List of Major League Baseball postseason teams

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The

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

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

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
ARI 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 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
Baltimore Orioles 1954–present 2016 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 1954, 1995, 1997, 2016 1920, 1948
COL Colorado Rockies 1993–present 2017 1995, 2009, 2018 2007
DET Detroit Tigers 1903–present 2014 1972, 1987, 2011, 2013 1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1940, 2006, 2012 1935, 1945, 1968, 1984
HOU Houston Astros 1962–present 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2015 1980, 1986, 2004, 2018, 2020, 2023 2005, 2019, 2021 2017, 2022
KC Kansas City Royals 1969–present 1981 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
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
MIA Miami/Florida Marlins 1993–present 2023 2020 1997, 2003
MIL Seattle Pilots 1969
Milwaukee Brewers 1970–present 2019, 2020, 2023 1981, 2008, 2021 2011, 2018 1982
MIN Washington Senators 1903–1960 1925, 1933 1924
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 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 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
OAK Philadelphia Athletics 1903–1954 1905, 1914, 1931 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930
Kansas City Athletics 1955–1967
Oakland Athletics 1968–present 2014, 2018, 2019 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2020 1971, 1975, 1981, 1992, 2006 1988, 1990 1972, 1973, 1974, 1989
PHI Philadelphia Phillies 1903–present 1981, 2007, 2011 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 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
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
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
Washington Nationals 2005–present 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 2019

Franchise records by postseason round

Updated through the 2023 postseason.

Franchise Wild Card Game/ Series Division Series League Championship Series World Series Postseason Appearances
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 2 8 19 6 13 4 10 29
St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles 1 2 3 5 5 10 3 7 15
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 5 11 3 5 2 6 16
Colorado Rockies 1 2 1 4 1 1 0 1 5
Detroit Tigers 0 0 4 5 3 7 4 11 16
Houston Astros 2 2 9 15 5 11 2 5 17
Kansas City Royals 1 1 2 3 4 8 2 4 9
Los Angeles / California / Anaheim Angels 0 0 3 7 1 6 1 1 10
Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers 2 2 9 18 8 15 7 21 37
Florida / Miami Marlins 1 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 4
Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers 0 3 2 5 1 3 0 1 9
Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins 1 3 1 8 2 5 3 6 18
New York Mets 0 2 4 4 5 8 2 5 10
New York Yankees 3 5 14 23 11 18 27 40 58
Philadelphia / Kansas City / Oakland Athletics 1 4 2 9 6 11 9 14 29
Philadelphia Phillies 2 2 5 8 6 11 2 8 16
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 3 0 1 2 9 5 7 17
San Diego Padres 2 2 2 6 2 3 0 2 7
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 34 68 120 240 108 216 119 238 500

See also

External links