It’s that time of year when people ask how many wild card teams are in the MLB Playoffs? How does the playoff seed work in 2024? Fortunately for us, the format hasn’t changed in the last few seasons. There are a total of six wild card teams in the Playoffs this season. Unlike the WNBA, they are split evenly between the American and National Leagues with three teams each getting a spot. We’ll get into how the MLB Playoff seeds work for you below.
How Many Wildcat Teams Are in the MLB Playoffs?
So, the answer to how many wild card teams are in the MLB Playoffs is six. Three for the American League and three for the National League. Over the years, this number has increased to what we see today in the 2024 MLB Playoffs. Each team plays 162 regular season games. These six teams were added to the six division winners out of a total of 12 teams in the play-offs (six in each league).
When Do The MLB Playoffs Start?
The 2024 MLB Playoffs begin on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. This is just two days after regular season play for the teams to wrap up.
What is the 2024 MLB Playoff Picture? Who Got a Playoff Spot?
At the time of this writing, there are eight teams that have secured a spot in the 2024 MLB Playoff. We will update the list for you as more teams earn a spot or win their division.
| The American League |
| Baltimore Orioles |
| Cleveland Guardians (AL Central champions) |
| Houston Astros (AL West champions) |
| New York Yankees |
| The National League |
| Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central champions) |
| Philadelphia Phillies (NL East champions) |
| San Diego Padres |
How Will the MLB Playoffs Work in 2024?
Once all teams have secured a place in the play-offs, they will go from one to six games. The three division winners are the top three seeds (even if their record is worst). Then, the wild card teams get seeded. The top two seeds in each league receive a bye into the Divisional Series. The remaining four teams play a best-of-three Wild Card round.
Higher (ie better) seeds get home games for the full series. So, we’ll see #4 vs #5 (best and second wild card seeds), and #3 (third best seed) vs #5 (third-best wild card seed). There is no reseeding, so the #1 seed plays the winner of #4 vs #5 and the #2 seed plays the winner of the #3 vs #6 matchup in a best-of-five matchup. The winners then face each other in the ALCS and NLCS (seven games). After that, we get the World Series.
How Many Games Are in the MLB Playoff Series?
Therefore, in the Division Series, games are played in a 2-2-1 format. The top team will be the home team in the first two and fifth games. In the League Championship and World Series, this changes to a 2-3-2 format with a best-of-seven game series. This means the top seed will host games #1, 2, 6, and 7. In the World Series, the team with the better regular season record gets home field advantage.
What is the 2024 MLB Playoff schedule?
Here is the top 2024 MLB Playoff schedule. We have the complete MLB Playoff schedule posted here. There is a twist where the World Series could start sooner if every team wins the Championship Series early. You can also check out the 2024 MLB Playoff Bracket printable with past World Series winners here.
| Wild card series: October 1-3 |
| Series of Sections: October 5-12 |
| League Championship Series: October 13-22 |
| World Series: Begins October 25 |