Explained: How many games are played in an MLB season
Major League Baseball is the oldest league in America with over 2,000 games played per season.
Spanning over six months and comprising roughly 2,500 games, the Major League Baseball (MLB) is one of, if not the most, demanding professional sports leagues in the world.
As of today, the MLB consists of 30 teams evenly divided between the American League and the National League. Each league is further subdivided into three divisions - East, Central and West - with five clubs apiece.
Each team plays 162 games during the regular season, which lasts for around six months. They compete in 13 games each against the other four teams in their division, six games against each of six chosen opponents in their league and seven games apiece against another four opponents from the same league, totaling 116 games.
The remaining 46 of the 162 games will be interleague matchups against teams in the other league. These include three games each against 14 different opponents and one four-game series against a designated interleague MLB rival.
Overall, the 30 teams play a staggering 2,430 total matches in the regular MLB season, excluding postseason or playoff matches.
However, weather or unforeseen circumstances may cause some games being cancelled, which can result in some teams playing fewer than the designated 162 games. Additionally, there’s also provision for extra tie-breaking games to determine qualification for the postseason if more than two teams are tied after the regular season.
How many games in MLB postseason
As per the format in MLB 2024, six teams from each of the two leagues qualify for the postseason. This includes three division winners and three wildcard teams - the sides with the best win:loss ratio besides the division winners.
The division winner with the best record in the regular season and the second-best division winner is seeded first and second, respectively, for each league bracket. The top two seeds skip the Wild Card Series and go straight to the Division Series.
The other four teams fight it out through a three-game Wild Card series and winners qualify for the best-of-five Division Series. If a team takes an unassailable lead, like a 2-0 lead in a three-game series, at any point, the series ends.
The two Division Series winners play in the League Championships Series. The two league champions then play in the World Series for the MLB title. Both the League Championships Series and World Series are played in a best-of-seven format.
The MLB postseason can include between 32 to 53 games.