NLDS and NLCS Playoffs
The National League Divisional Series (NLDS) and National League Championship Series (NLCS) have been brilliant spectacles in years past.
The NLDS, as most of you already know, determines which two National Major League Baseball teams will move forward to the NLCS. Brought about through the restructuring of Major League Baseball into three divisions (east, west and central), the NLCS was implemented in 1995 (1994 was cancelled due to 1994 MLB strike). Although the NLDS and NLCS are one of America’s favorite pastimes many of you would be surprised to know the large amount of people who are unaware of the process that goes into chosing teams.
Once a League determines the division winner with the highest percentage of wins in a series, that divison will then play the wild card team; the wildcard team is the fourth best team of the American League, also known as the best winning team that does not include the top three. The other two division winners go on to play each other. Once the two winners are identified from the wild card vs. highest record division winner and the other two division winners they will play a best-of-seven tournament. The caveat? If the wildcard team and highest standing division winner are from the same division then the wildcard team will play the second-best divison winners leaving the other two division winners to play against each other.
The playoff format, as of yet, follows a 2-2-1 lineup in which the highest seeds, a bracketing procedure that allows “fair” quarterfinal pairings, play games 1 and 2 at home. If games 3 and 4 are necessary the lowest seeds play at home and if game five is necessary the game proceeds on the higher seed’s turf. In years past the most frequent match-ups have been the Atlanta Braves vs. the Houston Astros, the San Diego Padres vs. the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.
The NLCS, or National League Championship Series, determines who goes on to the World Series. This tense, head to head competition is one of the most awaited attractions of the year for new and seasoned baseball fans alike. If you’ve watched an NLCS game in your stinkiest lucky socks then you know about the nail biting experience of a game. Could you imagine seeing something like that live? If you haven’t then you’re missing out on the adrenaline pumping action of a staple American Pastime. MLB tickets are in high demand but sell out pretty quickly so I’d get in on that before the season runs out.
The dry facts- The NLCS, like the ALCS, is played within a best-of-seven format following a 2-3-2 ratio since 1969. Before that year the NLCS was determined at the end of the season by the best of the win-loss record. Games 1,2,6 and 7 are played on the turf of the team with the best home field advantage and games 3,4 and 5 are played in the stadium of the team with the least home field advantage. You can find the results of the NLCS playoffs as of 1969 here.