Here's how the Major League Baseball playoffs work:
What is the MLB playoff format in 2023?
The top two seeds in each league get first-round byes, while the division winner with the worst record is relegated to the Wild Card Round — albeit with all games at home.
September 15, 2023 at 2:38AM
Six teams from each league — the three division winners and three wild card teams — advance.
The division winners are the top three seeds, by record. The top two seeds get first round byes.
The third division winners, the No. 3 seeds, are in the wild-card series with the wild-card teams, also seeded by record.
The wild-card series are best-of-three, with all games at the site of the higher seed. No. 3 plays host to No. 6, and No. 4 plays host to No. 5. The games are scheduled for October 3-5.
Winners advance to the Division Series, and there is no reseeding. The No. 1 seed plays the winner of the No. 4-5 wild-card series, and the No. 2 seed plays No 3 or No. 6.
The Division Series are best-of-five, with No. 1 and 2 seeds playing host to Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, 5. Those games are scheduled to begin Oct. 7.
Division Series winners advance to the best-of-seven League Championship Series. The higher seed plays host to Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, 6 and 7. The ALCS is set to start Oct. 15, the NLCS on Oct. 16.
The AL and NL champions play in the World Series, where the team with the best record is home for Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, 6 and 7. The World Series is scheduled to start Oct. 27 and could run as late as Nov. 4.
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is arguably their best player and easily their most expensive one. He’s frequently injured and a payroll-strapped team is up for sale. It feels like the Twins can’t afford to keep Correa, but the same is true of losing him.
