How Baseball Works

The Post Season

The post season generally begins in the first week in October with the Division Championship Series -- four separate series of games, two in each league. The division champion with the best record usually plays the wild card from its own league in a best-of-five series, and the remaining two division champions play each other in a similar five game series. All four of these series are structured so that the team with the better regular season record has home field advantage, essentially meaning that either two or three games -- the first two and, if necessary, the final game -- are played in that team's home stadium. In each of those four series, the first team to win three games advances to the next round of the playoffs, called the League Championship Series.

Once all the position players have arrived, spring training is composed of weeks of practice sessions, exhibition games and other scrimmages. It's during that time that the coaching staff makes a final determination of which players should go with the team to the regular season of the Major Leagues, or be assigned to the various levels of the Minor Leagues (see How Minor League Baseball Teams Work).

Each League Championship Series is a best-of-seven series. The home field advantage goes once again to the team with the best regular season record, which means in this case that that team will host the first two games, as well as the last two games, if they are necessary, with the middle three games being played at the opponent's stadium. The first team in each league to win four games is declared League Champion, and advances to the World Series for the chance to become World Champion.

Called the Fall Classic, the World Series pits the two league champions against each other in a best-of-seven-games series, structured much like the Championship Series in the round before. Home field is not determined based on record, but on the result of the All-Star Game, which is played in mid-July. Whichever league's all-star team wins the All-Star Game becomes the host team for the World Series. This is a very recent change, used for the first time in 2003. Prior to 2003, the home field was determined simply on a rotating basis -- one year the American League would host, the following year the National League, and so on.

The other major difference between the World Series and the other games is the application of rules. The two leagues have a few subtle differences and one major difference: the designated hitter. The American League uses the designated hitter and the National League does not, meaning that National League teams have to use their pitchers to hit. In the World Series, the designated hitter is used by both teams when they're playing in the American League park, and by neither team when they're in the National League park.

As in the Championship Series, the winning team is the first to win four games. That team is declared World Champion.

For more information on baseball and related topics, check out the links below.

Learn More: The Baseball Hall of Fame

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is the oldest and most revered of all the sports halls of fame. Enshrinement is the highest honor a major-league player can receive. Though Baseball Magazine used the term “hall of fame” as early as 1908 to describe a list of pitchers who had thrown no-hit games, the term’s meaning changed when MLB decided to honor all of the game's premier performers.

Learn more about the history of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Learn about shortstops who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Learn about pitchers in the Hall of Fame.
Learn about Hall of Fame athletes who played for the New York Yankees.

Baseball FAQ

How long is a baseball game?

Unlike most games, a running clock does not limit the length of a baseball game. The two competing teams play over a period of innings, which are subdivided into halves. Professional and college games are generally nine innings long.

What are the positions in baseball?

There are nine positions: pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder and right fielder.

What position is most important in baseball?

The engine of the sport is composed of two players — the pitcher and the batter. All of the action in a baseball game revolves around these two combatants.

How does the scoring work in baseball?

A point is baseball is called a run. Teams receive a point once a runner goes around the bases in order — starting with first base, then second, third, and finally home. At the end of all the scheduled innings, the team that has scored the most runs is declared the winner.

How do innings work in baseball?

During an inning, teams take turns batting. While one team is batting, the other team puts its players in specific areas of the field in order to prevent the other team from getting hits and scoring runs. Once three outs are recorded, a half-inning is finished.

Originally Published: Oct 14, 2003