MLB Division Series format, explained: Rules, number of games, history and more to know about ALDS and NLDS

So, your team reached the ALDS or NLDS. What happens now?

Only eight teams survive to the division series, which doesn't always live up to its name. In fact, there was a time in which teams from the same division weren't allowed to play each other in the division series. Teams can face division rivals in the division series now, but it isn't necessarily common.

The Division Series can be seen as a gateway to the World Series, even if one round stands between the two. So, how does it work.

Here's a complete guide to the MLB Division Series and how it works under the current format. 

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What is the MLB Division Series?

MLB's Division Series is the second of four rounds in the postseason. Eight teams advance to the Division Series, four of which receive a bye by finishing with one of the top two seeds in their league. Only four of MLB's 12 playoff teams don't reach the Division Series. 

MLB Division Series format

Is the MLB Division Series best of 5 or 7?

The Division Series is a best-of-five series, following the best-of-three Wild Card Series. The League Championship Series and World Series are both best-of-seven.

How is home field advantage determined?

The higher seed receives home-field advantage in the Division Series. The top three seeds in each league are all division winners, in order of regular season record, followed by the three wild-card teams in order of regular season record.

That means the team with the better record earns home-field advantage in most cases, but a wild-card team with a better record than its division-winning opponent would have to start the series on the road.

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How teams qualify for the MLB Division Series

The two division winners with the best records in either the American League or National League receive a bye to the Division Series. In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees finished tied for the best record in the AL, but the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners received byes because the Yankees did not win the AL East.

The remaining four Division Series spots are determined by the Wild Card Series, with each winner advancing. Here's a closer look at how the Wild Card Series works.

How does the Wild Card work?

All postseason teams that aren't top-two seeds in their league must play a Wild Card Series. The No. 3 seed, which is always the division winner with the worst record, hosts the No. 6 seed, while the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed in a battle of wild-card teams.

The series is a best-of-three, with all games held at the stadium of the higher seed. There are no off days, so the series is played on consecutive days. The winner advances to the Division Series to face a team that received a bye. 

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MLB Division Series history

When was the first MLB Division Series?

The first Division Series took place in 1981, but only as a temporary solution to a strike-shortened season. The Division Series truly began in 1995, when wild-card teams were first introduced to the postseason picture.

MLB Division Series changes

Until 2011, the Division Series marked the first round of the postseason and could not involve teams from the same division facing off against each other. The introduction of the Wild Card Game in each league in 2012 added a round before the Division Series and brought with it the removal of the rule barring teams from the same division from facing each other in the Division Series.

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Memorable MLB Division Series moments

After three decades, the ALDS and NLDS have produced countless memorable moments. Here are some of the best:

Derek Jeter flip play (2001)

Yankees legend Derek Jeter nabbed Oakland's Jeremy Giambi at home plate in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS in a moment that would cement him as one of MLB's all-time high-effort players. Jeter covered a ridiculous amount of ground to not only cut off an errant throw from Shane Spencer, but flip it to home plate with a shovel pass to get Giambi out. The Yankees entered the game trailing 2-0 in the series but won the final three games to keep their hopes of a four-peat alive.

Jose Bautista bat flip (2015)

Few MLB stadiums have ever been louder than Rogers Centre was when Blue Jays star Jose Bautista launched a go-ahead, 3-run home run against the Texas Rangers in decisive Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS.

Bautista's home run brought his teammates out of the dugout and onto the field to celebrate, and it sparked a benches-clearing incident after Edwin Encarnacion's efforts to quiet down the crowd were misinterpreted by the Rangers. A controversial call initially ratcheted up tensions inside Rogers Centre, resulting in fans throwing debris onto the field in protest. All of those emotions poured out when Bautista gave the Blue Jays the lead with his blast.

Chase Utley-Ruben Tejada collision (2015)

2015 brought plenty of Division Series controversy, as it also included a high-profile collision between Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley and New York Mets infielder Ruben Tejada. Utley slid hard into Tejada to try to break up a double play in Game 2, but he broke Tejada's leg in the process. The slide resulted in a suspension for Utley, but he appealed and had the ban dropped before the 2016 season.

Tejada said in 2016 that he had not spoken to Utley since, telling reporters, "I would never do that to another infielder. That is the position I play, and I would never want to hurt another player that plays that position like that."

Howie Kendrick's grand slam (2019)

MLB history turned when Howie Kendrick hit a go-ahead grand slam in decisive Game 5 in 2019. A 106-win season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were favored to win the NL pennant, went up in smoke as Kendrick broke a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning and put the Washington Nationals up by four and in position to reach the NLCS for the first time. The Nationals would go on to win their first championship, doing so with some more heroics from Kendrick in Game 7 of the World Series.  

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MLB Division Series schedule 2025

Yankees vs. Blue Jays

Tigers vs. Mariners

Cubs vs. Brewers

Dodgers vs. Phillies

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