<P> From 1969 through 1993 , division leaders in each league advanced to the League Championship Series , with the winners of each LCS meeting in the World Series . However , an expanding number of teams over the years made making the playoffs increasingly difficult . The new system was instituted in 1994 ( but first used in 1995 because a players strike canceled the 1994 playoffs ) when Major League Baseball expanded from two to three divisions per league . In the new three - division leagues , each league had four teams in the playoffs . In addition to the three division winners , a wild - card team made the playoffs as the fourth seed . This was the team with the most wins amongst non-division winners . The wild - card matchup was played in the first round between the League leader in wins and the wild - card team , unless both teams were in the same division , which resulted in the wild card facing the second - best division winner in the league . </P>
<P> From 1969 through 1993 , division leaders in each league advanced to the League Championship Series , with the winners of each LCS meeting in the World Series . However , an expanding number of teams over the years made making the playoffs increasingly difficult . The new system was instituted in 1994 ( but first used in 1995 because a players strike canceled the 1994 playoffs ) when Major League Baseball expanded from two to three divisions per league . In the new three - division leagues , each league had four teams in the playoffs . In addition to the three division winners , a wild - card team made the playoffs as the fourth seed . This was the team with the most wins amongst non-division winners . The wild - card matchup was played in the first round between the League leader in wins and the wild - card team , unless both teams were in the same division , which resulted in the wild card facing the second - best division winner in the league . </P>
when did the one game wild card start
when did the one game wild card start
1995
1995