The Wild Card Series (WCS; formerly known as the Wild Card Game (WCG) from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) is the opening round of postseason play in Major League Baseball (MLB), featuring the American League Wild Card Series (ALWCS) and the National League Wild Card Series (NLWCS). A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best-of-three playoff wild card series in 2020 as a one-off, and became permanent (albeit with fewer teams playing than in the 2020 series) starting in the 2022 season.
The lowest-seeded division winner and three wild card teams in each league play in a best-of-three series after the end of the regular season. The winners of each league's wild card series advance to face the two-best division winners in that league's Division Series. This expansion of the postseason abolished any regular-season-extending tie-breaker games.
Format Under the format adopted in 2022, six teams in each league are assigned seeds for the postseason. In each league, the three division winners are seeded #1–3, per their relative winning percentages. The lowest-seeded division winner is automatically given the No. 3 seed even if one or all other wild-card teams has a better record. Also in each league, the three teams with the best winning percentages among non-division winning teams are wild cards, seeded #4–6, per their relative winning percentages. Any ties are broken using a set of MLB tie-breaking procedures; as such, no tie-breaking games (colloquially known as "Game 163") are contested.
The top two division winners in each league receive first-round byes to the Division Series. The remaining four teams, seeds No. 3 through No. 6, play in two best-of-3 wild card series, with the higher seed hosting all games. These two series are: No. 3 hosting No. 6, and No. 4 hosting No. 5.
In the Division Series, the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 series faces the No. 1 seed, and the winner of the No. 3. vs. No. 6 series faces the No. 2 seed. The bracket structure in each league looks as follows:
History
One wild-card team per league (1995–2011) From 1969 through 1993, the division leaders in each league advanced to the League Championship Series, with the winners of each LCS meeting in the World Series. However, an expanding number of teams in MLB over the years made making the playoffs increasingly difficult. The new system was instituted in 1994 (but first used in 1995 because a players strike canceled the 1994 playoffs) when Major League Baseball expanded from two to three divisions per league. In the new three-division leagues, each league had four teams in the playoffs; in addition to the three division winners, the division runner-up with the best record received a wild-card spot. This assured that the team with the second-best record in its league would qualify for the postseason even if it was not a division champion.
Thus, a third postseason round was added, the Division Series. From 1995 to 1997, a yearly rotation was used to decide the match-ups in the Division Series, although the wild-card team was prevented from playing its own division's champion. Beginning in 1998, the team with the best record in the league would typically face the wild-card team and the other two division winners would play each other, with second-best division winner having home-field. However, if the division winner with the league's best record and the wild-card team came from the same division, the wild-card would face the second-best division winner in the league.
Wild Card Game (2012–2019, 2021) The Wild Card round was initially introduced in 2012 as a single-game playoff between two wild-card teams in each league, with the winner advancing to play the top seed in the Division Series. With the adoption of MLB's new collective bargaining agreement in November 2011, baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced that a new playoff system would begin within the next two years; the change was ultimately put into place in 2012. This format was used through the 2019 season.
Wild Card Series (2020, 2022–present) For the 2020 postseason, following a shortened 60-game regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MLB held a one-off Wild Card Series with eight teams in each league, thus a total of 16 playoff teams. Division champions were seeded 1–3 by record, the second-place teams seeded 4–6 by record, and the two teams with the next-best records were seeded seventh and eighth. Matchups were contested as a best-of-three series rather than individual games.
MLB returned to the previous format of one Wild Card Game per league for the 2021 postseason. Starting with the 2022 postseason, MLB added a third wild card team in each league. In the current format of the Wild Card Series, the top two division winners in each league receive a bye to the Division Series, while the lowest-seeded division winner and three wild card teams play in this round. A best-of-three series takes place, with the higher seed hosting all three games. Due to the expansion of the postseason beginning in 2022, the regular season tie-breaker game format has been eliminated.
As of the beginning of the 2024 postseason, 29 of the 30 MLB franchises have reached the Wild Card round of the postseason (either a Wild Card Game or the Wild Card Series). The New York Yankees have the most appearances with seven, and have the most wins during the Wild Card round with four. The Milwaukee Brewers have the most losses during the Wild Card round, with four. The Los Angeles Angels are the only franchise that has never played in the Wild Card round, though they qualified for the postseason in 2002 as a wild-card team.
Analysis
Through the 2021 postseason, Wild Card Game winners have gone on to compile an overall 9–9 record in League Division Series, with Wild Card Game winners going 4–5 in the ALDS and 5–4 in the NLDS. Two Wild Card Game winners have gone on to win the World Series (the 2014 Giants and the 2019 Nationals). The 2014 postseason featured the first series sweeps involving a Wild Card Game winner; both in favor of the AL Wild Card Kansas City Royals, who swept the Los Angeles Angels in the ALDS and the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS. The Royals then met the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series, the second all-Wild Card fall classic, which the Giants won in seven games. The first all-Wild Card World Series had also involved the Giants, who lost the 2002 World Series to the then-Anaheim Angels in seven games.
In the sixteen games played since the new Wild Card system began in 2012, five have been shutouts. In eight of the eleven others, the losing team scored three or fewer runs. There have only been two games in which the losing team scored more than six runs: the 2017 NL Wild Card Game in which the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Colorado Rockies by a score of 11–8; and the 2014 AL Wild Card Game which featured the Kansas City Royals beating the Oakland Athletics 9–8 in 12 innings. The margin of victory has been four runs or more in eight of the sixteen games played. Only three games have been decided by exactly one run: the 2014 Royals–Athletics game, the 2018 Rockies–Cubs game, and the 2019 Nationals–Brewers game.
Results Wild Card Game Through the 2021 postseason, visiting teams and home teams have each won nine of the 18 games played. There have been five shutouts, each of which has been won by the visiting team, including three consecutive shutouts in the 2014–2016 NL editions. Two of the three extra innings games have been won by the home team. Three games have ended in walk-off victory for the home team, with the 2021 NL edition being the only one in regulation.
+Key bold Wild Card Game winner ↓Lost tie-breaker game to reach Wild Card Game (arrow links to game) ↑Won tie-breaker game to reach Wild Card Game (arrow links to game) Reached League Championship Series Reached World Series Won World Series
American League Wild Card Game YearVisiting teamManager ScoreHome teamManagerStadium Baltimore Orioles 5–1 Texas Rangers Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Tampa Bay Rays↑ 4–0 Cleveland Indians Progressive Field Oakland Athletics 8–9 (12)Kansas City Royals Kauffman Stadium Houston Astros 3–0 New York Yankees Yankee Stadium Baltimore Orioles 2–5 (11)Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre Minnesota Twins 4–8New York Yankees Yankee Stadium Oakland Athletics 2–7 New York Yankees Yankee Stadium Tampa Bay Rays 5–1 Oakland Athletics Oakland Coliseum New York Yankees 2–6Boston Red Sox Fenway Park
National League Wild Card Game YearVisiting teamManager ScoreHome teamManagerStadium St. Louis Cardinals 6–3 Atlanta Braves Turner Field Cincinnati Reds 2–6 Pittsburgh Pirates PNC Park San Francisco Giants 8–0 Pittsburgh Pirates PNC Park Chicago Cubs 4–0 Pittsburgh Pirates PNC Park San Francisco Giants 3–0 New York Mets Citi Field Colorado Rockies 8–11 Arizona Diamondbacks Chase Field Colorado Rockies↓ 2–1 (13) Chicago Cubs↓ Wrigley Field Milwaukee Brewers 3–4Washington Nationals Nationals Park St. Louis Cardinals 1–3Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium
Wild Card Series Through 2026, 20 of 28 Wild Card Series have ended in a sweep. Higher-seeded teams have won 15 of 28 total series, and lower-seeded teams have won 13.
+KeyDivision winners for East, Central, WestDivision runners-up for East, Central, WestWild card teams bold Wild Card Series winner
American League Wild Card Series Year Visiting team Manager Series Home team Manager Stadium Toronto Blue Jays 0–2 Tampa Bay Rays Tropicana Field Chicago White Sox 1–2 Oakland Athletics Oakland ColiseumHouston Astros 2–0 Minnesota Twins Target Field New York Yankees 2–0 Cleveland Indians Progressive Field Tampa Bay Rays 0–2 Cleveland Guardians Progressive Field Seattle Mariners 2–0 Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre Toronto Blue Jays 0–2 Minnesota Twins Target FieldTexas Rangers 2–0 Tampa Bay Rays Tropicana Field Detroit Tigers 2–0 Houston Astros Minute Maid Park Kansas City Royals 2–0 Baltimore Orioles Oriole Park at Camden Yards Detroit Tigers 2–1 Cleveland Guardians Progressive Field Boston Red Sox 1–2 New York Yankees Yankee Stadium Chicago White Sox 2–0 Houston Astros Daikin Park Boston Red Sox 0–2 New York Yankees Yankee Stadium
National League Wild Card Series Year Visiting team Manager Series Home team Manager Stadium Milwaukee Brewers 0–2Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium Cincinnati Reds 0–2Atlanta Braves Truist Park Miami Marlins 2–0 Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field St. Louis Cardinals 1–2 San Diego Padres Petco ParkPhiladelphia Phillies 2–0 St. Louis Cardinals Busch StadiumSan Diego Padres 2–1 New York Mets Citi Field Arizona Diamondbacks 2–0 Milwaukee Brewers American Family Field Miami Marlins 0–2Philadelphia Phillies Citizens Bank Park New York Mets 2–1 Milwaukee Brewers American Family Field Atlanta Braves 0–2 San Diego Padres Petco Park Cincinnati Reds 0–2 Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium San Diego Padres 1–2 Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field Philadelphia Phillies 1–2 Atlanta Braves Truist Park Chicago Cubs 0–2 San Diego Padres Petco Park
Appearances by team In the sortable tables below, teams are ordered first by number of wins, then by number of appearances, and finally by year of first appearance. These records reflect series outcomes of the 2020 Wild Card Series, not individual games. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning appearances.
American League TeamWinsLossesWin % Season(s)7New York Yankees52 , , , , , , 5Tampa Bay Rays32 , , , , 4Houston Astros21 , , , 2Kansas City Royals20 , 2Detroit Tigers20 , 4Athletics13 , , , 4Toronto Blue Jays13 , , , 4Cleveland Guardians13 , , , 3Minnesota Twins12 , , 3Baltimore Orioles12 , , 3Boston Red Sox12 , , 2Texas Rangers11 , 2Chicago White Sox11 , 1Seattle Mariners10
National League