MLB Playoffs Guide; MLB Playoff Odds, Projections, and Everything Postseason

National League Playoffs

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the National League’s top dog lately with five NLCS appearances since 2017, but it has only represented its league in the World Series twice in that time.

Five different NL teams have played in the Fall Classic in the last five seasons as it's been the more unpredictable of Major League Baseball’s two leagues.

Below is a summary of the teams in each National League Division, and their recent playoff histories:

National League East

Atlanta Braves - Atlanta has been a mainstay in the MLB postseason in recent seasons, making the playoffs every year since 2018.

The Braves haven’t been as consistent in the postseason as the regular season, but they did make a magical run in 2021, earning their fourth World Series title in franchise history.

Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies have made the playoffs just twice since 2011, but both of those appearances resulted in deep runs.

Philadelphia reached the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS in 2023, but a title proved elusive. The Phillies won their last title in 2008.

New York Mets - The Mets have become infamous recently for spending an enormous amount of money on player salaries without seeing great on-field results.

New York has made just three postseason trips in the last 10 seasons, with their deepest run coming back in 2015 when they lost in the World Series. The Mets won their last title back in 1986.

Washington Nationals - Washington has made three postseason appearances in the last 10 years and five since relocation from Montreal in 2005.

The team’s last trip to the playoffs was its most successful as it won the World Series in 2019 — pulling a significant upset over a heavily favored Astros team.

Miami Marlins - The Marlins haven’t been much of a factor in the playoffs recently. Miami has made the postseason just twice since 2003, failing to win a round on both occasions. 

Although the Marlins have reached the playoffs just four times in franchise history, they have won the World Series twice (1997 and 2003).

National League Central

Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers have been the class of the NL Central in recent years with five playoff appearances and three division titles since 2018.

While Milwaukee has consistently been in the mix, the team has rarely made deep playoff runs. The team’s deepest playoff journey in recent years went as far as the NLCS back in 2018. 

The Brewers have never won a World Series title and they’ve made just one appearance back in 1982.

St. Louis Cardinals - St. Louis has reached the playoffs six times in the last 10 years, but the Cardinals have rarely made noise in October. 

Those six trips only got as far as the NLCS once, back in 2014. The Cardinals are one of the most storied franchises in MLB history. They have won the World Series 11 times, most recently back in 2011.

Chicago Cubs - The Cubs were a competitive powerhouse in the mid-to-late 2010s, making the playoffs five times between 2015 and 2020. 

Chicago hasn’t sniffed the postseason since, but during that stretch, the Cubs broke the infamous Billy Goat Curse and won their first World Series since 1908.

Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates have been one of MLB’s least successful teams in recent years. Pittsburgh hasn’t made the playoffs — or had a winning season — since 2015.

The Pirates reached the postseason every year between 2013 and 2015 but never got past the NLDS. Prior to those three years, they missed the playoffs every season between 1993 and 2012.

Cincinnati Reds - The Reds have made just one playoff appearance in the last 10 years, and that came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Cincinnati has generally been a competitive afterthought since its last World Series title in 1990. Since winning that championship the Reds have reached the postseason only five times and won a total of three playoff games.

National League West

Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers are one of the richest and best-run teams in the majors, and they’ve made the playoffs in every season since 2013 as a result.

Los Angeles has just one World Series title in that time, and the general perception has been that the Dodgers should have more to show for being the most dominant regular-season team of the current era.

San Diego Padres - The Padres have become known for their bold moves in free agency and on the trade market lately, but their audacity hasn’t led to postseason success.

San Diego has made the playoffs just twice since 2006, with their best run coming in 2022 when the Padres lost the NLCS to the Phillies in five games. The Padres have never won the World Series, but they reached the Fall Classic in 1984 and 1998.

Arizona Diamondbacks - Arizona’s playoff highlight in recent seasons is its Cinderella run to the World Series in 2023. The Diamondbacks weren’t expected to do much in the playoffs after an 84-win regular season, but they got hot at precisely the right time before the Rangers put a stop to their momentum.

Before 2023, Arizona made the playoffs only three times between 2003 and 2022. The Diamondbacks won their only title in 2001.

San Francisco Giants - Since winning three World Series titles between 2010 and 2014, the Giants have not made noise in the postseason.

San Francisco has reached the playoffs just twice since its last title — losing in the NLDS both times.

Colorado Rockies - The Rockies have been nonfactors in the MLB postseason in recent seasons. Colorado has appeared in the playoffs just three times since 2008 and won only one postseason game in that time.

Colorado has never won a World Series title. The closest it got was back in 2007 when it reached the Fall Classic, but it got swept by the Boston Red Sox in that Series.

Major League Baseball Playoff Format

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How many games are in the first round of the MLB playoffs?

The second round of the playoffs — the wild card series — is a round that includes four best-of-three series. That means the total number of games played is always between eight and 12.

How many games are in the second round of the MLB playoffs?

The second round of the playoffs — the ALDS and NLDS — is a round that includes four best-of-five series. That means the total number of games played is always between 12 and 20.

How many games are in the third round of the MLB playoffs?

The third round of the playoffs — the ALCS and NLCS — is a pair of best-of-seven series. That means the total number of games played is always between eight and 14.

How many games are in the World Series?

The World Series is a best-of-seven series which means there are between four and seven games, depending on the outcomes. In recent seasons the Fall Classic has tended to run relatively long.

In 2004 and 2005 there were consecutive sweeps in the World Series and we’ve seen just once in the seasons since (San Francisco Giants, 2012).

More MLB Postseason Information

The MLB playoffs can be confusing to fans who are unfamiliar with the sport. The format has changed significantly in recent years, and the postseason includes series with multiple different lengths — unlike the NBA, NHL, and NFL.

When do the MLB playoffs start?

The precise date the MLB playoffs begin can vary from season to season, but it always falls early in October.

The 2024 MLB postseason begins on October 1.

How many teams make the playoffs in baseball?

Each season 12 teams compete in the MLB postseason. 

Eight of those teams have to compete in best-of-three wild-card series while four — the division winners with the top-two records in the AL and NL — have a bye for that round and first compete in the divisional series.

What is the new MLB playoff format?

The postseason format has been altered several times in recent years, but the MLB playoffs are currently being played under the rules that were first instituted in 2023.

Here’s a rundown of how it works:

1. Six teams from the American League and six teams from the National League make the postseason: All the division winners and the three clubs with the best records in each league other than those teams.
2. The first round is a wild-card round where all of the playoff teams that didn’t win their division compete in a three-game series. The top two wild-card clubs in the AL and NL face each other and the worst wild-card teams play the division winners with the worst records.
3. The surviving teams play the top two division winners in each league in the best-of-five divisional series.
4. The two teams remaining in AL and NL compete in a best-of-seven championship series.
5. The winners of the ALCS and NLCS face off in the World Series.

What month does the MLB postseason start?

The MLB playoffs begin in October every year. In 2024 they will get underway at the very beginning of the month, but that isn’t always the case.

Sometimes the regular season pushes into October, but even though the schedule varies to some degree the postseason always begins in the same month.

Considering MLB includes several teams with outdoor stadiums located in cold climates it could be problematic for the playoffs to take place closer to the beginning of winter.

Is the MLB postseason a bracket?

The MLB playoffs are a bracket. 

Even if a low-seeded team escapes the wild card round, it does not necessarily face the highest-seeded remaining team left in the AL or NL rather as it follows a rigid bracket.

Below you can see an example of this concept in action from the 2023 playoffs. Even though the lowest seed in the National League (the Arizona Diamondbacks) advanced out of the first round they played the second-seed Los Angeles Dodgers in the divisional round instead of matching up with the club that had the NL's best record (the Atlanta Braves).

How many wild card teams are there in MLB?

Since the first wild card was introduced in 1995 more and more teams have been included in the postseason field.

From 1995 to 2011 there was a single wild card club allowed into the playoffs in the American League and National League. In 2012 MLB expanded to two wild card clubs in both the AL and NL. These two teams played a single game to determine who reached the ALDS and NLDS to face a division winner.

In 2022 the group of wild card teams grew further to three in both the American League and National League. Now, instead of a Wild Card Game, there is a best-of-three Wild Card Series where two of the wild card teams face each other and the third faces the division winner with the worst record.

At this point, there are six total wild card teams in every postseason.

Recent MLB History

The playoffs are consistently unpredictable, and what we've seen in the past two seasons is no exception to that MLB trend.

It's been almost impossible to build an MLB dynasty in recent years as no team has won back-to-back championship since the New York Yankees earned World Series titles in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

MLB Postseason Results 2023

In 2023 the Texas Rangers won their first World Series in franchise history by besting the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1.

Neither team was expected to compete for a championship before the story, but both slayed giants on the way to their World Series showdown.

Below is a summary of the results from MLB playoff rounds before the World Series:

AL Wild Card Round

• Texas Rangers defeat Tampa Bay Rays 2-0
• Minnesota Twins defeat Toronto Blue Jays 2-0

NL Wild Card Round

• Philadelphia Phillies defeat Miami Marlins 2-0
• Arizona Diamondbacks defeat Milwaukee Brewers 2-0

AL Divisional Round

• Texas Rangers defeat Baltimore Orioles 3-0
• Houston Astros defeat Minnesota Twins 3-1

NL Divisional Round

• Philadelphia Phillies defeat Atlanta Braves 3-1
• Arizona Diamondbacks defeat Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0

AL Championship Series

• Texas Rangers defeat Houston Astros 4-3

NL Championship Series

• Arizona Diamondbacks defeat Philadelphia Phillies 4-3

2022 MLB Playoff Results

In 2022 the Houston Astros rode a stellar pitching staff and battle-tested lineup to a World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Fall Classic was a six-game affair where the Houston Astros outscored the NL East squad 22-18.

Below is a summary of the results from MLB playoff rounds before the World Series:

AL Wild Card Round

• Cleveland Guardians defeat Tampa Bay Rays 2-0
• Seattle Mariners defeat Toronto Blue Jays 2-0

NL Wild Card Round

• Philadelphia Phillies defeat St. Louis Cardinals 2-0
• San Diego Padres defeat New York Mets 2-1

AL Divisional Round

• New York Yankees defeat Cleveland Guardians 3-2
• Houston Astros defeat Seattle Mariners 3-0

NL Divisional Round

• Philadelphia Phillies defeat Atlanta Braves 3-1
• San Diego Padres defeat Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1

AL Championship Series

• Houston Astros defeat New York Yankees 4-0

NL Championship Series

• Philadelphia Phillies defeat San Diego Padres 4-1

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