounds in the playoffs. The first round is known as the Wild Card Round. The second round is called the Divisional Round. This round can also be known more specifically as the American League Divisional Series and National League Divisional Series.

The third round is called the League Championship Round. Specific titles for this round include the American League Championship Series and the National League Championship Series. The winners of these series win their respective league pennant.

The fourth and final round is known as the World Series. Reminder, there is no interleague play until the fourth round. The World Series is where the best team in the American League plays the best team in the National League.

How are the playoffs seeded?

The seeding of the playoffs is not complicated. In each league (American and National), the top two division winners with the best records earn a first-round bye. They are seed numbers 1 and 2. The team with the best record is the first seed, and the team with the second-best record is the second seed.

This reduces the number of teams playing in the first round to four in each league. The third division winner plays in the round with the wild card teams. The third division winner in each league becomes the third seed. The remaining teams, the wild card teams, are seeded based on their records. The best team is the fourth seed, the second is the fifth seed, and the third best record is the sixth seed.

Rounds and match-ups

In the first round of the playoffs (The Wild Card Round), the top two seeds have a bye. The 3 seed plays the 6 seed, and then the 4 and 5 seeds play each other. This series is a best of 3 games series. The home team alternates with each game. The first host is the team with the best record.

In the second round (The Divisional Series), the two seeds that had byes play the winners of the first round series. The 1 seed plays the lowest seed, and the 2 seed plays the other team. This series is a best of 5 games series. The home team in this series is also determined by record. The series will go 2-2-1. This means the first two games are hosted by the team with the best record, then away to the other team, and finally, if necessary, the last game is played back in the original host team’s ballpark.

In the third round (The Championship Round), the winners of the two divisional series play each other. The winner advances to the World Series. This series is a best of 7 games series. The field alternates 2-3-2. The higher seed is the first host for the first 2 games. Then the series shifts to the other ballpark for 3 games and then back to the original host for the last 2 – if necessary.

The final round is the World Series. In this matchup, you see the best team from the American League facing the best team from the National League. Home-field advantage again rests with the team with the best record. The field alternates 2-3-2. The higher seed is the first host for the first 2 games. Then the series shifts to the other ballpark for 3 games and then back to the original host for the last 2 – if necessary.

Final Word

Now that you know how the playoff structure works, it makes watching the regular season match-ups more interesting. It also puts some pressure on the division leaders since only two of the three teams will earn a bye. Potentially you could see some postseason previews in the match-ups toward the end of the season.

Above is information how many teams make the playoffs in baseball.   Hopefully, through the above content, you have a more detailed understanding of how many teams make the playoffs in baseball .Thank you for reading our post.