The introduction of wild card teams in Major League Baseball in 1995 was one of the most significant changes to the sport’s playoff format. Prior to 1995, only division winners would qualify for the postseason in both leagues. The addition of wild cards opened up playoff spots to non-division winners who had strong overall records, helping to create more drama and intrigue down the stretch of the MLB regular season each year.
The concept of wild cards was introduced by then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig in an effort to add more excitement late in the season and increase fan interest in more teams potentially fighting for playoff spots in September. With wild cards, the team in each league with the best record among non-division winners would claim an extra postseason berth. This format remained largely unchanged through 2011.
Under the initial wild card rules from 1995-2011, the single wild card team in each league would face the league’s division winner with the best record in a one-game playoff. The winner of that game would then advance to the League Division Series (LDS) to face one of the other division winners. Many viewed the one-game wild card playoff as high-variance and potentially unfair, as one fluke game could end a team’s season that may have otherwise had strong credentials.
In 2012, Major League Baseball expanded the wild card format again. Instead of one wild card team per league, the new format established two wild card clubs in each league. The wild card teams in each league would then face off in a newly created Wild Card Game, a one-game playoff. The winner of the Wild Card Game in each league would advance to play one of the division winners in the best-of-five LDS round.
This was done to address concerns about a team’s season boiling down to just one game in the wild card playoff. While still high-variance, having two wild card teams face off provided a bit more of a “series feel” since both clubs had already proven themselves among the best non-division winners. It also rewarded more teams for their regular season success by doubling the available wild card spots from one to two per league.
The new two-wild card format created much more drama in recent Septembers, with multiple teams in each league often jockeying for wild card positioning down the stretch. Teams were desperately trying to finish as the top wild card to host the one-game Wild Card playoff. There were also many memorable single-game Wild Card contests, including some epic late-inning comebacks and walk-off wins.
There was still criticism that the one-game Wild Card playoff was too short and volatile a series to properly evaluate the two teams. Some felt the wild card round winners still received an “undeserved” division series spot over other strong clubs that were eliminated earlier.
To address this, in 2022 MLB announced yet another wild card change – adopting a best-of-three Wild Card Series for each league instead of the one-game Wild Card playoff. Under the new format, the top two wild card teams in each league will host all games of a best-of-three series. This places a premium on finishing as the top wild card since the lower wild card would have to win two road games to advance.
Supporters argued the best-of-three Wild Card Series provides a much better test of the clubs over multiple games. It rewards season-long success and gives the lower wild card team at least a chance to take a series on the road. Critics claimed it could potentially elongate the regular season too much and risk player injuries. But overall, the expansion to a best-of-three set seems to be an improvement on the old one-game playoff format by providing a truer playoff series feel.
The adoption and evolution of MLB’s wild card system has succeeded in driving increased fan interest late in regular seasons and making more teams relevant into September. It’s created countless dramatic moments and playoff races over the years. While still imperfect, moving to a best-of-three Wild Card Series should make for true playoff-caliber matchups and diminish concerns over a flukey one-game result ending a team’s season. The wild card format has been a major positive change for MLB that shows no signs of disappearing. Its growth and refinements over time have greatly benefited the game at a critical playoff juncture.
