The Wild Card was introduced to baseball in 1995 to allow more teams that didn’t win their division a chance to make the playoffs. When it began there was only 1 Wild Card team from each league that would play a one-game playoff against the winner of a division that was not the best record in their league.
In 2012, MLB expanded the Wild Card playoffs to 2 teams from each league to add more excitement and playoff games. This meant that instead of 1 game, the two Wild Card teams would now play a best-of-3 series to determine who advances to the Division Series round.
Then in 2022, MLB did another expansion of the Wild Card and made it 3 teams from the American League and still 2 from the National League. This was done partly because the AL has 3 divisions to the NL’s 3 divisions, but also to allow an additional team from each league to compete in the postseason each year.
With the new single Wild Card format prior to 2012, it did provide more playoff races down the stretch as teams tried desperately to finish with a better record than the other Wild Card contender. But it also received criticism for essentially making the long 162-game regular season boil down to just 1 single game for a playoff spot. Many felt that was unfair to a deserving Wild Card team if they lost just 1 game.
The new best-of-3 Wild Card series addressed that concern to an extent by giving the two teams a set of 3 games to battle it out. It still maintained high stakes and excitement for the winner-take-all games, but did present more opportunities than a single game. Critics could still argue it wasn’t a large enough sample size versus a best-of-5.
When MLB expanded to 3 Wild Card teams in the AL in 2022, it further grew the playoff field and increased the number of games in the Wild Card round. Now instead of two best-of-3 series, there would be 1 best-of-3 series and 1 new best-of-1 Wild Card game. This gave 3 AL teams a chance to play in the postseason, while also addressing concerns about too small a sample size by incorporating at least 1 best-of-3.
Some people prefer more of a best-of-5 format for all Wild Card series to better determine the superior team. But MLB has to weigh playoff format changes with broadcast rights, scheduling complexities and desires to speed up playoff series. More best-of-3 or best-of-5 series would lengthen the total postseason, which many fans may enjoy but goes against MLB’s priorities.
The Wild Card expansion has mostly been viewed as a success by fans and the sport. It has delivered many classic do-or-die games and series over the years that extended playoff races and gave more cities a reason to be invested in the September stretch run. Every extra playoff spot and game helps MLB grow engagement and revenues from its postseason product.
There remains debate around possible future changes, such as MLB matching the AL’s 3 Wild Card spots by adding a third in the National League as well. Some purists argue it diminishes the importance of winning a division. But the overall consensus seems to be that the Wild Card game/series format has worked well for MLB by extending its “second season” and delivering on drama. Fans largely approve of more competitive teams getting a shot in October.
The introduction and subsequent expansions of the Wild Card spots over the past 27 seasons have played a big role in growing Major League Baseball’s popularity and business model. They have given fans of more franchises a reason to invest in late-season division races and young emerging talents in their clubs a chance to shine bright on the sport’s biggest October stages. While debate will surely continue around potential future tweaks, it’s clear the Wild Card spots have been a big win for players, teams and the league that help grow the game.
So in summary – there are now 5 Wild Card spots total with 3 in the American League (AL) and 2 in the National League (NL). The single Wild Card format began in 1995, expanded to 2 per league in 2012, and the AL grew to 3 teams in 2022. This continued progression has helped engage more fan bases beyond just division winners and deliver many memorable do-or-die performances over the years stretching MLB’s competitive season further into October. Debate will likely persist around potential future changes, but overall the Wild Card spots have benefitted baseball greatly since their inception.
