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National League Division Series

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In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring each of the two division winners with the best records and the winners of the wild-card play-offs.

History

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The Division Series was implemented in 1981 as a one-off tournament because of a midseason strike, with the first place teams before the strike taking on the teams in first place after the strike. In 1981, a split-season format forced the first ever divisional playoff series, in which the Montreal Expos won the Eastern Division series over the Philadelphia Phillies in five games while in the Western Division, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Houston Astros, also in five games (the Astros were members of the National League until 2012).

In 1994, it was returned permanently when Major League Baseball (MLB) restructured each league into three divisions, but with a different format than in 1981. Each of the division winners, along with one wild card team, qualify for the Division Series. Despite being planned for the 1994 season, the post-season was cancelled that year due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. In 1995, the first season to feature a division series, the Eastern Division champion Atlanta Braves defeated the wild card Colorado Rockies three games to one, while the Central Division champion Cincinnati Reds defeated the Western Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game sweep.

From 1994 to 2011, the wild card was given to the team in the National League with the best overall record that was not a division champion. Beginning with the 2012 season, a second wild card team was added, and the two wild card teams play a single-game playoff to determine which team would play in the NLDS. For the 2020 Major League Baseball season only, there was an expanded playoff format, owing to an abbreviated 60-game regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight teams qualified from the National League: the top two teams in each division plus the next two best records among the remaining teams. These eight teams played a best-of-three-game series to determine placement in the NLDS. The regular format returned for the 2021 season.

As of 2021, the Atlanta Braves have currently played in the most NL division series with seventeen appearances. The St. Louis Cardinals have currently won the most NL division series, winning eleven of the fourteen series in which they have played. The Pittsburgh Pirates (who finished with a losing record from 1993 to 2012) were the last team to make their first appearance in the NL division series, making their debut in 2013 after winning the 2013 National League Wild Card Game. In 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers became the first team to play in division series in both leagues when they won the National League wild card, their first postseason berth since winning the American League East Division title in 1982 before switching leagues in 1998. Milwaukee had competed in an American League Division Series in the strike-shortened 1981 season.

Format

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The NLDS is a best-of-five series where the divisional winner with the best winning percentage in the regular season hosts the winner of the Wild Card Series between the top two wild card teams in one matchup, and the divisional winner with the second best winning percentage hosts the winner of the other Wild Card Series between the lowest-seeded divisional winner and the lowest-seeded wild card team.[1] (From 2012 to 2021, the wild card team was assigned to play the divisional winner with the best winning percentage in the regular season in one series, and the other two division winners met in the other series.[2] From 1998 to 2011, if the wild-card team and the division winner with the best record were from the same division, the wild-card team played the division winner with the second-best record, and the remaining two division leaders played each other.) The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven NLCS. According to Nate Silver, the advent of this playoff series, and especially of the wild card, has caused teams to focus more on "getting to the playoffs" rather than "winning the pennant" as the primary goal of the regular season.[3]

From 2012 to 2021, the wild card team that advances to the Division Series was to face the number 1 seed, regardless whether or not they are in the same division.[4][5][6][7] The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven NLCS. Beginning with the 2022 season, the winner between the lowest-ranked division winner and lowest-ranked wild card team faces the #2 seed division winner in the Division Series, while the 4 v. 5 wild card winner faces the #1 seed, as there is no reseeding even if the 6 seed wild card advances. Home-field advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record (or head-to-head record if there is a tie between two or more teams), except for the wild-card team, which never receives the home-field advantage.[8][9][10]

Beginning in 2003, MLB has implemented a new rule to give the team with the best regular season record from the league that wins the All-Star Game a slightly greater advantage. In order to spread out the Division Series games for broadcast purposes, the two NLDS series follow one of two off-day schedules. Starting in 2007, after consulting the MLBPA, MLB has decided to allow the team with the best record in the league that wins the All-Star Game to choose whether to use the seven-day schedule (1-2-off-3-4-off-5) or the eight-day schedule (1-off-2-off-3-4-off-5). The team only gets to choose the schedule; the opponent is still determined by win–loss records.

Initially, the best-of-5 series played in a 2–3 format, with the first two games set at home for the lower seed team and the last three for the higher seed.[11][12] Since 1998, the series has followed a 2–2–1 format,[13] where the higher seed team plays at home in Games 1 and 2, the lower seed plays at home in Game 3 and Game 4 (if necessary), and if a Game 5 is needed, the teams return to the higher seed's field. When MLB added a second wild card team in 2012, the Division Series re-adopted the 2–3 format due to scheduling conflicts. However, it reverted to the 2–2–1 format starting the next season, 2013.[14]

Results

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Key
Wild card
Year Winning team Manager Games Losing team Manager
1981 Montreal Expos Jim Fanning 3–2 Philadelphia Phillies Dallas Green
Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda 3–2 Houston Astros Bill Virdon
1994 No Series due to a players' strike.
1995 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 3–1 Colorado Rockies Don Baylor
Cincinnati Reds Davey Johnson 3–0 Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda
1996 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 3–0 Los Angeles Dodgers Bill Russell
St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa 3–0 San Diego Padres Bruce Bochy
1997 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 3–0 Houston Astros Larry Dierker
Florida Marlins Jim Leyland 3–0 San Francisco Giants Dusty Baker
1998 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 3–0 Chicago Cubs Jim Riggleman
San Diego Padres Bruce Bochy 3–1 Houston Astros Larry Dierker
1999 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 3–1 Houston Astros Larry Dierker
New York Mets Bobby Valentine 3–1 Arizona Diamondbacks Buck Showalter
2000 St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa 3–0 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox
New York Mets Bobby Valentine 3–1 San Francisco Giants Dusty Baker
2001 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox 3–0 Houston Astros Larry Dierker
Arizona Diamondbacks Bob Brenly 3–2 St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa
2002 St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa 3–0 Arizona Diamondbacks Bob Brenly
San Francisco Giants Dusty Baker 3–2 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox
2003 Chicago Cubs Dusty Baker 3–2 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox
Florida Marlins Jack McKeon 3–1 San Francisco Giants Felipe Alou
2004 St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa 3–1 Los Angeles Dodgers Jim Tracy
Houston Astros Phil Garner 3–2 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox
2005 St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa 3–0 San Diego Padres Bruce Bochy
Houston Astros Phil Garner 3–1 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox
2006 New York Mets Willie Randolph 3–0 Los Angeles Dodgers Jim Tracy
St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa 3–1 San Diego Padres Bruce Bochy
2007 Colorado Rockies Clint Hurdle 3–0 Philadelphia Phillies Charlie Manuel
Arizona Diamondbacks Bob Melvin 3–0 Chicago Cubs Lou Piniella
2008 Los Angeles Dodgers Joe Torre 3–0 Chicago Cubs Lou Piniella
Philadelphia Phillies Charlie Manuel 3–1 Milwaukee Brewers Dale Sveum
2009 Los Angeles Dodgers Joe Torre 3–0 St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa
Philadelphia Phillies Charlie Manuel 3–1 Colorado Rockies Jim Tracy
2010 Philadelphia Phillies Charlie Manuel 3–0 Cincinnati Reds Dusty Baker
San Francisco Giants Bruce Bochy 3–1 Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox
2011 St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa 3–2 Philadelphia Phillies Charlie Manuel
Milwaukee Brewers Ron Roenicke 3–2 Arizona Diamondbacks Kirk Gibson
2012 San Francisco Giants Bruce Bochy 3–2 Cincinnati Reds Dusty Baker
St. Louis Cardinals Mike Matheny 3–2 Washington Nationals Davey Johnson
2013 St. Louis Cardinals Mike Matheny 3–2 Pittsburgh Pirates Clint Hurdle
Los Angeles Dodgers Don Mattingly 3–1 Atlanta Braves Fredi González
2014 St. Louis Cardinals Mike Matheny 3–1 Los Angeles Dodgers Don Mattingly
San Francisco Giants Bruce Bochy 3–1 Washington Nationals Matt Williams
2015 New York Mets Terry Collins 3–2 Los Angeles Dodgers Don Mattingly
Chicago Cubs Joe Maddon 3–1 St. Louis Cardinals Mike Matheny
2016 Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts 3–2 Washington Nationals Dusty Baker
Chicago Cubs Joe Maddon 3–1 San Francisco Giants Bruce Bochy
2017 Chicago Cubs Joe Maddon 3–2 Washington Nationals Dusty Baker
Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts 3–0 Arizona Diamondbacks Torey Lovullo
2018 Milwaukee Brewers Craig Counsell 3–0 Colorado Rockies Bud Black
Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts 3–1 Atlanta Braves Brian Snitker
2019 Washington Nationals Dave Martinez 3–2 Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts
St. Louis Cardinals Mike Shildt 3–2 Atlanta Braves Brian Snitker
2020 Atlanta Braves Brian Snitker 3–0 Miami Marlins Don Mattingly
Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts 3–0 San Diego Padres Jayce Tingler
2021 Atlanta Braves Brian Snitker 3–1 Milwaukee Brewers Craig Counsell
Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts 3–2 San Francisco Giants Gabe Kapler
2022 San Diego Padres Bob Melvin 3–1 Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts
Philadelphia Phillies Rob Thomson 3–1 Atlanta Braves Brian Snitker
2023 Philadelphia Phillies Rob Thomson 3–1 Atlanta Braves Brian Snitker
Arizona Diamondbacks Torey Lovullo 3–0 Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts
2024 Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts 3–2 San Diego Padres Mike Shildt
New York Mets Carlos Mendoza 3–1 Philadelphia Phillies Rob Thomson

Appearances by team

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Apps Team Wins Losses Win % Most recent
win
Most recent
appearance
Games
won
Games
lost
Game
win %
19 Atlanta Braves 8 11 .421 2021 2023 38 36 .514
19 Los Angeles Dodgers 10 9 .526 2024 2024 37 37 .500
14 St. Louis Cardinals 11 3 .786 2019 2019 36 20 .643
9 San Francisco Giants 4 5 .444 2014 2021 17 21 .447
9 Philadelphia Phillies 5 4 .556 2023 2024 20 16 .556
7 Houston Astros[a] 2 5 .286 2005 2005 10 18 .357
7 Chicago Cubs 4 3 .571 2017 2017 12 15 .444
7 Arizona Diamondbacks 3 4 .429 2023 2023 12 14 .462
7 San Diego Padres 2 5 .286 2022 2024 9 17 .346
6 Washington Nationals 2 4 .333 2019 2019 13 16 .448
5 New York Mets 5 0 1.000 2024 2024 15 5 .750
4 Colorado Rockies 1 3 .250 2007 2018 5 9 .357
4 Milwaukee Brewers 2 2 .500 2018 2021 8 8 .500
3 Cincinnati Reds 1 2 .333 1995 2012 5 6 .455
3 Miami Marlins 2 1 .667 2003 2020 6 4 .600
1 Pittsburgh Pirates 0 1 .000 Never 2013 2 3 .400

Years of appearance

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In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of wins, then by number of appearances, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning appearances.

Apps Team Wins Losses Win % Season(s)
14 St. Louis Cardinals 11 3 .786 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019
19 Los Angeles Dodgers 10 9 .526 1981, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
19 Atlanta Braves 8 11 .421 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
9 Philadelphia Phillies 5 4 .556 1981, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2022, 2023, 2024
5 New York Mets 5 0 1.000 1999, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2024
9 San Francisco Giants 4 5 .444 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021
7 Chicago Cubs 4 3 .571 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017
7 Arizona Diamondbacks 3 4 .429 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2017, 2023
7 Houston Astros[a] 2 5 .286 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005
7 San Diego Padres 2 5 .286 1996, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2020, 2022, 2024
6 Washington Nationals 2 4 .333 1981, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019
4 Milwaukee Brewers 2 2 .500 2008, 2011, 2018, 2021
3 Miami Marlins 2 1 .667 1997, 2003, 2020
4 Colorado Rockies 1 3 .250 1995, 2007, 2009, 2018
3 Cincinnati Reds 1 2 .333 1995, 2010, 2012
1 Pittsburgh Pirates 0 1 .000 2013

Frequent matchups

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Count Matchup Record Years
5 Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros Braves, 3–2 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005
3 San Diego Padres vs. St. Louis Cardinals Cardinals, 3–0 1996, 2005, 2006
3 St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Cardinals, 2–1 2004, 2009, 2014
3 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves Dodgers, 2–1 1996, 2013, 2018
3 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Dodgers, 2–1 2020, 2022, 2024
2 St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Tied, 1–1 2001, 2002
2 Florida Marlins vs. San Francisco Giants Marlins, 2–0 1997, 2003
2 Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves Tied, 1–1 1998, 2003
2 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies Tied, 1–1 2007, 2009
2 San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves Giants, 2–0 2002, 2010
2 New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Mets, 2–0 2006, 2015
2 St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves Cardinals, 2–0 2000, 2019
2 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals Tied, 1–1 2016, 2019
2 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Tied, 1–1 2017, 2023
2 Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies Phillies, 2–0 2022, 2023

NOTE: With the Houston Astros move to the American League at the conclusion of the 2012 season, the Braves vs. Astros series is not currently possible.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b The Houston Astros moved to the American League in 2013.

References

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  1. ^ "New MLB postseason format, explained". MLB.com.
  2. ^ Kepner, Tyler (2012-03-05). "For No. 1 Seeds, Road to Title Comes With Bumps". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  3. ^ Nate Silver, "Selig's Dream: The Wild Card as Enabler of Pennant Races," in Steven Goldman, Ed., It Ain't Over 'til It's Over (New York: Basic Books): 170-178.
  4. ^ Bloom, Barry M. (March 2, 2012). "Addition of Wild Card berths finalized for 2012". MLB.com.
  5. ^ "MLB to expand playoffs by two teams to 10". ESPN.com. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  6. ^ Rudnansky, Ryan. "MLB Playoff Format 2012: Explaining Wild Card, Divisional Series Changes & More". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  7. ^ Kepner, Tyler (2012-10-05). "In Wild-Card Play-In Game, It's Win or You're Out". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  8. ^ "New MLB postseason format, explained". MLB.com. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  9. ^ Kepner, Tyler (2022-10-06). "Baseball's Postseason Is Evolving, for Better or Worse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  10. ^ "Everything you need to know about '22 season". MLB.com. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  11. ^ 1984 NL Championship Series, Baseball-Reference.com
  12. ^ 1997 AL Division Series, Baseball-Reference.com
  13. ^ Gillette, Gary; Palmer, Pete, eds. (2006). "October Classics: Postseason Series and Playoffs". The 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 1656.
  14. ^ Sporting News (2012-03-02). "MLB expands playoff field to 10 teams with addition of two wild cards". Retrieved October 28, 2013.
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