How do wild card playoffs work?

Navigating the Wild Card Playoffs: A Comprehensive Guide

The Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason features a thrilling Wild Card round that sets the stage for the Division Series and beyond. Here’s a comprehensive overview of how the Wild Card playoffs work:

Format:

• The Wild Card round is played between eight teams:
  • The three division winners with the lowest records in each league
  • The two Wild Card teams with the best records from each league

Matchups:

• The division winners with the lowest records are seeded first and second, and they face the two Wild Card teams, seeded third and fourth.

Games:

• The Wild Card round consists of single-elimination games.
• The higher-seeded team hosts the game.
• If the game is tied after nine innings, extra innings are played until a winner is determined.

Advancement:

• The two victorious teams from the Wild Card round advance to the Division Series.
• They are seeded third and fourth in their respective leagues.
• The division winners with the top two records in each league earn the top two seeds.

Bracket:

• After the Wild Card round, the playoff bracket is set.
• The first-seeded team faces the fourth-seeded team, while the second-seeded team faces the third-seeded team in the Division Series.

Conclusion:

The Wild Card round is a crucial stage in the MLB postseason, providing an opportunity for non-division-winning teams to compete for the World Series. The single-elimination format creates high-stakes games with plenty of excitement, determining which teams will advance to the next phase of the playoffs.