Major League Baseball institutes a playoff wildcard system to determine the teams that will qualify for the postseason in addition to the division champions. Originally, there was just one wildcard team from each league, but starting in 2012 MLB expanded it to two wildcard teams per league to add more playoff excitement and competitive balance.
The way it works is each league, the American League and National League, is divided into three divisions – East, Central, and West. At the end of the 162-game regular season, the team in each division with the best win-loss record becomes the division champion and automatically qualifies for the postseason. There are still additional playoff spots available through the wildcard system.
For each league, the two teams with the best overall record that did not win their division become the wildcard teams. Their records are compared against all other non-division winning teams in that league. So a team could finish second in its division but still have a better overall record than a third-place team from another division and claim a wildcard spot based on that.
When the regular season concludes, the two wildcard teams from each league then participate in a one-game Wild Card Round to determine who advances. This is a sudden death playoff where the higher ranked of the two wildcard teams hosts the game and needs only a victory to move on. The lower ranked wildcard team has to win on the road just to stay alive in the postseason.
The winners of the two wildcard games in each league then advance to play the division series. In the American League, the winner of the higher ranked wildcard team’s game plays the league’s top seed, usually the team with the best overall record. The winner of the lower ranked wildcard team’s game faces the second seed. It’s the same format for the National League Division Series as well.
These best-of-five Division Series matchups are very high stakes, because a single loss means elimination from the postseason. At the same time, they give the wildcard winners a chance to keep their championship hopes alive by upsetting a division winner. The league championship series and World Series then follow the traditional playoff format to determine the pennant winners and ultimate champion.
The wildcard system has added a meaningful new layer of intrigue and excitement to the MLB postseason. By doubling the number of participating teams, more cities and fan bases get to experience meaningful October baseball. Teams are incentivized to play hard until the last day of the season to try securing home field for the wildcard game or attempt climbing the standings for a better seed.
It also rewards regular season performance a bit more directly. Division winners are still recognized, but non-division winners with stellar records get a shot at a title too. And the sudden death nature of the one game wild card format ratchets up the pressure exponentially compared to a longer series. Managers need to bring their best pitchers despite limited off days.
Critics argue the system decreases the significance of winning a division. But overall, it has achieved baseball’s goal of increasing fan interest in the postseason. Even teams not in serious contention may stay engaged to see if they can play spoiler and impact the playoff race late. From a competitive standpoint, any team that meets the standard of 95+ wins deserves a seat at the table in October.
The wildcard format provides a fair, easy to understand way to determine those additional playoff participants based on overall regular season merit. While eventually there may need to be tweaks around expanded divisions or more wild cards, the current system has restored due excitement and meaning to September baseball. It’s a postseason structure that looks poised to remain a staple for MLB in the 21st century and one that has absolutely revitalized the playoff chase.
In conclusion, Major League Baseball’s wildcard playoff system takes the two clubs in each league with the best records, outside of the three division winners, and has them face off in a one-game showdown. The winners then get to extend their seasons by advancing to a high-stakes Division Series against an elite division champion. This significantly boosts the number of teams competing in the postseason, makes more pennant races thrilling to watch every day down the stretch, and appropriately rewards outstanding regular season performance across both leagues.
