American League Wild Card teams

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American League Wild Card teams are MLB clubs that qualify for the postseason without winning their division and compete in the American League playoff bracket.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form As subject As object
American League Wild Card team 49 0

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Major League Baseball team
postseason qualifier
canAdvanceTo American League Championship Series
American League Division Series
World Series
competitionType knockout series
eligibilityCriterion must have one of the best records among non-division winners
must not win division title
follows MLB regular season
governingBody Major League Baseball
hasCompetition MLB postseason
hasConference American League Central
American League East
American League West
hasEffect increases number of playoff teams in American League
hasHistoricalContext introduced after 1994 MLB realignment
hasLeague American League
hasNotableOutcome can win World Series
hasNumberOfTeams expanded wild card field in 2020
one wild card per league from 1995 to 2011
three wild cards per league from 2022 onward
two wild cards per league from 2012 to 2019
varies by season
hasOpposition American League division winner
other American League Wild Card team
hasPlayoffRound Division Series
League Championship Series
Wild Card Game
American League Wild Card Series
surface form: Wild Card Series

World Series
hasPurpose to allow strong non-division winners into postseason
hasQualificationMethod best win–loss records among non-division winners
non-division-winning regular season record
homeFieldAdvantageDeterminedBy regular season record
inception 1994
isSubjectOf American League postseason seeding
MLB playoff format rules
locatedInJurisdiction Canada
United States of America
surface form: United States
participatesIn American League Wild Card Game
American League Wild Card Series
partOf American League
MLB playoffs
surface form: Major League Baseball postseason
precedes American League Division Series
seasonType postseason
sport baseball
usesFormat multiple wild card berths
no division title required
seeding by regular season record

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

American League Division Series includes American League Wild Card teams