In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consist of two best-of-five series, featuring the three division winners and a wild-card team.

History[link]

The Division Series was implemented in 1981 as a result of a midseason strike with first place teams before the strike taking on the first place teams after. After 1993, it was implemented for good when Major League Baseball restructured each league into three divisions, but their next playing was in 1995 due to the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs. Previously, because of a players' strike in 1981, a split-season format forced a divisional playoff series, in which the Montreal Expos won the Eastern Division series over the Philadelphia Phillies three games to two while the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros three games to two in the Western Division. The team with the best overall record in the major leagues, the Cincinnati Reds, failed to win their division in either half of that season and were controversially excluded, as were the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished with the NL's second-best record. The Atlanta Braves have currently played in the most NL division series with eleven appearances. One team has yet to play in an NL division series, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Washington Nationals also have only appeared as the Montreal Expos.

Format[link]

From 1998 to 2011, the wild-card team has been assigned to play the division winner with the best winning percentage (outside of their own division) in one series, and the other two division winners meet in the other series. However, if the wild-card team and the division winner with the best record are from the same division, the wild-card team plays the division winner with the second-best record, and the remaining two division leaders play. Beginning with the 2012 season, the wild card team that advances to the Division Series will face the number 1 seed, regardless of whether or not they are in the same division. The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven NLCS. The winner of the wild card has won the first round 7 out of the 11 years since the re-alignment and creation of the NLDS. According to Nate Silver, the advent of this playoff series, and especially of the wild card, has caused teams to focus more on "getting to the playoffs" rather than "winning the pennant" as the primary goal of the regular season.^[1]

The Division Series follows a 2-2-1 format.^[2] The higher seed plays at home in Games 1 and 2. The lower seed plays at home in Game 3 and Game 4 (if necessary). If a Game 5 is needed, the teams return to the higher seed's field.

Historically, MLB had also used a 2-3 format in a best-of-5 series, but it is rarely used.^[3][4] When MLB adopted the addition of a second wild card team, the 2012 Division Series are scheduled to use the 2-3 format due to scheduling conflicts, which will revert back to the 2-2-1 format from 2013 onwards. There is currently no award for the Most Valuable Player of the Division Series.

Frequent matchups[link]

NLDS results[link]

• Team names link to the season in which each team played

See also[link]

Baseball portal

• American League Division Series (ALDS)
• MLB division winners
• MLB postseason
• List of American League pennant winners
• List of National League pennant winners
• List of World Series champions

External links[link]

• Baseball-Reference.com - annual playoffs
• MLB.com - MLB's Division Series historical reference - box scores, highlights, etc.

Notes[link]

• 1996, 1997, & 2007 are the years in which the National League Division Series finished in sweeps in both series.

In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.

1981 season[link]

The first use of the term "Division Series" dates from 1981, when due to a mid-season players' strike, that season was divided into two halves, with the winners of each half from each division playing one another in a best-of-five series to decide which team would represent that division in the League Championship Series (this format being common in minor-league baseball). But because the two halves of the season were independent of one another, the winner of the first half had no real incentive to try to win the second half as well (since, unlike in the minor leagues, if the same team did win both halves it was not given a bye into the next round), and a team that won neither half could have actually had the best overall record in the division; indeed, the latter actually occurred, as the Cincinnati Reds not only had the best won-lost record (in both halves of the season combined) among the six teams in the National League's Western Division (to which they belonged at the time), but the Reds had the best overall winning percentage in all of Major League Baseball, yet did not advance to the playoffs because they did not finish first in either of the two halves. This was the only Division Series which actually consisted of teams from the same division playing each other.

1994[link]

In 1994, both the National League and the American League realigned, with the number of divisions in both increasing from two to three (with fewer teams in each). At the same time, the number of teams qualifying for baseball's postseason was doubled, from four to eight; henceforth the three first-place teams from each league's divisions would reach the postseason, along with one wild card team from each league (the latter being the second-place finisher with the best regular-season record). However, this expanded playoff format would not make its debut until the following year, because a players' strike, which began on August 12, 1994, led to the cancellation of that season's playoffs and World Series (and caused the 1995 regular season to have 18 fewer games for each team than normal).

Home-field advantage[link]

Throughout its existence, the Division Series has been best-of-five; however, both the method of awarding home-field advantage in the series and which games the team getting the advantage would host were changed in 1998.

1995–1997[link]

Originally, the Eastern, Central and Western Division champions rotated home-site priority, with the two of them getting the extra home game and the third one and the wild card not. The 2-3 format was used in which the team with the disadvantage hosted the first two games and the team with the advantage hosting the remaining game(s). This meant the team with the disadvantage had absolutely no chance of winning the series at home. A similar format had also been used for the League Championship Series from 1969-1984. It also allowed wild card teams the unusual luxury of starting a series at home and possibly having home field advantage in a three game series.

This format was changed in 1998 because there was a 39.5% chance each year that at least one of the leagues would have their top two division champions meet in the Division Series, allowing the worst division champion to have the "advantage" of playing the wild card.

1998–2011[link]

From 1998 to 2011, the two division champions with the best regular-season records have been accorded with the home field advantage. Also, the format changed to a 2-2-1 layout with the team having home-field advantage hosting the first, second and (if necessary) fifth games; with this newer format, the lower seeded team actually gets two chances out of three to win the series on its home field although the higher seeded team hosts three out of five games overall. In both the AL and the NL the three division champions are automatically given the top three seeds, seeded 1-3 based on record, and the wildcard is given the 4th seed regardless of record. In both the AL and the NL, the 1 seed plays the 4 seed and the 2 seed plays the 3 seed, unless the 1 and 4 seed are in the same division. Because teams from the same division cannot play each other in the first round, if the normal matchups would cause this, then the 1 seed plays the 3 seed, and the 2 seed plays the 4 seed. In all cases the 1 and 2 seed have home field advantage. From 2007-2011, the 1 seed of the league that wins the All-Star game is given another advantage, being allowed to choose their schedule for the series. They can either choose to have an extra day off (usually between games 1 and 2) during the division series and start a day early, or start a day late, with one less off day (only having travel days off, between games 2 and 3, and if necessary 4 and 5). The American League's best record received this option from 2007–2009 and the National League's best record received it in 2010 and 2011.^[1]

2012–present[link]

A revised playoff system will be utilized beginning with the 2012 season, which will add a second wild card team for each league. The two wild card teams in each league will play a one game playoff to advance. The winner of this game will automatically face the number 1 seed in the league in the Division Series, regardless of whether or not they are in the same division. This change allows the two teams with the best records in their league to face each other in the division series. Due to scheduling conflicts, the 2012 Division Series will have the lower seed hosting the first two games, while the higher seed will host the next three games. For 2013 and beyond, the Division Series will return to the 2-2-1 format previously used.^[2]

Criticism of scheduling[link]

This section requires expansion.

This article's Criticism or Controversy section may compromise the article's neutral point of view of the subject. Please integrate the section's contents into the article as a whole, or rewrite the material. (November 2010)

There has been some criticism on how Major League Baseball schedules Division Series games. Teams with large national fan followings like the New York Yankees are almost always scheduled to play in prime time at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT to generate the highest TV ratings. As a result, West Coast teams generally have to play on the road at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT when many of their fans are unable to watch the game because they are at work or school.^[3][4] Conversely, when games on the West Coast are played at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, many fans on the East Coast are unable to watch a game in its entirety, due to games ending around 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, while most West Coast fans are able to watch the entire game.

However, during the inaugural and 1995 seasons, the Division and League Championship Series was aired by the league's television operation, The Baseball Network, a syndication package between ABC and NBC. In order to increase viewership, all games were played in primetime at consistent times, and each affiliate of the network carrying the series could only air one of the games each night, determined by the station's area. While this prevented the issue of afternoon games (and did, as planned, increase viewership), the plan drew ire from critics for not allowing viewers to choose the games they want to watch during the post-season.^[5].^[6]

There has also been criticism about the best-of-five format that the Division Series follows^{[citation needed]}, specifically when a team is down in the series 2 games to 0. In the World Series or League Championship Series, coming back from 2-0 is not nearly as difficult as it is in the Division Series, due to the World Series and League Championship Series both being best-of-seven. Because the team that finished with a better record plays Games 1 & 2 in their home park, it is not uncommon for a team to be down 2-0 very quickly. Conversely, if the team with home-field advantage loses games one and two, they are forced to win the next three games, the first two of which are on the road. In 2007 and 2008, the Division Series was led 2-0 in all eight of the series over those two years, and all of those teams went on to win the series in 4 games or less. The only teams to rally from a 2-0 Division Series deficit are the 1995 Seattle Mariners, 1999 Boston Red Sox, 2001 New York Yankees, and 2003 Boston Red Sox.

Billy Beane's proposal[link]

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane has been critical of the seeding of the Division Series. He has called for the Division Series to be seeded from 1-4 and bracketed strictly by regular-season record, without regard to whether a team has won its division and without regard to the division of the wild card team. In summary, Billy Beane's proposal rewards strong wild card teams at the expense of weak division winners.^[7]

Had Beane's proposal been in place in 2006, both leagues would have seen Division Series matchups between a division champion and a wild-card team from its division, which is impossible under present rules. If it had been in place in 1998, 2004, or 2007, a wild-card (the Boston Red Sox in the first two cases, and the Colorado Rockies in the third case) with the second-best record in their league, would have had home-field advantage in the Division Series over a division champion, which is also impossible under present rules.

See also[link]

• MLB division winners
• American League Division Series
• National League Division Series
• MLB postseason
• List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason streaks
• List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts
• List of most common Major League Baseball postseason matchups
• List of National League pennant winners
• List of American League pennant winners
• League Championship Series
• American League Championship Series (ALCS)
• National League Championship Series (NLCS)
• World Series

References[link]

External links[link]

• Top 7 :: Division Series Moments

The National League is one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada.

National League can also refer to:

Sport[link]

American football[link]

• National Football League, the major American football league in the United States

Baseball[link]

• National League, the highest level of the modern American sport of baseball in the United Kingdom – Baseball in the United Kingdom#At present

Basketball[link]

• National Basketball League (United States), a major basketball league in the United States from 1937–1949, which merged with the Basketball Association of America to form today's NBA.

Cricket[link]

• National League (cricket), in the United Kingdom

Football/soccer[link]

• Football Championship of the National League, the second division of the Russian football system
• National League (Turkey), a defunct football league in Turkey
• Korea National League, the second division of the South Korean football system
• Myanmar National League, the premier football league in Myanmar
• National League System, a component of the English football league system
• New Zealand National Soccer League, (defunct)

Gaelic games[link]

• National Football League (Ireland) - Ireland Gaelic football league
• National Hurling League - Ireland hurling league

Ice hockey[link]

• National League A, the top tier of the Swiss ice hockey league system
• National League B, the second tier of the Swiss ice hockey league system
• National Hockey League, the major ice-hockey league in the United States and Canada

Motorcycle speedway[link]

• National League (speedway), the current third tier of speedway in the United Kingdom which replaced the Conference League in 2009
• Speedway British League Division Two, the second tier of British speedway that was renamed the New National League in 1975 and subsequently known simply as the National League until 1990
• National League (1932–1964), the top speedway league in Britain in the mid-20th century

Rugby[link]

• A system of lower-level rugby union leagues in England:
  • National League 1 (third level)
  • National League 2 North and National League 2 South (fourth level)
  • National League 3 Midlands, National League 3 North, National League 3 South-East and National League 3 South-West (fifth level)
• Rugby League National Leagues in the United Kingdom
• National Rugby League, the premier rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand

Politics[link]

• Indian National League
• Irish National League, founded by Charles Parnell in 1882
• National League for Democracy, Burmese opposition party founded by Aung San Suu Kyi
• National League Party of Ireland, founded by William Redmond and Thomas O'Donnell in 1926
• National League of the North in Northern Ireland, founded by supporters of Cahir Healy and Joe Devlin in 1928
• National League (Poland), Polish right-wing political organization

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