Baseball Postseason Playoffs by Baseball Almanac

Baseball Postseason Playoffs

The World Series was "born" in 1903, but postseason play began as early as the 1884 season. Major League Baseball does not recognize those games as an official part of World Series history, but they did set the foundation for "The Fall Classic." A match-up that remained constant from its start in 1903 through 1968.

In 1969, both the American and National League split into two divisions and the League Championship was created setting the stage for some thrilling postseason moments (outside of the World Series). The best-of-five League Championship Series switched to a best-of-seven series in 1985 to increase revenue and match the length of the World Series.

The 1981 season was a separate case. A mid-season player's strike split the season in half and upset fans - some of which still remain discontent with our national pastime. Major League Baseball hoped to recoup some of the lost revenue and win back the disinterested fans so an extra level of playoff games were played.

Three divisions were created in 1993 to make room for the expansion teams. East, Central, and West divisions are the most recent major alignment changes. Club owners voted on divisional team placements - though nobody truly understands why & how certain decisions were made — and in 1995 the playoffs introduced the Division Series.

A best-of-five series would determine who would play for the pennant and the three division champions would face off with a fourth "wildcard", determined by the second-place team with the best record from any of the three divisions. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a series of charts meant to easily illustrate the history of postseason baseball.

"The playoffs are the wedge between the season and the World Series. If you lose, it means you won't be going to the greatest sports event in this country. It's the quagmire before the promised land. It's the Red Sea that has to be crossed. If you don't cross in to the World Series, you're a loser. You're forgotten by Thanksgiving." - Tim McCarver in Oh Baby, I Love it (1987)

A.L.C.S.

World Series

N.L.C.S.

Baltimore
3 Wins (East)

1969

New York
3 Wins (East)

Minnesota
0 Wins (West)

Atlanta
0 Wins (West)

Baltimore
3 Wins (East)

1970

Pittsburgh
0 Wins (East)

Minnesota
0 Wins (West)

Cincinnati
3 Wins (West)

Baltimore
3 Wins (East)

1971

Pittsburgh
3 Wins (East)

Oakland
0 Wins (West)

San Francisco
1 Win (West)

Detroit
2 Wins (East)

1972

Pittsburgh
2 Win (East)

Oakland
3 Wins (West)

Cincinnati
3 Wins (West)

Baltimore
2 Wins (East)

1973

New York
3 Wins (East)

Oakland
3 Wins (West)

Cincinnati
2 Wins (West)

Baltimore
1 Win (East)

1974

Pittsburgh
1 Win (East)

Oakland
3 Wins (West)

Los Angeles
3 Wins (West)

Boston
3 Wins (East)

1975

Pittsburgh
0 Wins (East)

Oakland
0 Wins (West)

Cincinnati
3 Wins (West)

New York
3 Wins (East)

1976

Philadelphia
0 Wins (East)

Kansas City
2 Wins (West)

Cincinnati
3 Wins (West)

New York
3 Wins (East)

1977

Philadelphia
1 Win (East)

Kansas City
2 Wins (West)

Los Angeles
3 Wins (West)

New York
3 Wins (East)

1978

Philadelphia
1 Win (East)

Kansas City
1 Win (West)

Los Angeles
3 Wins (West)

Baltimore
3 Wins (East)

1979

Pittsburgh
3 Wins (East)

California
1 Win (West)

Cincinnati
0 Wins (West)

New York
0 Wins (East)

1980

Philadelphia
3 Wins (East)

Kansas City
3 Wins (West)

Houston
2 Wins (West)

A.L. Playoff

A.L.C.S.

World Series

N.L.C.S.

N.L. Playoff

New York
3 Wins (East)

1981

Montreal
2 Wins (East)

Montreal
3 Wins (East)

Milwaukee
2 Wins (East)

Philadelphia
2 Wins (East)

Oakland
3 Wins (West)

Oakland
0 Wins (West)

Los Angeles
3 Wins (West)

Kansas City
0 Wins (West)

Houston
2 Wins (West)

A.L.C.S.

World Series

N.L.C.S.

Milwaukee
3 Wins (East)

1982

St. Louis
3 Wins (East)

California
2 Wins (West)

Atlanta
0 Wins (West)

Baltimore
3 Wins (East)

1983

Philadelphia
3 Wins (East)

Chicago
1 Win (West)

Los Angeles
1 Win (West)

Detroit
3 Wins (East)

1984

Chicago
2 Wins (East)

Kansas City
0 Wins (West)

San Diego
3 Wins (West)

A.L.C.S.

World Series

N.L.C.S.

Toronto
3 Wins (East)

1985

St. Louis
4 Wins (East)

Kansas City
4 Wins (West)

Los Angeles
2 Wins (West)

Boston
4 Wins (East)

1986

New York
4 Wins (East)

California
3 Wins (West)

Houston
2 Wins (West)

Detroit
1 Win (East)

1987

St. Louis
4 Wins (East)

Minnesota
4 Wins (West)

San Francisco
3 Wins (West)

Boston
0 Wins (East)

1988

New York
3 Wins (East)

Oakland
4 Wins (West)

Los Angeles
4 Wins (West)

Toronto
1 Win (East)

1989

Chicago
1 Win (East)

Oakland
4 Wins (West)

San Francisco
4 Wins (West)

Boston
0 Wins (East)

1990

Pittsburgh
2 Wins (East)

Oakland
4 Wins (West)

Cincinnati
4 Wins (West)

Toronto
1 Win (East)

1991

Pittsburgh
3 Wins (East)

Minnesota
4 Wins (West)

Atlanta
4 Wins (West)

Toronto
4 Wins (East)

1992

Pittsburgh
3 Wins (East)

Oakland
2 Wins (West)

Atlanta
4 Wins (West)

Toronto
4 Wins (East)

1993

Philadelphia
4 Wins (East)

Chicago
2 Wins (West)

Atlanta
2 Wins (West)

A.L.D.S.

A.L.C.S.

World Series

N.L.C.S.

N.L.D.S.

Strike Season
x Wins (n/a)

1994

Strike Season
x Wins (n/a)

Cleveland
3 Wins (Central)

Cleveland
4 Wins (Central)

1995

Atlanta
4 Wins (East)

Atlanta
3 Wins (East)

Boston
0 Wins (East)

Colorado
1 Win (Wildcard)

Seattle
3 Wins (West)

Seattle
2 Wins (West)

Cincinnati
0 Wins (Central)

Cincinnati
3 Wins (Central)

New York
2 Wins (Wildcard)

Los Angeles
0 Wins (West)

New York
3 Wins (East)

New York
4 Wins (East)

1996

Atlanta
4 Wins (East)

Atlanta
3 Wins (East)

Texas
1 Wins (West)

Los Angeles
0 Wins (Wildcard)

Baltimore
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Baltimore
1 Win (Wildcard)

St. Louis
3 Wins (Central)

Cleveland
1 Win (Central)

San Diego
0 Wins (West)

Cleveland
3 Wins (Central)

Cleveland
4 Wins (Central)

1997

Florida
4 Wins (Wildcard)

Florida
3 Wins (Wildcard)

New York
2 Wins (Wildcard)

San Francisco
0 Wins (West)

Baltimore
3 Wins (East)

Baltimore
2 Win (East)

Atlanta
2 Wins (East)

Atlanta
3 Wins (East)

Seattle
1 Win (West)

Houston
0 Wins (Central)

Cleveland
3 Wins (Central)

Cleveland
2 Wins (Central)

1998

San Diego
4 Wins (West)

San Diego
3 Wins (West)

Boston
1 Wins (Wildcard)

Houston
1 Win (Central)

New York
3 Wins (East)

New York
4 Wins (East)

Atlanta
2 Wins (East)

Atlanta
3 Wins (East)

Texas
0 Wins (West)

Chicago
0 Wins (Wildcard)

New York
3 Wins (East)

New York
4 Wins (East)

1999

Atlanta
4 Wins (East)

Atlanta
3 Wins (East)

Texas
0 Wins (West)

Houston
1 Win (Central)

Boston
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Boston
1 Win (Wildcard)

New York
2 Wins (Wildcard)

New York
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Cleveland
2 Wins (Central)

Arizona
1 Win (West)

Seattle
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Seattle
2 Wins (Wildcard)

2000

St. Louis
1 Win (Central)

St. Louis
3 Wins (Central)

Chicago
0 Wins (Central)

Atlanta
1 Win (East)

New York
3 Wins (East)

New York
4 Wins (East)

New York
4 Wins (Wildcard)

New York
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Oakland
0 Wins (West)

San Francisco
1 Win (West)

Seattle
3 Wins (West)

Seattle
1 Wins (West)

2001

Atlanta
1 Win (East)

Atlanta
3 Wins (East)

Cleveland
2 Wins (Central)

Houston
0 Wins (Central)

New York
4 Wins (East)

Arizona
4 Wins (West)

Arizona
3 Wins (West)

Oakland
2 Wins (Wildcard)

St. Louis
2 Wins (Wildcard)

Minnesota
3 Wins (Central)

Minnesota
1 Win (Central)

2002

St. Louis
1 Win (Central)

Arizona
0 Wins (West)

Oakland
2 Wins (West)

St. Louis
3 Wins (Central)

Anaheim
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Anaheim
4 Wins (Wildcard)

San Francisco
4 Wins (Wildcard)

Atlanta
2 Wins (East)

New York
1 Win (East)

San Francisco
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Minnesota
1 Win (Central)

New York
4 Wins (East)

2003

Chicago
3 Wins (Central)

Atlanta
2 Wins (East)

New York
3 Wins (East)

Chicago
3 Wins (Central)

Boston
3Wins (Wildcard)

Boston
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Florida
4 Wins (Wildcard)

Florida
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Oakland
2 Wins (Westl)

San Francisco
1 Win (West)

Minnesota
1 Win (Central)

New York
3 Wins (East)

2004

St. Louis
4 Wins (Central)

Los Angeles
1 Win (West)

New York
3 Wins (East)

St. Louis
3 Wins (Central)

Boston
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Boston
4 Wins (Wildcard)

Houston
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Anaheim
0 Wins (West)

Atlanta
2 Wins (East)

New York
2 Wins (East)

Los Angeles
1 Win (West)

2005

Houston
4 Wins (Wildcard)

Houston
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Los Angeles
3 Wins (West)

Atlanta
1 Win (East)

Boston
0 Wins (Wildcard)

Chicago
4 Wins (Central)

St. Louis
2 Wins (Central)

San Diego
0 Wins (West)

Chicago
3 Wins (Central)

St. Louis
3 Wins (Central)

Oakland
3 Wins (West)

Oakland
0 Wins (West)

2006

St. Louis
4 Wins (Central)

St. Louis
3 Wins (Central)

Minnesota
0 Wins (Central)

San Diego
1 Win (West)

Detroit
3 Wins (Wildcard)

Detroit
4 Wins (Wildcard)

New York
3 Wins (East)

New York
1 Win (East)

Los Angeles
0 Wins (Wildcard)

Boston
3 Wins (East)

Boston
4 Wins (East)

2007

Arizona
0 Wins (West)

Arizona
3 Wins (West)

Los Angeles
0 Wins (West)

Chicago
0 Wins (Central)

Cleveland
3 Wins (Central)

Colorado
4 Wins (Wildcard)

Colorado
3 Wins (Wildcard)

New York
1 Win (Wildcard)

Philadelphia
0 Wins (East)

TBD
0 Wins (TBD)

2008

TBD
0 Wins (TBD)

Year-by-Year Playoff Charts

Did you know that the 1997 Florida Marlins were the first Major League team to win a wildcard, a Division Series, a pennant and a World Series in the same season?

Review each chart and put together your own lists or answer questions asked about various levels of playoffs. If you need World Series data, please review our main World Series section. Trivia questions about major league playoffs can easily be made and answered using the charts above.

Do you like divisional play or do you long for the days of winner-take-all? Would that format work? Should their be another round of playoffs? Share your opinion on Baseball Fever today.