Casual Fan’s Guide to Playoff Baseball

How We Got Here (and Why 12 Teams)

Once upon a time, postseason baseball was stingy. Before 1969, only two teams made it, one from the American League and one from the National League, and they went straight to the World Series. Then MLB expanded to four playoff teams (two from each league), then grew to eight, then 10 and now 12, where they're closing in on “everyone gets a participation ribbon” territory.

Here’s how it works now: the three division winners and three wild cards from each league make it in. The top two seeds in each league get to skip the first round, which is basically baseball’s way of saying, “I’ll meet you at the final boss level.”

This year, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners got the golden fast-pass ticket in the AL, while the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies did the same in the NL. Everyone else is battling it out until someone’s bullpen cries uncle.

Wild Card Series (Best of 3)

Lose twice and you’re out. The shortest, most brutal round kicked off on September 30, with Game 2s on October 1 and do-or-die Game 3s (if needed) wrapping up on October 2. Momentum matters more than ever because a team on a hot streak is scarier than a toddler with a permanent marker.

Division Series (Best of 5)

October 4 is when the real nail-biting begins, and yes, you’ll need snacks and alcoholic beverages of choice. Teams that survived the Wild Card now face the well-rested top seeds. It’s first to three wins, played out in the pattern HH-AA-H, which sounds like a bad Wi-Fi password but is actually the home/away schedule.

The higher seeds are supposed to have the edge, but play it too safe and the underdog shows up like Newman in Seinfeld — uninvited, smug and ready to ruin everything. If you want to sound like you know your playoff history, casually work in Jose Bautista’s 2015 bat flip. That three-run bomb against the Rangers was so iconic it turned into a cultural meme, and no one in Toronto has stopped talking about it since.

League Championship Series (Best of 7)

The LCS is the semifinal round, where the last two teams in each league battle it out for the pennant. The format is best-of-seven, and the first team to four wins advances to the World Series. Depth and bullpen strategy become everything here. Starters get pulled early, relievers either become legends or nightmares and managers start looking like they haven’t slept in a week.

This is the stage where storylines turn into folklore and a good place for you to impress the diehards by dropping your knowledge of when the 1991 Atlanta Braves went from worst-to-first and shocked everyone by snatching the pennant.

The Main Event: World Series (Best of 7)

The AL and NL champs square off starting October 24 and the HH-AA-HA-HH format looks less like a schedule and more like someone fell asleep at their keyboard mid-laugh.

So, which team should you bet on? None. Don’t gamble. Unless it’s on extra guac, which always pays off.

But here’s the lowdown: the Philadelphia Phillies, while not clever at coming up with team names, are the current favorites, but the Los Angeles Dodgers will probably walk all over them. The Milwaukee Brewers own the best regular-season record, and if you’re looking for a sleeper pick, go for the Chicago Cubs, they love playing spoiler.

Now you’re playoff-ready. Grab your chips, pretend you always knew the Toronto Blue Jays were legit, and remember that no one actually understands the infield fly rule.

Playoff Baseball 101 for the Casual Fans Stuck Watching

How We Got Here (and Why 12 Teams)

Wild Card Series (Best of 3)

Division Series (Best of 5)

League Championship Series (Best of 7)

The Main Event: World Series (Best of 7)

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