Standings
Season 2025 stat leaders.
Clinch Status
How the Regular Season Works
Duration and Number of Games
Each team plays 162 games in the regular season.
The season typically runs from late March/early April to the end of September.
Team and League Division
MLB is divided into two leagues: American League (AL) and National League (NL).
Each league has 3 divisions: East, Central, and West.
Each division contains 5 teams.
Game Distribution
Teams play more games against opponents in their own division.
They also play against teams from other divisions within the same league.
There are also a few games against teams from the other league, called 'interleague games'.
Objective of the Regular Season
The goal is to win as many games as possible to qualify for the playoffs.
Division champions (teams with the most wins in each division) secure an automatic spot.
The Wild Cards are the 3 best teams that did not win their division in each league.
Important Statistics
Wins and Losses: Determines who is best in the division.
Games Behind (GB): How many games a team is behind the division leader.
Streak: Current series of wins or losses.
ERA, OBP, OPS: Individual stats that help analyze players.
End of the Regular Season
At the end of September, the final standings are set.
The 3 division champions + 3 Wild Cards from each league advance to the playoffs, which begin in October.
How the MLB Playoffs Work
What are the Playoffs?
The MLB playoffs, also called the postseason, is the knockout tournament held after the regular season to determine the league champion.
Who Qualifies?
12 teams participate in total: 6 from the American League (AL) and 6 from the National League (NL).
Qualification is based on: 3 Division Winners from each league (East, Central, and West) and 3 Wild Card teams (the three best non-division winners in each league).
Wild Card Series
(Best-of-3 games)
The lowest-ranked division winner faces the last Wild Card team.
The other two Wild Card teams play each other.
The top 2 division winners in each league get a bye and advance directly.
Division Series (DS)
(Best-of-5 games)
The top-seeded division winner plays the winner of the Wild Card series between the #4 and #5 seeds.
The second-best division winner faces the winner of the other Wild Card series.
Championship Series (CS)
(Best-of-7 games)
The winners of the Division Series in each league face off.
The winner is crowned the league champion (AL or NL).
World Series
(Best-of-7 games)
American League Champion vs. National League Champion.
The winner is the grand champion of Major League Baseball. 🏆
How to Follow the Playoffs
Schedule and Bracket
Stay tuned to the Standings page right here in the app! During the postseason, it will be updated with the playoff bracket.
Game dates, times, and matchups will be available as soon as they are defined.
Live Broadcasts
Playoff games are broadcast nationally and internationally. Check your local TV listings for channels like ESPN, Fox, FS1, and TBS in the US.
MLB.TV is the official streaming service and offers live broadcasts of most games (blackout restrictions may apply).
In This App
Follow every game live right here on the Home page, with real-time score updates, play-by-play, and community chat.
Don't miss the video highlights for every game, available shortly after they conclude.