how many games are in an mlb season
In a standard Major League Baseball (MLB) season , each team plays 162 regular‑season games.
Regular‑season basics
- All 30 MLB teams (15 in each league) play 162 games over about six months , typically from late March/early April to late September/early October.
- Across the whole league, that works out to 2,430 regular‑season games (30 teams × 162 games ÷ 2, since each game involves two teams).
Postseason adds more games
- Teams that qualify for the postseason can play additional games , with a maximum of 19 extra games if a team goes all the way through the playoffs and a full seven‑game World Series.
- The postseason usually runs from early October to early November , depending on how many series go the full distance.
Quick reference table
| Phase | Duration | Games per team | Total games (league‑wide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | ~6 months (late Mar/early Apr → late Sep/early Oct) | [7][3]162 | [1][3][7]2,430 | [9][7]
| Postseason | ~4–5 weeks (Oct → early Nov) | [3][7]Up to 19 extra games per team | [5][3]Variable, depends on how many series go full length | [7][3]