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thumb | right | alt=Atlanta Braves outfielder Rick Ankiel after hitting a home run during Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, giving the Braves the winning run 5-4 in extra innings. | Atlanta Braves outfielder Rick Ankiel after hitting a home run during Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, giving the Braves the winning run 5-4 in extra innings.
The Division Series (DS) is the quarterfinal round of postseason play in Major League Baseball, featuring the American League Division Series (ALDS) and the National League Division Series (NLDS). Under the current format, the top-two division winners in each league play best-of-five series against the two winners of the Wild Card Series from each league. The winners of the Division Series then advance to the League Championship Series for their respective league.
History
1981 season
The first use of the term "Division Series" dates to 1981, when, due to a mid-season players' strike, the season was divided into two halves. To attempt to balance the two halves of the season, the postseason was temporarily expanded to include a Division Series, with the winners of the first and second half from each division (East and West at the time) playing one another in a best-of-five series to decide which team would represent that division in the League Championship Series (this format being common in Minor League Baseball).
The temporary format did come without flaws, however. One flaw was that, because the two halves of the season were independent of one another, the winner of the first half had no real incentive to try to win the second half as well. Even if one team finished first in their division in both halves, they would not receive a bye for the round, and would instead have to play the Division Series against the team that finished in second place for the second half.
In addition, a team that finished with the best overall record in the division over the course of both halves of the season could still miss the playoffs if they failed to place first in their division at the end of either half of the season. This was the case for the Cincinnati Reds, who posted a 66–42 overall record, the best over both halves in the National League West division, yet they missed the playoffs because they were in second place at the end of both the first and second half. The St. Louis Cardinals also suffered this same result, as they finished with a 59–43 record over both halves of the season, but were in second place in the National League East division at the end of each half.
The Division Series did not return after the 1981 season, as the league reverted back to its normal postseason format at the time.
1995–2011
In 1993, owners approved the reintroduction of the Division Series, this time on a permanent basis. A cause for the expansion was the fact that three of the four series in the one-off 1981 Division Series went to a decisive game 5. Originally, the new format called for the first-place teams in the two divisions per league to play the second-place teams in the opposite divisions of that league. For example, the first-place team in the American League East would play the second-place team in the American League West, and vice versa.
In 1994, both the National League and the American League realigned, with the number of divisions in both increasing from two to three (adding a Central Division, with fewer teams in each division). The plan for the new format was altered to allow the three first-place teams from each league's divisions to reach the postseason, along with one wild card team from each league (the best second-place finisher in each league). The new format was intended to debut that season, but it was delayed when the 1994 postseason was canceled due to a players' strike, and it instead debuted with the 1995 postseason.
Originally, the East, Central, and West Division champions rotated home-site priority, with two division winners getting an extra home game, and the third one not having the extra game along with the wild card team, who never had it. The 2–3 format was used in which the disadvantaged team hosted the first two games, and the team with the advantage hosted the remaining game(s). This made it impossible for the disadvantaged team to clinch the series at home. A similar format had been used for the League Championship Series from 1969 to 1984. It also allowed the disadvantaged teams the unusual luxury of starting a series at home, and a guarantee that they play two games at home, whereas the advantaged team may play only one game at home if the series ends in a three-game sweep.
In 1998, the method for awarding home-field advantage was changed. The two division champions with the best regular-season records were given home-field advantage, forcing the worst division winner to play an extra road game. Also, the format changed to a 2–2–1 layout, with the team having home-field advantage hosting games 1, 2, and (if necessary) 5. In both the AL and NL, the three division champions were automatically given the top three seeds, seeded 1–3 based on record, and the wild-card was given the 4th seed regardless of record. In both the AL and the NL, the #1 seed played the #4 seed and the #2 seed played the #3 seed, unless the #1 and #4 seed were in the same division. Because teams from the same division could not play each other in the first round, if the normal matchups would cause this, then the #1 seed played the #3 seed, and the #2 seed played the #4 seed. In all cases, the top two seeds had home-field advantage.
From 2007 to 2011, the #1 seed of the league that won the All-Star Game was given another advantage. In addition to earning home-field advantage throughout the entire playoffs, they were allowed to choose their schedule for the series. They could either choose to have an extra day off (usually between games 1 and 2) during the series and start a day early, or start a day late, with one less off day (only having travel days off, between games 2 and 3, and if necessary 4 and 5). The American League's best record received this option from 2007–2009 and the National League's best record received it in 2010.
2012–2019, 2021
A revised playoff system was utilized beginning with the 2012 season, which added a second wild-card team for each league. The two wild card teams in each league played a one-game playoff to advance. The winner of this game advanced to play the #1 seed in the league in the Division Series, regardless of whether the two teams were in the same division. Because the format was added well after the regular season schedule was announced, the 2012 Division Series used a 2–3 format. From 2013 to 2021, the Division Series used the 2–2–1 format previously used.
2020
The 2020 postseason was modified from its usual format due to the temporary expansion of the playoffs for the 60-game regular season. After a best-of-three, 8-team Wild Card Series, the winners of the 1 vs. 8 matchup faced the winners of the #4 vs. #5 matchup while the #2 vs. #7 faced the #3 vs. #6. Each of the four matchups were played in consecutive days at neutral sites, with the usual 2–2–1 structure used to determine the designated home teams. When every team from the two Central Divisions were eliminated in the Wild Card Series, it meant that all four Division Series matchups would feature teams from the same division playing each other (i.e. East playing East and West playing West), the first occasion of this happening since 1981.
2022–present
With the expansion of the postseason to six teams per league since the season, only the two best division winners earn byes to the Division Series. The Wild Card Series was reinstated as a best-of-three series featuring the third-best division winner and three wild card teams, with the two winners of that round advancing to the Division Series. In this round, the #1 seed faces the #4 vs. #5 winner, and the #2 seed plays the #3 vs. #6 winner; the bracket does not re-seed.
==Criticism of scheduling==<!-- This section is linked from American League Division Series -->
There has been some criticism on how Major League Baseball schedules Division Series games. Teams with large national fan followings like the New York Yankees are almost always scheduled to play in prime time at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT to generate the highest television ratings. As a result, West Coast teams generally have to play on the road in the afternoon, when many of their fans are unable to watch the game because they are at work or school. Conversely, when games on the West Coast are played at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, many fans on the East Coast are unable to watch a game in its entirety, due to work or school the next day and games ending around 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, while most West Coast fans are able to watch the entire game as it will not end as late on the West Coast.
However, in 1995, (as aforementioned, the 1994 series was not played due to the strike), the Division and League Championship Series was aired by the league's television operation, The Baseball Network, a joint syndication package between ABC and NBC. In order to increase viewership, all games were played in prime time at consistent times, and each affiliate of the network carrying the series could only air one of the games each night, determined by the station's area. While this prevented the issue of afternoon games (and did, as planned, increase viewership), the plan drew ire from critics for not allowing viewers to choose the games they want to watch during the postseason.
Results
American League Division Series
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
|+Key
!scope="row"|
|Wild card
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Winning team
! scope="col" | Manager
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Games
! scope="col" | Losing team
! scope="col" | Manager
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 1981
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Milwaukee Brewers ||
|-
| Oakland Athletics ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Kansas City Royals ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1994
| colspan="5" align="center" |No series due to a players' strike.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 1995
| Cleveland Indians ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Boston Red Sox ||
|-
| Seattle Mariners ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| New York Yankees ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 1996
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Texas Rangers ||
|-
| Baltimore Orioles ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Cleveland Indians ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 1997
| Baltimore Orioles ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Seattle Mariners ||
|-
| Cleveland Indians ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| New York Yankees ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 1998
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Texas Rangers ||
|-
| Cleveland Indians ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Boston Red Sox ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 1999
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Texas Rangers ||
|-
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Cleveland Indians ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2000
| Seattle Mariners ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Chicago White Sox ||
|-
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Oakland Athletics ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2001
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Oakland Athletics ||
|-
| Seattle Mariners ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Cleveland Indians ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2002
| Minnesota Twins ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Oakland Athletics ||
|-
| Anaheim Angels ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| New York Yankees ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2003
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Minnesota Twins ||
|-
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Oakland Athletics ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2004
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Minnesota Twins ||
|-
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Anaheim Angels ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2005
| Chicago White Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Boston Red Sox ||
|-
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| New York Yankees ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2006
| Detroit Tigers ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| New York Yankees ||
|-
| Oakland Athletics ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Minnesota Twins ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2007
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ||
|-
| Cleveland Indians ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| New York Yankees ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2008
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ||
|-
| Tampa Bay Rays ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Chicago White Sox ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2009
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Minnesota Twins ||
|-
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Boston Red Sox ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2010
| Texas Rangers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Tampa Bay Rays ||
|-
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Minnesota Twins ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2011
| Texas Rangers ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Tampa Bay Rays ||
|-
| Detroit Tigers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| New York Yankees ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2012
| Detroit Tigers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Oakland Athletics ||
|-
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Baltimore Orioles ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2013
| Detroit Tigers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Oakland Athletics ||
|-
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Tampa Bay Rays ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2014
| Baltimore Orioles ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Detroit Tigers ||
|-
| Kansas City Royals ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2015
| Toronto Blue Jays ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Texas Rangers ||
|-
| Kansas City Royals ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Houston Astros ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2016
| Cleveland Indians ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Boston Red Sox ||
|-
| Toronto Blue Jays ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Texas Rangers ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2017
| Houston Astros ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Boston Red Sox ||
|-
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Cleveland Indians ||
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 2018
| Houston Astros ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Cleveland Indians ||
|-
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| New York Yankees ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2019
| New York Yankees ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Minnesota Twins ||
|-
| Houston Astros ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Tampa Bay Rays ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2020
| Tampa Bay Rays ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| New York Yankees ||
|-
| Houston Astros ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Oakland Athletics ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2021
| Boston Red Sox ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Tampa Bay Rays ||
|-
| Houston Astros ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Chicago White Sox ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2022
| Houston Astros || || align="center"| 3–0 || Seattle Mariners ||
|-
| New York Yankees || || align="center"| 3–2 || Cleveland Guardians ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2023
| Texas Rangers || || align="center"| 3–0 || Baltimore Orioles ||
|-
| Houston Astros || || align="center"| 3–1 || Minnesota Twins ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2024
| New York Yankees || || align="center"|3–1 || Kansas City Royals ||
|-
| Cleveland Guardians || || align="center"|3–2 || Detroit Tigers ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2025
| Toronto Blue Jays || || align="center"|3–1 || New York Yankees ||
|-
|Seattle Mariners
|
|align="center"|3–2
|Detroit Tigers
|
|}
Notable streaks
- The Houston Astros advanced out of the ALDS in seven consecutive seasons (2017–2023), reaching the ALCS each year in that span.
Appearances by team
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
!Apps
!Team
!Wins
!Losses
!Win %
!Most recent<br />win
!Most recent<br />appearance
!Games<br />won
!Games<br />lost
!Game<br />win %
|-
||25|| style="text-align:left;" |New York Yankees||15||10||||2024||2025||59||44||
|-
||14|| style="text-align:left;" |Boston Red Sox||8||6||||2021||2021||26||26||
|-
||12|| style="text-align:left;" |Cleveland Guardians||6||6||||2024||2024||27||24||
|-
||9|| style="text-align:left;" |Athletics||2||7||||2006||2020||19||21||
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Houston Astros||7||1||||2023||2023||23||9||
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Texas Rangers||3||5||||2023||2023||12||18||
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Minnesota Twins||1||7||||2002||2023||6||23||
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Los Angeles Angels||3||4||||2009||2014||10||15||
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Detroit Tigers||4||2||||2013||2025||16||16||
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Tampa Bay Rays||2||5||||2020||2021||13||18||
|-
||6|| style="text-align:left;" |Seattle Mariners||4||2||||2025||2025||13||12||
|-
||5|| style="text-align:left;" |Baltimore Orioles||3||2||||2014||2023||11||8||
|-
||4|| style="text-align:left;" |Chicago White Sox||1||3||||2005||2021||5||9||
|-
||4|| style="text-align:left;" |Kansas City Royals||2||2||||2015||2024||7||8||
|-
||3|| style="text-align:left;" |Toronto Blue Jays||3||0||||2025||2025||7||2||
|-
||1|| style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee Brewers||0||1||||Never||1981||2||3||
|}
Years of appearance
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.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
!scope="col"|
!scope="col"|Team
!scope="col"|Wins
!scope="col"|Losses
!scope="col"|Win %
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Season(s)
|-
||25|| style="text-align:left;" |New York Yankees||15||10|||| align="left" | 1981, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025
|-
||14|| style="text-align:left;" |Boston Red Sox||8||6|||| align="left" | 1995, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Houston Astros||7||1|||| align="left" | 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
|-
||12|| style="text-align:left;" |Cleveland Guardians||6||6|||| align="left" | 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Detroit Tigers||4||3|||| align="left" | 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2024, 2025
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Texas Rangers||3||5|||| align="left" | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2023
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Los Angeles Angels||3||4|||| align="left" | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014
|-
||6|| style="text-align:left;" |Seattle Mariners||4||2|||| align="left" | 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2022, 2025
|-
||5|| style="text-align:left;" |Baltimore Orioles||3||2|||| align="left" | 1996, 1997, 2012, 2014, 2023
|-
||9|| style="text-align:left;" |Athletics||2||7|||| align="left" | 1981, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2020
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Tampa Bay Rays||2||5|||| align="left" | 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020, 2021
|-
||4|| style="text-align:left;" |Kansas City Royals||2||2|||| align="left" | 1981, 2014, 2015, 2024
|-
||3|| style="text-align:left;" |Toronto Blue Jays||3||0|||| align="left" | 2015, 2016, 2025
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Minnesota Twins||1||7|||| align="left" | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2023
|-
||4|| style="text-align:left;" |Chicago White Sox||1||3|||| align="left" | 2000, 2005, 2008, 2021
|-
||1|| style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee Brewers ||0||1|||| align="left" | 1981
|}
Frequent matchups
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
|-
! Count
! Matchup
! Record
! Years
|-
|align="center"| 5
| New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
| Yankees, 5–0
| 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2019
|-
|align="center"| 4
| Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels
| Red Sox, 3–1
| 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009
|-
|align="center"| 4
| Cleveland Guardians vs. Boston Red Sox
| Indians/Guardians, 3–1
| 1995, 1998, 1999, 2016
|-
|align="center"| 4
| Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees
| Tied, 2–2
| 1997, 2007, 2017, 2022
|-
|align="center"| 3
| Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees
| Yankees, 3–0
| 1996, 1998, 1999
|-
|align="center"| 2
| New York Yankees vs. Athletics
| Yankees, 2–0
| 2000, 2001
|-
|align="center"| 2
| New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels
| Angels, 2–0
| 2002, 2005
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
| Rangers, 2–0
| 2010, 2011
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins
| Tied, 1–1
| 2002, 2006
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees
| Tigers, 2–0
| 2006, 2011
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Detroit Tigers vs. Athletics
| Tigers, 2–0
| 2012, 2013
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays
| Blue Jays, 2–0
| 2015, 2016
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
| Red Sox, 2–0
| 2013, 2021
|}
National League Division Series
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
|+Key
!scope="row"|
|Wild card
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Winning team
! scope="col" | Manager
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Games
! scope="col" | Losing team
! scope="col" | Manager
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 1981
| Montreal Expos ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Philadelphia Phillies ||
|-
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Houston Astros ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1994
| colspan="5" align="center" |No Series due to a players' strike.
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 1995
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Colorado Rockies ||
|-
| Cincinnati Reds ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 1996
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| San Diego Padres ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 1997
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Houston Astros ||
|-
| Florida Marlins ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| San Francisco Giants ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 1998
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Chicago Cubs ||
|-
| San Diego Padres ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Houston Astros ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 1999
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Houston Astros ||
|-
| New York Mets ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Arizona Diamondbacks ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2000
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
| New York Mets ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| San Francisco Giants ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2001
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Houston Astros ||
|-
| Arizona Diamondbacks ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2002
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Arizona Diamondbacks ||
|-
| San Francisco Giants ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2003
| Chicago Cubs ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
| Florida Marlins ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| San Francisco Giants ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2004
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
| Houston Astros ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2005
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| San Diego Padres ||
|-
| Houston Astros ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2006
| New York Mets ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| San Diego Padres ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2007
| Colorado Rockies ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Philadelphia Phillies ||
|-
| Arizona Diamondbacks ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Chicago Cubs ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2008
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Chicago Cubs ||
|-
| Philadelphia Phillies ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Milwaukee Brewers ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2009
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|-
| Philadelphia Phillies ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Colorado Rockies ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2010
| Philadelphia Phillies ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Cincinnati Reds ||
|-
| San Francisco Giants ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2011
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Philadelphia Phillies ||
|-
| Milwaukee Brewers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Arizona Diamondbacks ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2012
| San Francisco Giants ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Cincinnati Reds ||
|-
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Washington Nationals ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2013
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Pittsburgh Pirates ||
|-
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2014
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
| San Francisco Giants ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Washington Nationals ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2015
| New York Mets ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
| Chicago Cubs ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2016
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Washington Nationals ||
|-
| Chicago Cubs ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| San Francisco Giants ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2017
| Chicago Cubs ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Washington Nationals ||
|-
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Arizona Diamondbacks ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2018
| Milwaukee Brewers ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Colorado Rockies ||
|-
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2019
| Washington Nationals ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
| St. Louis Cardinals ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2020
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| Miami Marlins ||
|-
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–0
| San Diego Padres ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2021
| Atlanta Braves ||
|align="center"| 3–1
| Milwaukee Brewers ||
|-
| Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|align="center"| 3–2
| San Francisco Giants ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2022
| San Diego Padres || ||align="center"|3–1 || Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
|Philadelphia Phillies || ||align="center"|3–1 || Atlanta Braves ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2023
| Philadelphia Phillies || || align=center|3–1 || Atlanta Braves ||
|-
| Arizona Diamondbacks || || align=center|3–0 || Los Angeles Dodgers ||
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"| 2024
| Los Angeles Dodgers || || align=center|3–2 || San Diego Padres ||
|-
| New York Mets || || align=center|3–1 || Philadelphia Phillies ||
|-
! rowspan="2" |2025
| Milwaukee Brewers || || align="center" |3-2 || Chicago Cubs ||
|-
| Los Angeles Dodgers || || align="center" |3–1 || Philadelphia Phillies ||
|}
Appearances by team
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
!Apps
!Team
!Wins
!Losses
!Win %
!Most recent<br>win
!Most recent<br>appearance
!Games<br>won
!Games<br>lost
!Game<br>win %
|-
||20|| style="text-align:left;" |Los Angeles Dodgers||11||9||||2025||2025||40||38||
|-
||19|| style="text-align:left;" |Atlanta Braves||8||11||||2021||2023||38||36||
|-
||14|| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis Cardinals||11||3||||2019||2019||36||20||
|-
||10|| style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia Phillies||5||5||||2023||2025||21||19||
|-
||9|| style="text-align:left;" |San Francisco Giants||4||5||||2014||2021||17||21||
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Chicago Cubs||4||4||||2017||2025||12||16||
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Houston Astros||2||5||||2005||2005||10||18||
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Arizona Diamondbacks||3||4||||2023||2023||12||14||
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |San Diego Padres||2||5||||2022||2024||9||17||
|-
||6|| style="text-align:left;" |Washington Nationals||2||4||||2019||2019||13||16||
|-
||5|| style="text-align:left;" |New York Mets||5||0||||2024||2024||15||5||
|-
||5|| style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee Brewers||3||2||||2025||2025||11||10||
|-
||4|| style="text-align:left;" |Colorado Rockies||1||3||||2007||2018||5||9||
|-
||3|| style="text-align:left;" |Cincinnati Reds||1||2||||1995||2012||5||6||
|-
||3|| style="text-align:left;" |Miami Marlins||2||1||||2003||2020||6||4||
|-
||1|| style="text-align:left;" |Pittsburgh Pirates||0||1||||Never||2013||2||3||
|}
Years of appearance
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.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
!scope="col"|
!scope="col"|Team
!scope="col"|Wins
!scope="col"|Losses
!scope="col"|Win %
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Season(s)
|-
||14|| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis Cardinals||11||3|||| align="left" | 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019
|-
||20|| style="text-align:left;" |Los Angeles Dodgers||11||9|||| align="left" | 1981, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
|-
||19|| style="text-align:left;" |Atlanta Braves||8||11|||| align="left" | 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
|-
||10|| style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia Phillies||5||5|||| align="left" | 1981, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
|-
||5|| style="text-align:left;" |New York Mets||5||0|||| align="left" | 1999, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2024
|-
||9|| style="text-align:left;" |San Francisco Giants||4||5|||| align="left" | 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021
|-
||8|| style="text-align:left;" |Chicago Cubs||4||4|||| align="left" | 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2025
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Arizona Diamondbacks||3||4|||| align="left" | 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2017, 2023
|-
||5|| style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee Brewers||3||2|||| align="left" | 2008, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2025
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |Houston Astros ||2||5|||| align="left" | 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005
|-
||7|| style="text-align:left;" |San Diego Padres||2||5|||| align="left" | 1996, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2020, 2022, 2024
|-
||6|| style="text-align:left;" |Washington Nationals||2||4|||| align="left" | 1981, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019
|-
||3|| style="text-align:left;" |Miami Marlins||2||1|||| align="left" | 1997, 2003, 2020
|-
||4|| style="text-align:left;" |Colorado Rockies||1||3|||| align="left" | 1995, 2007, 2009, 2018
|-
||3|| style="text-align:left;" |Cincinnati Reds||1||2|||| align="left" | 1995, 2010, 2012
|-
||1|| style="text-align:left;" |Pittsburgh Pirates||0||1|||| align="left" | 2013
|}
Frequent matchups
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"
! Count
! Matchup
! Record
! Years
|-
|align="center"| 5
| Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros
| Braves, 3–2
| 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005
|-
|align="center"| 3
| San Diego Padres vs. St. Louis Cardinals
| Cardinals, 3–0
| 1996, 2005, 2006
|-
|align="center"| 3
| St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
| Cardinals, 2–1
| 2004, 2009, 2014
|-
|align="center"| 3
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves
| Dodgers, 2–1
| 1996, 2013, 2018
|-
|align="center"| 3
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres
|Dodgers, 2–1
| 2020, 2022, 2024
|-
|align="center"| 2
| St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
| Tied, 1–1
| 2001, 2002
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Florida Marlins vs. San Francisco Giants
| Marlins, 2–0
| 1997, 2003
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves
| Tied, 1–1
| 1998, 2003
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
| Tied, 1–1
| 2007, 2009
|-
|align="center"| 2
| San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves
| Giants, 2–0
| 2002, 2010
|-
|align="center"| 2
| New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
| Mets, 2–0
| 2006, 2015
|-
|align="center"| 2
| St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves
|Cardinals, 2–0
| 2000, 2019
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals
|Tied, 1–1
| 2016, 2019
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
|Tied, 1–1
| 2017, 2023
|-
|align="center"| 2
| Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies
|Phillies, 2–0
| 2022, 2023
|}
See also
- MLB postseason
- MLB division winners
- Wild Card Series
- League Championship Series
Notes
References
External links
- Top 7 :: Division Series Moments