Division Series

The Division Series are a five-game postseason series that precedes the two League Championship Series and determines which two teams will face each other for the league championship. Each year, there are two National League Division Series and two American League Division Series.

The first Division Series were played on a one-off basis in 1981 as a result of the 1981 Split Season Schedule. These opposed the first-half and second-half winners in each of the four divisions which existed at the time.

The first "permanent" Division series were scheduled in 1994, after the reorganization of each major league into three divisions and the introduction of the Wild Card. The first Division Series under this format were cancelled when the 1994 strike wiped out the entire 1994 Postseason. As a result, the Series were first played in 1995.

There are four Division Series, two in each league. From 1995 to 2011, the three division winners and one wild card team made up the participants, with the top-seeded team playing the wild card team - unless the two came from the same division, in which case the wild card team played the number two seed. From 2012 to 2021, the division winner with the best record played the team which had won the Wild Card Game between the two wild card teams, with no regard as to whether that team was issued from the same division or not; the other two division winners played each other. There was one exception to this, in 2020, due to the season being shortened to 60 games by the COVID-19 pandemic; that year only, the eight postseason teams in each league were ranked 1 to 8, and the Division Series were just the second round of this straightforward bracket tournament.

Starting in 2022, the top two division title winners in each league are awarded a bye in the Wild Card Series and get to have home field advantage for a Division Series. Their opponents are the winners from the two Wild Card Series in each league; seedings are determined in advance, so the team with the best overall record is not guaranteed to play against the remaining team with the lowest seed, as upsets may intervene.

By convention, the Division Series featuring the team with the best overall record in the league is considered the first division series, and the other one is the second; this has not always been strictly respected.

History

National League Division Series

Year	First Series				Year	Second Series
	Winning Team	Losing Team	Games			Winning Team	Losing Team	Games
1981	Montreal Expos 2nd	Philadelphia Phillies 1st	3-2		1981	Los Angeles Dodgers 1st	Houston Astros 2nd	3-2
1995	Atlanta Braves East.	Colorado Rockies WC	3-1		1995	Cincinnati Reds Cent.	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	3-0
1996	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	San Diego Padres West.	3-0		1996	Atlanta Braves East.	Los Angeles Dodgers WC	3-0
1997	Atlanta Braves East.	Houston Astros Cent.	3-0		1997	Florida Marlins WC	San Francisco Giants West.	3-0
1998	San Diego Padres West.	Houston Astros Cent.	3-1		1998	Atlanta Braves East.	Chicago Cubs WC	3-0
1999	Atlanta Braves East.	Houston Astros Cent.	3-1		1999	New York Mets WC	Arizona Diamondbacks West.	3-1
2000	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	Atlanta Braves East.	3-0		2000	New York Mets WC	San Francisco Giants West.	3-1
2001	Atlanta Braves East.	Houston Astros Cent.	3-0		2001	Arizona Diamondbacks West.	St. Louis Cardinals WC	3-2
2002	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	Arizona Diamondbacks West.	3-0		2002	San Francisco Giants WC	Atlanta Braves East.	3-2
2003	Chicago Cubs Cent.	Atlanta Braves East.	3-2		2003	Florida Marlins WC	San Francisco Giants West.	3-1
2004	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	3-1		2004	Houston Astros WC	Atlanta Braves East.	3-1
2005	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	San Diego Padres West.	3-0		2005	Houston Astros WC	Atlanta Braves East.	3-1
2006	New York Mets East.	Los Angeles Dodgers WC	3-0		2006	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	San Diego Padres West.	3-1
2007	Arizona Diamondbacks West.	Chicago Cubs Cent.	3-0		2007	Colorado Rockies WC	Philadelphia Phillies East.	3-0
2008	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	Chicago Cubs Cent.	3-0		2008	Philadelphia Phillies East.	Milwaukee Brewers WC	3-1
2009	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	3-0		2009	Philadelphia Phillies East.	Colorado Rockies WC	3-1
2010	Philadelphia Phillies East.	Cincinnati Reds Cent.	3-0		2010	San Francisco Giants West.	Atlanta Braves WC	3-1
2011	St. Louis Cardinals WC	Philadelphia Phillies East.	3-2		2011	Milwaukee Brewers Cent.	Arizona Diamondbacks West.	3-2
2012	St. Louis Cardinals WC	Washington Nationals East.	3-2		2012	San Francisco Giants West.	Cincinnati Reds Cent.	3-2
2013	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	Pittsburgh Pirates WC	3-2		2013	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	Atlanta Braves East.	3-1
2014	San Francisco Giants WC	Washington Nationals East.	3-1		2014	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	3-1
2015	Chicago Cubs WC	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	3-1		2015	New York Mets East.	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	3-2
2016	Chicago Cubs Cent.	San Francisco Giants WC	3-1		2016	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	Washington Nationals East.	3-2
2017	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	Arizona Diamondbacks WC	3-0		2017	Chicago Cubs Cent.	Washington Nationals East.	3-2
2018	Milwaukee Brewers Cent.	Colorado Rockies WC	3-0		2018	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	Atlanta Braves East.	3-1
2019	Washington Nationals WC	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	3-2		2019	St. Louis Cardinals Cent.	Atlanta Braves East.	3-2
2020	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	San Diego Padres West.	3-0		2020	Atlanta Braves East.	Miami Marlins East.	3-0
2021	Los Angeles Dodgers WC	San Francisco Giants West.	3-2		2021	Atlanta Braves East.	Milwaukee Brewers Cent.	3-1
2022	San Diego Padres WC	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	3-1		2022	Philadelphia Philles WC	Atlanta Braves East.	3-1
2023	Philadelphia Phillies WC	Atlanta Braves East.	3-1		2023	Arizona Diamondbacks WC	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	3-0
2024	Los Angeles Dodgers West.	San Diego Padres	3-2		2024	New York Mets WC	Philadelphia Phillies East.	3-1

American League Division Series

Year	First Series				Year	Second Series
	Winning Team	Losing Team	Games			Winning Team	Losing Team	Games
1981	New York Yankees 1st	Milwaukee Brewers 2nd	3-2		1981	Oakland Athletics 1st	Kansas City Royals 2nd	3-0
1995	Cleveland Indians Cent.	Boston Red Sox East.	3-0		1995	Seattle Mariners West.	New York Yankees WC	3-2
1996	New York Yankees East.	Texas Rangers West.	3-1		1996	Baltimore Orioles WC	Cleveland Indians Cent.	3-1
1997	Baltimore Orioles East.	Seattle Mariners West.	3-1		1997	Cleveland Indians Cent.	New York Yankees West.	3-2
1998	New York Yankees East.	Texas Rangers West.	3-0		1998	Cleveland Indians Cent.	Boston Red Sox WC	3-1
1999	New York Yankees East.	Texas Rangers West.	3-0		1999	Boston Red Sox WC	Cleveland Indians Cent.	3-2
2000	New York Yankees East.	Oakland Athletics West.	3-2		2000	Seattle Mariners WC	Chicago White Sox Cent.	3-0
2001	Seattle Mariners West.	Cleveland Indians Cent.	3-2		2001	New York Yankees East.	Oakland Athletics WC	3-2
2002	Minnesota Twins Cent.	Oakland Athletics West.	3-2		2002	Anaheim Angels WC	New York Yankees East.	3-1
2003	New York Yankees East.	Minnesota Twins Cent.	3-1		2003	Boston Red Sox WC	Oakland Athletics West.	3-2
2004	New York Yankees East.	Minnesota Twins Cent.	3-1		2004	Boston Red Sox WC	Anaheim Angels West.	3-0
2005	Chicago White Sox Cent.	Boston Red Sox East.	3-0		2005	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim West.	New York Yankees East.	3-2
2006	Detroit Tigers WC	New York Yankees East.	3-1		2006	Oakland Athletics West.	Minnesota Twins West.	3-0
2007	Boston Red Sox East.	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim West.	3-0		2007	Cleveland Indians Cent.	New York Yankees WC	3-1
2008	Boston Red Sox WC	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim West.	3-1		2008	Tampa Bay Rays East.	Chicago White Sox Cent.	3-1
2009	New York Yankees East.	Minnesota Twins Cent.	3-0		2009	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim West.	Boston Red Sox WC	3-0
2010	Texas Rangers West.	Tampa Bay Rays East.	3-2		2010	New York Yankees WC	Minnesota Twins Cent.	3-0
2011	Detroit Tigers Cent.	New York Yankees East.	3-2		2011	Texas Rangers West.	Tampa Bay Rays WC	3-1
2012	New York Yankees East.	Baltimore Orioles WC	3-2		2012	Detroit Tigers Cent.	Oakland Athletics West.	3-2
2013	Boston Red Sox East.	Tampa Bay Rays WC	3-1		2013	Detroit Tigers Cent.	Oakland Athletics West.	3-2
2014	Kansas City Royals WC	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim West.	3-0		2014	Baltimore Orioles East.	Detroit Tigers Cent.	3-0
2015	Kansas City Royals Cent.	Houston Astros WC	3-2		2015	Toronto Blue Jays East.	Texas Rangers West.	3-2
2016	Toronto Blue Jays WC	Texas Rangers West.	3-0		2016	Cleveland Indians Cent.	Boston Red Sox East.	3-0
2017	New York Yankees WC	Cleveland Indians Cent.	3-2		2017	Houston Astros West.	Boston Red Sox East.	3-1
2018	Boston Red Sox East.	New York Yankees WC	3-1		2018	Houston Astros West.	Cleveland Indians Cent.	3-0
2019	Houston Astros West.	Tampa Bay Rays WC	3-2		2019	New York Yankees East.	Minnesota Twins Cent.	3-0
2020	Tampa Bay Rays East.	New York Yankees East.	3-2		2020	Houston Astros West.	Oakland Athletics West.	3-1
2021	Boston Red Sox WC	Tampa Bay Rays East.	3-1		2021	Houston Astros West.	Chicago White Sox Cent.	3-1
2022	Houston Astros West.	Seattle Mariners WC	3-0		2022	New York Yankees East.	Cleveland Guardians Cent.	3-2
2023	Texas Rangers WC	Baltimore Orioles East.	3-0		2023	Houston Astros West.	Minnesota Twins Cent.	3-1
2024	New York Yankees East.	Kansas City Royals WC	3-1		2024	Cleveland Guardians	Detroit Tigers	3-2

Further Reading

• Anthony Castrovince: "Doc's no-no, The Flip and other top Division Series moments", mlb.com, October 12, 2024. [1]