MLB Schedules

MLB Regular Season Schedule

The MLB regular season normally begins in late March or early April and always ends in the last week of September. The MLB regular season schedule consists of 162 games and some pundits believe the season is too long but that format has been used since 1962 and it’s unlikely to see the schedule contract or expand in the future. During the six-month MLB regular season schedule, games are played on every day of the week and it’s safe to say that teams will play at least a quarter of their schedule in the afternoon.

The MLB regular season schedule isn’t completely balanced but most teams follow the below:

• Divisional Games – 76
• League Games - 66
• Interleague – 20

Every MLB club plays 19 games with every team in their division, with either 10 or 9 played at home on the road. That rotation is alternated for each season. Since you have four teams in each division, there are a total of 76 outcomes (19x4).

The MLB Regular Season Schedule also has teams playing within their league, either the American or National League. There are five teams in each division so that means a total of 33 games versus the two other groups in the league. Of those 33 games, each team will play three times seven times while six games against two other clubs.

The MLB Regular Season Schedule introduced Interleague play in 1997 as a way to boost the fanbase for the league. It pits American League against National League teams and gave fans a chance to see teams they normally didn’t see. Currently, teams play 20 interleague games.

During July, the MLB produces an All-Star Game which is known as the “Summer Classic.” This exhibition between top players from the AL and NL play at a neutral venue where they showcase their skills to the fans. Even though the league takes off during and before the exhibition, bettors can still wager on this game plus the popular Home Run Derby at All-Star weekend.

MLB Wild Card Schedule

The last day of the MLB Regular Season schedule always ends on a Sunday and the playoffs begin in the following week. A total of 10 teams will make the MLB Playoffs and the four teams that qualified as Wild Card teams will play on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The MLB Wild Card Schedule alternates with the National League and American League flip-flopping days. Sometimes, the league will have a play-in game on Monday before the Wild Card schedule and that could happen if there is a tie at the end of the season in the standings.

The winners from the MLB Wild Card schedule games will advance to the Divisional Round while the losers are eliminated.

MLB Playoffs Schedule

The MLB playoffs begin shortly after the regular season ends, normally in October and they run through the final week of the month with the World Series. A total of 10 teams make the playoffs and they’re four rounds if you include the Wild Card games.

• Wild Card – Two Games (4 teams)
• Divisional Series – Four Series (8 teams)
• Championship Series – Two Series (4 teams)
• World Series (2 teams)

The Divisional Series is a best-of-five matchup while the Championship Series and World Series are best-of-seven series. Ultimately, a team will have to win a minimum of 11 games in the playoffs to become champions and sometimes 12 if the club enters the postseason as a Wild Card club.