2020 MLB Playoff Bracket: The Wild Card Round
In 2020, Major League Baseball altered its playoff system, changing the structure of the MLB playoff bracket as we know it. In an effort to extend the playoff season and add an extra element to the MLB playoff bracket, officials added an extra Wild Card team to each league.
Wild Card teams earn a place in the MLB playoff bracket by having one of the top two records in their league outside of the three division winners. For example, in the 2020 season, the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers played in the Wild Card round of the MLB playoff bracket. Though neither team won their individual division, they had the top two non-division winner records in the American League. The Wild Card round consists of a single game, with the winner advancing to the divisional round of the MLB playoff bracket.
MLB Playoff Bracket: The Divisional Round
In the divisional round of the MLB playoff bracket, the teams are seeded (by regular season record) one through four – the first seed plays the fourth, and the third seed plays the second. The team with the better record has home-field advantage, meaning the majority of the games are played in their home city. The teams play a best-of-five series; the first team to win three games advances to the next round.
MLB Playoff Bracket: The League Championship Series
The League Championship Series consists of up to seven games in both the American and National Leagues. The divisional-round winner with the best record again has home-field advantage, and the first team to win four games advances to the World Series.
2020 MLB Playoff Bracket: The World Series
The World Series colloquially referred to as the “Fall Classic”, consists of a best-of-seven series between the winners of the National and American Leagues. The league that wins the All-Star game in July enjoys home-field advantage, and the first team to win four games is crowned the world champion of baseball.