Matthew Mathias

Sports Editor

mcm5909@psu.edu

Major League Baseball is quickly reaching the end of it’s 2021 season. Playoffs are right around the corner, as the regular season is set to end on the third of October while the official wild card playoff matchups begin on the fifth of October. Fans are ready for playoff baseball once again, but the format is once again different than it was over the 2020 season.

The 2020 MLB season was limited heavily due to Covid-19. In fact, the season was shortened from a standard 162 game season to a mere 60 game season. To give the most number of teams a legitimate competitive chance, the league expanded the playoffs to a 16-team format, which was unheard of at the time. However, this season, the MLB is returning to its standard 10-team playoff format. There will be five teams from both the American League and the National League.

As it stands, the six teams that won their respective division are slated to advance straight to the League Division Series with a first round bye. The other teams remaining, are set to play in a winner-take-all wildcard game. The first round after wildcard matchups will be a best of five series with the National League and American League championship games being a best of seven. The World Series will follow suit and also be a best of seven matchup.