How a 1993 snub and a strike reshaped baseball's playoffs

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For decades, the best teams in baseball could be left out of the postseason simply by winning the wrong division. From a single-tiered championship to a complex 12-team bracket, the evolution of MLB's playoffs is a story of correcting historical inequities and reacting to labor disputes.

The modern postseason structure is a direct response to historical inconsistencies. From 1901 to 1968, the 'World Series' was a simple one-round playoff between the two best regular-season records. However, this lack of a multi-stage tournament meant that until 1969, there was no opportunity for teams to build momentum through preliminary rounds. The 1969 expansion introduced the League Championship Series (LCS), splitting each league into East and West divisions to mirror other major sports' playoff traditions.

In 1993, the flaws of a division-centric format became widely apparent. Despite securing the league's top two marks (104 and 103 victories), the San Francisco Giants failed to reach the playoffs by one game because they shared a division with the Atlanta Braves. To prevent such 'snubs,' MLB introduced the Wild Card in 1994, ensuring the second-best record in each league would qualify even if they didn't win their division. This expanded the field from four to eight teams and necessitated the permanent Division Series (LDS) round.

The tournament has continued to fluctuate based on labor and external factors. The 1981 players' strike forced a unique 'split-season' playoff to determine division winners, which served as a precursor to the permanent LDS. More recently, the 2020 pandemic led to a temporary 16-team expansion, while the current 2022 format utilizes a 12-team structure. This modern era includes byes for the top two division winners and a best-of-three Wild Card Round, balancing the rewards of a dominant regular season with the high-stakes drama of an elimination tournament.

Even the World Series format has evolved to prioritize logistics and fan engagement. The 2-3-2 home-field format was adopted in 1924 to reduce travel costs. While home-field advantage was once tied to the All-Star Game winner (starting in 2003), it now defaults to the team with the better regular-season record, ensuring the most consistent performers are rewarded with the ultimate home-field advantage.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a mid-season strike accidentally birthed a baseball postseason staple
• The year the World Series vanished from the American calendar
• How the 2020 MLB Postseason Reshaped Baseball History During a Global Pandemic
• The 2022 MLB postseason introduced a radical new playoff format
• The final era of baseball's ten-team playoff format
• The Malagasy people are a unique genetic fusion of Southeast Asia and Africa
• How a military officer extended his family's three-decade grip on power in Chad
• Malawi means flames—a name Hastings Banda chose at independence
• A truant schoolboy who forged his grades became a world-class mixed martial artist
• From Silent Beginnings to Global Acclaim: The Evolution of Malayalam Cinema
• Is the greatest chess player in history a universal genius of the board?
• Malaysia means land of the Malays—split by a federal sea

More in Countries and other regions · More in Countries & Cities · Latest · A–Z · All topics