North American baseball qualifying series
In
Major League Baseball
, the
National League Division Series
(
NLDS
) determines which two teams from the
National League
will advance to the
National League Championship Series
. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring each of the two division winners with the best records and the winners of the
wild-card
play-offs.
History
[
edit
]
The Division Series was implemented in 1981 as a one-off tournament because of a
midseason strike
, with the first place teams before the strike taking on the teams in first place after the strike. In 1981, a split-season format forced the first ever divisional playoff series, in which the
Montreal Expos
won the Eastern Division series over the
Philadelphia Phillies
in five games while in the Western Division, the
Los Angeles Dodgers
defeated the
Houston Astros
, also in five games (the Astros were members of the National League until 2012).
In 1994, it was returned permanently when
Major League Baseball
(MLB) restructured each league into three divisions, but with a different format than in 1981. Each of the division winners, along with one
wild card
team, qualify for the Division Series. Despite being planned for the 1994 season, the post-season was cancelled that year due to the
1994?95 Major League Baseball strike
. In 1995, the first season to feature a division series, the Eastern Division champion
Atlanta Braves
defeated the wild card
Colorado Rockies
three games to one, while the Central Division champion
Cincinnati Reds
defeated the Western Division champion
Los Angeles Dodgers
in a three-game sweep.
From 1994 to 2011, the wild card was given to the team in the National League with the best overall record that was
not
a division champion. Beginning with the
2012 season
, a second wild card team was added, and the two wild card teams play a single-game playoff to determine which team would play in the NLDS. For the
2020 Major League Baseball season
only, there was an expanded playoff format, owing to an abbreviated 60-game regular season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
. Eight teams qualified from the National League: the top two teams in each division plus the next two best records among the remaining teams. These eight teams played a best-of-three-game series to determine placement in the NLDS. The regular format returned for the 2021 season.
As of 2021, the
Atlanta Braves
have currently played in the most NL division series with seventeen appearances. The
St. Louis Cardinals
have currently won the most NL division series, winning eleven of the fourteen series in which they have played. The
Pittsburgh Pirates
(who finished with a losing record from 1993 to 2012) were the last team to make their first appearance in the NL division series, making their debut in 2013 after winning the
2013 National League Wild Card Game
. In
2008
, the
Milwaukee Brewers
became the first team to play in division series in both leagues when they won the National League wild card, their first postseason berth since winning the
American League East Division
title in
1982
before switching leagues in
1998
. Milwaukee had competed in an
American League Division Series
in the
strike-shortened
1981 season
.
Format
[
edit
]
The NLDS is a best-of-five series where the divisional winner with the best winning percentage in the regular season hosts the winner of the
Wild Card Series
between the top two wild card teams in one matchup, and the divisional winner with the second best winning percentage hosts the winner of the other Wild Card Series between the lowest-seeded divisional winner and the lowest-seeded wild card team.
[1]
(From 2012 to 2021, the wild card team was assigned to play the divisional winner with the best winning percentage in the regular season in one series, and the other two division winners met in the other series.
[2]
From 1998 to 2011, if the wild-card team and the division winner with the best record were from the same division, the wild-card team played the division winner with the second-best record, and the remaining two division leaders played each other.) The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven NLCS. According to
Nate Silver
, the advent of this playoff series, and especially of the wild card, has caused teams to focus more on "getting to the playoffs" rather than "winning the pennant" as the primary goal of the regular season.
[3]
From 2012 to 2021, the wild card team that advances to the Division Series was to face the number 1 seed, regardless whether or not they are in the same division.
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven NLCS. Beginning with the 2022 season, the winner between the lowest-ranked division winner and lowest-ranked wild card team faces the #2 seed division winner in the Division Series, while the 4 v. 5 wild card winner faces the #1 seed, as there is no reseeding even if the 6 seed wild card advances. Home-field advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record (or head-to-head record if there is a tie between two or more teams), except for the wild-card team, which never receives the home-field advantage.
[8]
[9]
[10]
Beginning in 2003, MLB has implemented a new rule to give the team with the best regular season record from the league that wins the All-Star Game a slightly greater advantage. In order to spread out the Division Series games for broadcast purposes, the two NLDS series follow one of two off-day schedules. Starting in 2007, after consulting the
MLBPA
, MLB has decided to allow the team with the best record in the league that wins the All-Star Game to choose whether to use the seven-day schedule (1-2-off-3-4-off-5) or the eight-day schedule (1-off-2-off-3-4-off-5). The team only gets to choose the schedule; the opponent is still determined by win?loss records.
Initially, the best-of-5 series played in a 2?3 format, with the first two games set at home for the lower seed team and the last three for the higher seed.
[11]
[12]
Since
1998
, the series has followed a 2?2?1 format,
[13]
where the higher seed team plays at home in Games 1 and 2, the lower seed plays at home in Game 3 and Game 4 (if necessary), and if a Game 5 is needed, the teams return to the higher seed's field. When MLB added a second wild card team in
2012
, the Division Series re-adopted the 2?3 format due to scheduling conflicts. However, it reverted to the 2?2?1 format starting the next season,
2013
.
[14]
Results
[
edit
]
Appearances by team
[
edit
]
Years of appearance
[
edit
]
In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of wins, then by number of appearances, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column,
bold years
indicate winning appearances.
Frequent matchups
[
edit
]
Count
|
Matchup
|
Record
|
Years
|
5
|
Atlanta Braves
vs.
Houston Astros
|
Braves, 3?2
|
1997
,
1999
,
2001
,
2004
,
2005
|
3
|
San Diego Padres
vs.
St. Louis Cardinals
|
Cardinals, 3?0
|
1996
,
2005
,
2006
|
3
|
St. Louis Cardinals
vs.
Los Angeles Dodgers
|
Cardinals, 2?1
|
2004
,
2009
,
2014
|
3
|
Los Angeles Dodgers
vs.
Atlanta Braves
|
Dodgers, 2?1
|
1996
,
2013
,
2018
|
2
|
St. Louis Cardinals
vs.
Arizona Diamondbacks
|
Tied, 1?1
|
2001
,
2002
|
2
|
Florida Marlins
vs.
San Francisco Giants
|
Marlins, 2?0
|
1997
,
2003
|
2
|
Chicago Cubs
vs.
Atlanta Braves
|
Tied, 1?1
|
1998
,
2003
|
2
|
Philadelphia Phillies
vs.
Colorado Rockies
|
Tied, 1?1
|
2007
,
2009
|
2
|
San Francisco Giants
vs.
Atlanta Braves
|
Giants, 2?0
|
2002
,
2010
|
2
|
New York Mets
vs.
Los Angeles Dodgers
|
Mets, 2?0
|
2006
,
2015
|
2
|
St. Louis Cardinals
vs.
Atlanta Braves
|
Cardinals, 2?0
|
2000
,
2019
|
2
|
Los Angeles Dodgers
vs.
Washington Nationals
|
Tied, 1?1
|
2016
,
2019
|
2
|
Los Angeles Dodgers
vs.
San Diego Padres
|
Tied, 1?1
|
2020
,
2022
|
2
|
Los Angeles Dodgers
vs.
Arizona Diamondbacks
|
Tied, 1?1
|
2017
,
2023
|
2
|
Atlanta Braves
vs.
Philadelphia Phillies
|
Phillies, 2?0
|
2022
,
2023
|
NOTE: With the
Houston Astros
move to the American League at the conclusion of the 2012 season, the Braves vs. Astros series is not currently possible.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"New MLB postseason format, explained"
.
MLB.com
.
- ^
Kepner, Tyler (2012-03-05).
"For No. 1 Seeds, Road to Title Comes With Bumps"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2023-03-09
.
- ^
Nate Silver
, "Selig's Dream: The Wild Card as Enabler of Pennant Races," in Steven Goldman, Ed.,
It Ain't Over 'til It's Over
(New York: Basic Books): 170-178.
- ^
Bloom, Barry M. (March 2, 2012).
"Addition of Wild Card berths finalized for 2012"
.
MLB.com
.
- ^
"MLB to expand playoffs by two teams to 10"
.
ESPN.com
. 2012-03-02
. Retrieved
2021-04-08
.
- ^
Rudnansky, Ryan.
"MLB Playoff Format 2012: Explaining Wild Card, Divisional Series Changes & More"
.
Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
2023-03-09
.
- ^
Kepner, Tyler (2012-10-05).
"In Wild-Card Play-In Game, It's Win or You're Out"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2023-03-09
.
- ^
"New MLB postseason format, explained"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
2023-03-09
.
- ^
Kepner, Tyler (2022-10-06).
"Baseball's Postseason Is Evolving, for Better or Worse"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2023-03-09
.
- ^
"Everything you need to know about '22 season"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
2022-03-10
.
- ^
1984 NL Championship Series
, Baseball-Reference.com
- ^
1997 AL Division Series
, Baseball-Reference.com
- ^
Gillette, Gary; Palmer, Pete, eds. (2006). "October Classics: Postseason Series and Playoffs".
The 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia
. New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 1656.
- ^
Sporting News
(2012-03-02).
"MLB expands playoff field to 10 teams with addition of two wild cards"
. Retrieved
October 28,
2013
.
External links
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]
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Organization
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Current teams
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Former, relocated,
and disestablished teams
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Championship play
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Related articles
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