Which teams are in the MLB playoffs?

Twelve teams were in the playoffs from the start this year, three division winners from each league and three wild-card teams. Now, there are just four. The San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies still stand in the National League. The Houston Astros and the New York Yankees — who beat the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night — will play for the American League crown. The New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays were eliminated in the first round. In the division series, the National League’s top two seeds — the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves — were bounced by the league’s bottom two seeds. The American League followed script, with the top regular season teams knocking out the Cleveland Guardians and the Seattle Mariners.

When did the MLB playoffs begin?

The playoffs began Friday, opening with four games. The first round, generally called the wild-card series or wild-card round, included both wild-card teams and division winners. The National League Championship Series will kick off Tuesday night in San Diego and the American League Championship Series will start Wednesday in Houston.

How many games were in the wild-card series?

The wild-card series were new this year, replacing the chaotic NL and AL wild-card games. They narrowed the field from 12 teams to eight before the division series begin. The wild card is now a best-of-three series, hosted by the higher seed. The winning teams advanced to the division series against the division winners with the best records in their league — in this case, the Yankees and Astros in the American League and the Dodgers and Braves in the National League.

How were the division series matchups decided?

The division winners with the two best records in each league received a bye to the division series. The winner of the first-round series between the third and sixth seeds will play the second overall seed, or the second-best division winner. The winner of the first-round series between the fourth and fifth seeds will play the first overall seed, or the team with the best record in the league. Teams are not reseeded after the first round, which took place over three days with no day off. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves both lost home field advantage by splitting the first two games of the NLDS at their home ballparks. They wouldn’t make it back to their stadiums, losing Games 3 and 4 to their division rivals. After the New York Mets’ first-round elimination, all three National League teams that won 100-plus regular season games are now out. The Houston Astros swept the Seattle Mariners in three games, but not without drama. Yordan Alvarez hit a walk-off homer in Game 1 after Seattle lead the entire game until his blast. Then the Astros outlasted the Mariners in a 18-inning Game 3 when Jeremy Peña hit a solo homer. The Yankees won in five games after they dealt with two games that were postponed by rain.

What were the results of the wild-card round?

Three lower seeds — the Phillies, the Padres and the Mariners — advanced to the division series. The No. 6 seed Phillies, who needed until the final series of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs, swept the Cardinals with a ninth-inning comeback in Game 1 and a shutout in Game 2 . The series ended the careers of Cardinals greats Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. The No. 5 seed Mariners took Game 1 against the Blue Jays before overcoming a seven-run deficit in Game 2 to win, 10-9, on a go-ahead double by Adam Frazier in the ninth inning. The only Game 3 of the weekend between the Padres and the Mets ended in a 6-0 shutout Sunday night , with New York recording just one hit. The Mets led the NL East by 10.5 games on June 1 before the Braves caught up and clinched the division. The lone higher seed to advance was the Guardians, who outpitched the Rays in two games and won a 15-inning battle in Game 2 that ended when rookie Oscar Gonzalez hit a walk-off home run.

How did the top two seeds in each league spend their time off?

The top two seeds in each league will go as many as six days between the end of their regular season and the start of postseason play. This layoff is new to everyone involved and required some creativity — particularly with starting pitching plans — on the part of the Yankees, Astros, Dodgers and Braves, all of whom will see their starters sit longer than usual. The Yankees planned to set up an alternate site in Somerset, N.J., where pitchers they might want to use in later rounds can keep fresh. The Yankees could bring some of those pitchers in to face their hitters in live at-bats during the layoff. Houston Manager Dusty Baker suggested that Astros hitters will struggle to stay sharp more than his pitchers, and he implied that they will find ways to combat that during the layoff. But ultimately, those four teams will have to navigate a long layoff, which could present a challenge.

Are there any rule changes during the MLB playoffs?

The only rule that changes during the postseason is the extra-inning rule that places a runner on second to start every extra half-inning. If a postseason game goes to extra innings, those innings will look like all the rest: bases empty, no ghost runner.

Are there any coronavirus-related restrictions during the MLB playoffs?

All non-player personnel were required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to be in the clubhouse and dugout during the regular season, and no new vaccination mandate will be in place during October. For much of the regular season, concerns percolated about Canada’s vaccination requirement for entry — a rule that forced many teams to make changes when they headed to Toronto to face the Blue Jays. But Canada rescinded that mandate at the end of September, so a player’s vaccination status had no impact.

Where can you watch the MLB playoffs?

ESPN networks carried all first-round games for both leagues, except for one game carried by ABC. Fox and Fox Sports 1 will carry the National League Division Series and the National League Championship Series. TBS will broadcast the American League Division Series and the American League Championship Series. Fox will broadcast the World Series.

Who are the favorites to win the World Series?

After the opening round, the Dodgers (+286) are the favorites to win the World Series, according to VegasInsider.com . The Astros (+371) are a close second, followed by the Yankees (+506) and Braves (+525).

What is the postseason schedule?

You can find the schedule for the ALCS and NLCS here. These tables will update. Here are other important dates to know:

Major League Baseball

What to know about the 2022 MLB postseason

By Chelsea Janes

and

Andrew Golden

Updated October 18, 2022 at 7:41 p.m. EDT|Published October 6, 2022 at 8:35 a.m. EDT

Oscar Gonzalez celebrates after his game-winning home run in the 15th inning Saturday. (David Dermer/AP)

The Major League Baseball postseason began Friday, and for the first time in two decades, the Seattle Mariners joined the party. For the first time in a decade, the Philadelphia Phillies did, too. And for the first time ever, two division winners in each league received a bye into the division series while the others faced off in three-game wild-card series to determine who would advance.

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These crowded playoffs will be longer and less familiar than those that have come before. You probably have questions. Fortunately, we have answers.