the wild card started in baseball in 1995.
when did the wild card start in baseball?
1995
in major league baseball (mlb), wild-card playoff spots are given to the two teams in each league (four teams overall) with the best records among the non-division winners. the initial wild-card format was implemented after mlb expanded to 28 teams and realigned its two leagues to each have three divisions. since a three-team playoff would require one team to receive a bye, the wild card was created to allow a fourth team. the wild card has been in effect since 1995, although it was supposed to be used in 1994; the postseason was canceled due to the players' strike. in 2012, a second wild card was added to each league. the two wild card teams in each league face each other in a one-game playoff, with the winner facing the number 1 seed in the division series.
wild card (sports)
even though one of the stated purposes of the wild card game was to create disadvantages for wild card teams in the postseason, wild card game winners have won six of the first twelve division series played under the new format. of the best-of-five division series lost by wild card game winners, three lost in five games, two lost in four games, and only one team has been swept. the 2014 postseason featured the first series sweeps involving wild card game winners, but they were both in favor of the al wild card kansas city royals who swept both the los angeles angels of anaheim and the baltimore orioles en route to the second world series featuring both nl and al wild card game winners, with the san francisco giants defeating the royals in seven games. the first all wild card world series also involved the giants, but they were on the losing end, losing the 2002 world series to the then anaheim angels in seven games.
major league baseball wild card game