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The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament conducted after the regular season, by which MLB determines its World Series champion for a given year.

The MLB postseason format has evolved throughout its history, with the number of participating teams increasing from two (for its first six-plus decades) to the current 12, with a special format in 2020 having 16. The World Series was first played in 1903, when the champions of the established National League (NL) and the upstart American League (AL) met for a playoff series. From that time through 1968, the two leagues (which each had eight teams through 1960) each sent only its team with the best regular-season record to the World Series. In 1969, as each league had expanded to 12 teams, each league was divided into East and West divisions and another playoff round was created. This round became known as the League Championship Series (LCS), with the four division champions competing for a spot in the World Series every year. This format lasted until 1993.

In 1994, the again-expanded leagues were re-organized into three separate divisions, and another playoff round was established, called the Division Series (DS). In this format, for each league, the champions of the East, Central, and West divisions would be joined in the playoffs by a Wild Card team. The addition of the Wild Card allowed a team that was not a division winner but still had one of the top regular-season records to enter the postseason. In 1998, the system was slightly modified so that the division winners with better regular-season records would be rewarded with homefield advantage in the division series and LCS. In 2012, the structure was adjusted such that two teams from each league receive Wild Card berths and then play a single game against each other to determine who advances to the Division Series. It also eliminated the previous restriction that the wild card team could not play a team in its own division in the first round. In 2022, the current 12-team format was used, featuring a best-of-three Wild Card Series. However, in this format, the top two division winners in each league received an automatic berth to the Division Series, while the lowest-ranked division winner and three Wild Card teams would play in the Wild Card Series.

Three anomalies in the above-described system occurred. In 1904, the World Series did not take place because the National League champion did not wish to participate and the leagues had not yet agreed to require their champions to do so. In 1981, there was a Division Series due to a split season brought about by a midsummer player's strike. In 1994, the postseason did not take place due to a player's strike. And in 2020, after a shortened 60-game regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a special best-of-three Wild Card Series was played; this involved the three division winners, three second-place teams from each division, and two Wild Card teams in each league.

Postseason appearances by franchise

Postseason Appearances by Finish
Franchise		Years	Lost WC	Lost DS	Lost LCS	Lost WS	Won WS
ATH	Philadelphia Athletics	1903–1954	—	—	—	1905, 1914, 1931	1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930
	Kansas City Athletics	1955–1967	—	—	—	—	—
	Oakland Athletics	1968–2024	2014, 2018, 2019	2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2020	1971, 1975, 1981, 1992, 2006	1988, 1990	1972, 1973, 1974, 1989
	Athletics (Sacramento)	2025–present	—	—	—	—	—
AZ	Arizona Diamondbacks	1998–present	—	1999, 2002, 2011, 2017	2007	2023	2001
ATL	Boston Braves	1903–1952	—	—	—	1948	1914
	Milwaukee Braves	1953–1965	—	—	—	1958	1957
	Atlanta Braves	1966–present	2012, 2024	2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023	1969, 1982, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2020	1991, 1992, 1996, 1999	1995, 2021
BAL	St. Louis Browns	1903–1953	—	—	—	1944	—
BAL	Baltimore Orioles	1954–present	2016, 2024	2012, 2023	1973, 1974, 1996, 1997, 2014	1969, 1971, 1979	1966, 1970, 1983
BOS	Boston Red Sox	1903–present	—	1995, 1998, 2005, 2009, 2016, 2017	1988, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2021	1946, 1967, 1975, 1986	1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018
CHC	Chicago Cubs	1903–present	2018, 2020	1998, 2007, 2008	1984, 1989, 2003, 2015, 2017	1906, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945	1907, 1908, 2016
CWS	Chicago White Sox	1903–present	2020	2000, 2008, 2021	1983, 1993	1919, 1959	1906, 1917, 2005
CIN	Cincinnati Reds	1903–present	2013, 2020	2010, 2012	1973, 1979, 1995	1939, 1961, 1970, 1972	1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990
CLE	Cleveland Guardians/ Indians	1903–present	2013, 2020	1996, 1999, 2001, 2017, 2018, 2022	1998, 2007, 2024	1954, 1995, 1997, 2016	1920, 1948
COL	Colorado Rockies	1993–present	2017	1995, 2009, 2018	—	2007	—
DET	Detroit Tigers	1903–present	—	2014, 2024	1972, 1987, 2011, 2013	1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1940, 2006, 2012	1935, 1945, 1968, 1984
HOU	Houston Astros	1962–present	2024	1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2015	1980, 1986, 2004, 2018, 2020, 2023	2005, 2019, 2021	2017, 2022
KC	Kansas City Royals	1969–present	—	1981, 2024	1976, 1977, 1978, 1984	1980, 2014	1985, 2015
LAA	Los Angeles/California/ Anaheim Angels	1961–present	—	2004, 2007, 2008, 2014	1979, 1982, 1986, 2005, 2009	—	2002
LAD	Brooklyn Dodgers	1903–1957	—	—	—	1916, 1920, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956	1955
LAD	Los Angeles Dodgers	1958–present	—	1995, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2023	1983, 1985, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2021	1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 2017, 2018	1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020, 2024
MIA	Miami/Florida Marlins	1993–present	2023	2020	—	—	1997, 2003
MIL	Seattle Pilots	1969	—	—	—	—	—
MIL	Milwaukee Brewers	1970–present	2019, 2020, 2023, 2024	1981, 2008, 2021	2011, 2018	1982	—
MIN	Washington Senators	1903–1960	—	—	—	1925, 1933	1924
MIN	Minnesota Twins	1961–present	2017, 2020	2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2023	1969, 1970, 2002	1965	1987, 1991
NYM	New York Mets	1962–present	2016, 2022	—	1988, 1999, 2006, 2024	1973, 2000, 2015	1969, 1986
NYY	New York Yankees	1903–present	2015, 2021	1995, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2018, 2020	1980, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2022	1921, 1922, 1926, 1942, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1976, 1981, 2001, 2003, 2024	1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009
PHI	Philadelphia Phillies	1903–present	—	1981, 2007, 2011, 2024	1976, 1977, 1978, 2010, 2023	1915, 1950, 1983, 1993, 2009, 2022	1980, 2008
PIT	Pittsburgh Pirates	1903–present	2014, 2015	2013	1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1990, 1991, 1992	1903, 1927	1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, 1979
SD	San Diego Padres	1969–present	—	1996, 2005, 2006, 2020, 2024	2022	1984, 1998	—
SEA	Seattle Mariners	1977–present	—	1997, 2022	1995, 2000, 2001	—	—
SF	New York Giants	1903–1957	—	—	—	1911, 1912, 1913, 1917, 1923, 1924, 1936, 1937, 1951	1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, 1954
SF	San Francisco Giants	1958–present	—	1997, 2000, 2003, 2016, 2021	1971, 1987	1962, 1989, 2002	2010, 2012, 2014
STL	St. Louis Cardinals	1903–present	2020, 2021, 2022	2001, 2009, 2015	1996, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2019	1928, 1930, 1943, 1968, 1985, 1987, 2004, 2013	1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011
TB	Tampa Bay Rays/ Devil Rays	1998–present	2022, 2023	2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2021	—	2008, 2020	—
TEX	Washington Senators	1961–1971	—	—	—	—	—
TEX	Texas Rangers	1972–present	2012	1996, 1998, 1999, 2015, 2016	—	2010, 2011	2023
TOR	Toronto Blue Jays	1977–present	2020, 2022, 2023	—	1985, 1989, 1991, 2015, 2016	—	1992, 1993
WSH	Montreal Expos	1969–2004	—	—	1981	—	—
WSH	Washington Nationals	2005–present	—	2012, 2014, 2016, 2017	—	—	2019

Franchise records by postseason round

Updated through the 2024 postseason.

Franchise	Wild Card Game/ Series		Division Series		League Championship Series		World Series		Postseason Appearances
Franchise	Won	Total	Won	Total	Won	Total	Won	Total	Total
Arizona Diamondbacks	2	2	3	7	2	3	1	2	7
Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves	1	3	8	19	6	13	4	10	30
St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles	1	3	3	5	5	10	3	7	16
Boston Red Sox	1	1	8	14	6	12	9	13	25
Chicago Cubs	1	3	4	7	1	6	3	11	21
Chicago White Sox	0	1	1	4	1	3	3	5	11
Cincinnati Reds	0	2	1	3	5	8	5	9	16
Cleveland Indians / Guardians	1	3	6	12	3	6	2	6	17
Colorado Rockies	1	2	1	4	1	1	0	1	5
Detroit Tigers	1	1	4	6	3	7	4	11	17
Houston Astros	2	3	9	15	5	11	2	5	18
Kansas City Royals	2	2	2	4	4	8	2	4	10
Los Angeles / California / Anaheim Angels	0	0	3	7	1	6	1	1	10
Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers	2	2	10	19	9	16	8	22	38
Florida / Miami Marlins	1	2	2	3	2	2	2	2	4
Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers	0	4	2	5	1	3	0	1	10
Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins	1	3	1	8	2	5	3	6	18
New York Mets	1	3	5	5	5	9	2	5	11
New York Yankees	3	5	15	24	12	19	27	41	59
Philadelphia / Kansas City / Oakland Athletics / Athletics	1	4	2	9	6	11	9	14	29
Philadelphia Phillies	2	2	5	9	6	11	2	8	17
Pittsburgh Pirates	1	3	0	1	2	9	5	7	17
San Diego Padres	3	3	2	7	2	3	0	2	8
Seattle Mariners	1	1	3	5	0	3	0	0	5
New York / San Francisco Giants	2	2	4	9	5	7	8	20	27
St. Louis Cardinals	1	4	11	14	7	14	11	19	32
Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays	3	5	2	7	2	2	0	2	9
Washington Senators / Texas Rangers	1	2	3	8	3	3	1	3	9
Toronto Blue Jays	1	4	2	2	2	7	2	2	10
Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals	1	1	2	6	1	2	1	1	6
Totals	38	76	124	248	110	220	119	238	512