October baseball is nearing.
The final day of the 2024 MLB regular season is less than two weeks away as the playoff push kicks into high-gear.
Between now and the last day of the regular season, a dozen clubs will officially book a trip to the postseason for a chance to compete for this year's World Series title.
As the playoff field takes shape, here's everything you need to know about the postseason:
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
How many games are in an MLB season?
The MLB regular season sees each team play 162 games.
MLB
When does the MLB season end?
The final day of the 2024 regular season is Sunday, Sept. 29.
When do the MLB playoffs start?
Just two days after the regular season wraps up, the postseason will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
How many teams make the MLB playoffs?
A total of 12 teams -- six from each league -- make the postseason.
How many wild cards are in the MLB playoffs?
The playoff field in each league consists of three division winners and three wild-card teams.
What teams have made the MLB playoffs so far?
The Milwaukee Brewers won the NL Central for a third time in four years, becoming the first team to qualify for the 2024 playoffs.
How do the MLB playoffs work?
The MLB playoff format seeds teams 1-6 in each league, with the three division winners making up the top three seeds followed by the three wild-card teams. The top two seeds in each league receive a bye to the Division Series.
The remaining four teams in each league compete in a best-of-three Wild Card Series where the higher-seeded team has home-field advantage for all three games. The matchups are No. 3 vs. No. 6 (third-best division winner vs. third-best wild-card team) and No. 4 vs. No. 5 (best wild-card team vs. second-best wild-card team).
Do the MLB playoffs reseed?
There is no reseeding in the MLB playoffs, meaning the top seed in each league will face the winner of the 4-5 matchup in the Division Series, while the No. 2 seed draws the winner of the 3-6 matchup.
How many games are in an MLB playoff series?
The Wild Card Series has a best-of-three format where the higher seed hosts all three games. The Division Series is best of five with a 2-2-1 format where the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5.
Both the League Championship Series and the World Series have a best-of-seven, 2-3-2 format where the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 6 and 7.
What's the MLB playoff schedule?
Here's a breakdown of the tentative dates for the first three rounds of the postseason:
Wild Card Series: Oct. 1-3
Division Series: Oct. 5-12
League Championship Series: Oct. 13-22
When does the World Series start?
The World Series begins on Friday, Oct. 25 and a potential Game 7 is slated for Saturday, Nov. 2.
