With just days remaining in the 2023 regular season, the MLB playoffs are officially just around the corner — meaning it’s time to get boned up on your October knowledge. We’re now a year removed from Rob Manfred changing up the postseason format, introducing an extra Wild Card team in each league. How does everything work, and where might your team fall? We’ve got everything you need to know.
2023 MLB playoff format, rules
For the last few years, 10 teams — five from each league, three division winners and two Wild Card teams — had qualified for the playoffs. Beginning last fall, however, that number was expanded to 12, with a third Wild Card team joining the mix. Whereas each league’s two Wild Card teams had previously faced off in a one-game playoff leading into the Divisional round, now there’s a whole new round, the Wild Card round, in which the three Wild Card teams and the division winner with the worst record will face off in two best-of-three series.
The top two wild card teams — the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in each league — will face off for the right to face the No. 1 seed in the Division Series. The third wild card team, the No. 6 seed, will face the division winner with the lowest winning percentage. The victor of that No. 6-No. 3 matchup will meet the No. 2 seed in the Divisional round.
The 2023 MLB playoffs will begin on Tuesday, October 3, with Game 1 in each of the four Wild Card series.
