There are three wild card spots in MLB in each league , for a total of six wild card teams across all of Major League Baseball.

Quick Scoop: How it works

  • MLB has 30 teams , split into two leagues : American League (AL) and National League (NL).
  • Each league has 3 division winners plus 3 wild card teams (the non-division winners with the best records). That makes 6 playoff teams per league.
  • Since there are two leagues , that adds up to 12 total playoff teams , including 6 wild cards.

Wild Card Series format (since 2022)

  • The 3 wild card teams in each league are seeded 4, 5, and 6, behind the three division winners.
  • The lowest-seeded division winner (the 3-seed) plays the 6-seed wild card , and the 4-seed wild card hosts the 5-seed wild card in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
  • Winners of those series advance to the Division Series, where they face the top two seeds, who received byes.

Why this is a trending topic

Fans and writers still debate whether the three wild card spots and best-of-three format are fair: some think it adds excitement and keeps more teams in the race, while others argue it’s too random for a 162-game season and want longer series or fewer teams.

In forum discussions, you’ll often see takes like: “My team grinds all year just to get bounced in a short wild card series,” versus “More wild cards mean more meaningful games in September.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.