List of National League Wild Card winners

This article is about National League teams that qualified for the postseason as wild cards. For Wild Card Game and Series results, see Wild Card Series.
National League Wild Card
SportMajor League Baseball
LeagueNational League
Established1994 (1 team)
Expanded2012 (2 teams)
2022 (3 teams)
Most times5: Colorado Rockies
Most recent2024: Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, San Diego Padres

The wild card was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a chance to win the World Series.[1] The restructuring of both the American League and National League from two to three divisions each made it necessary to either give one team a bye in the first round of playoffs, or create the wild card for the best second-place team. In addition, the wild card guaranteed that the team with the second-best record in each league would qualify for the playoffs, even if they were in the same division with the team having the best record. As the 1994 postseason was canceled due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, 1995 was the first postseason with a wild card team.

Beginning in 2012, a second wild card team was added to each league.[2] The two wild card teams in each league face each other in a one-game playoff, the Wild Card Game, with the winner advancing to meet the number one seed in the Division Series.

For the 2020 postseason only, the field expanded to include three second-place teams per division, followed by the wild card teams represented by the next two best records from each league.[3] All eight teams played in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.[3]

Starting in 2022, a third wild card team was added to each league. The lowest-seeded wild card team (#6 seed) would then face the lowest-seeded division winner (#3 seed) in the best-of-three Wild Card round, with the remaining two Wild Card teams (#4 and #5 seed) squaring off in the other bracket. The Division Series will then have the top-seed play the fourth-fifth winner, while the runner-up plays the third-sixth winner. The brackets remain fixed, with no re-seeding. [4]

NL Wild Card qualifiers by year

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Through the 2022 postseason, every National League team has qualified as a wild card at least once, with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres the last teams to do so. (However, the Padres did win the postseason wild card round in 2020, under MLB's modified playoff format that year, though not having the best record in the NL West.) The Colorado Rockies have been a wild card qualifier an NL record five times, followed by the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals with four each.

Through the 2022 postseason, five NL wild card teams have gone on to win the World Series (Florida in 1997 and 2003, St. Louis in 2011, San Francisco in 2014 and Washington in 2019). Five teams won the NL pennant but lost the World Series (New York in 2000, San Francisco in 2002, Houston in 2005, Colorado in 2007, and Philadelphia in 2022). Five other teams won a division series but lost the championship series, most recently San Diego in 2022 (against Philadelphia – another wild card team).

Year Winner Record % Playoff Results
Original Format
1995 Colorado Rockies 77–67 .535 Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–1
1996 Los Angeles Dodgers 90–72 .556 Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0
1997 Florida Marlins 92–70 .568 Won NLDS (Giants) 3–0
Won NLCS (Braves) 4–2
Won World Series (Indians) 4–3
1998 Chicago Cubs 90–73 .552 Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0
1999 New York Mets 97–66 .595 Won NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–2
2000 New York Mets 94–68 .580 Won NLDS (Giants) 3–1
Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4–1
Lost World Series (Yankees) 4–1
2001 St. Louis Cardinals 93–69 .574 Lost NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–2
2002 San Francisco Giants 95–66 .590 Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2
Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4–1
Lost World Series (Angels) 4–3
2003 Florida Marlins 91–71 .562 Won NLDS (Giants) 3–1
Won NLCS (Cubs) 4–3
Won World Series (Yankees) 4–2
2004 Houston Astros 92–70 .568 Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Cardinals) 4–3
2005 Houston Astros 89–73 .549 Won NLDS (Braves) 3–1
Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4–2
Lost World Series (White Sox) 4–0
2006 Los Angeles Dodgers 88–74 .543 Lost NLDS (Mets) 3–0
2007 Colorado Rockies 90–73* .552 Won NLDS (Phillies) 3–0
Won NLCS (Diamondbacks) 4–0
Lost World Series (Red Sox) 4–0
2008 Milwaukee Brewers 90–72 .556 Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3–1
2009 Colorado Rockies 92–70 .568 Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3–1
2010 Atlanta Braves 91–71 .562 Lost NLDS (Giants) 3–1
2011 St. Louis Cardinals 90–72 .556 Won NLDS (Phillies) 3–2
Won NLCS (Brewers) 4–2
Won World Series (Rangers) 4–3
Expanded Format
2012 Atlanta Braves 94–68 .580 Lost NLWC (Cardinals)
St. Louis Cardinals 88–74 .543 Won NLWC (Braves)
Won NLDS (Nationals) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Giants) 4–3
2013 Pittsburgh Pirates 94–68 .580 Won NLWC (Reds)
Lost NLDS (Cardinals) 3–2
Cincinnati Reds 90–72 .556 Lost NLWC (Pirates)
2014 Pittsburgh Pirates 88–74 .543 Lost NLWC (Giants)
San Francisco Giants 88–74 .543 Won NLWC (Pirates)
Won NLDS (Nationals) 3–1
Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4–1
Won World Series (Royals) 4–3
2015 Pittsburgh Pirates 98–64 .605 Lost NLWC (Cubs)
Chicago Cubs 97–65 .599 Won NLWC (Pirates)
Won NLDS (Cardinals) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Mets) 4–0
2016 New York Mets 87–75 .537 Lost NLWC (Giants)
San Francisco Giants 87–75 .537 Won NLWC (Mets)
Lost NLDS (Cubs) 3–1
2017 Arizona Diamondbacks 93–69 .574 Won NLWC (Rockies)
Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0
Colorado Rockies 87–75 .537 Lost NLWC (Diamondbacks)
2018 Chicago Cubs 95–68 .583 Lost NLWC (Rockies)
Colorado Rockies 91–72 .558 Won NLWC (Cubs)
Lost NLDS (Brewers) 3–0
2019 Washington Nationals 93–69 .574 Won NLWC (Brewers)
Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–2
Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4–0
Won World Series (Astros) 4–3
Milwaukee Brewers 89–73 .549 Lost NLWC (Nationals)
2020 Cincinnati Reds 31–29 .517 Lost NLWC (Braves) 2–0
Milwaukee Brewers 29–31 .483 Lost NLWC (Dodgers) 2–0
2021 Los Angeles Dodgers 106–56 .654 Won NLWC (Cardinals)
Won NLDS (Giants) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–2
St. Louis Cardinals 90–72 .556 Lost NLWC (Dodgers)
2022 New York Mets 101–61 .623 Lost NLWC (Padres) 2–1
San Diego Padres 89–73 .549 Won NLWC (Mets) 2–1
Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Phillies) 4–1
Philadelphia Phillies 87–75 .537 Won NLWC (Cardinals) 2–0
Won NLDS (Braves) 3–1
Won NLCS (Padres) 4–1
Lost World Series (Astros) 4–2
2023 Philadelphia Phillies 90–72 .556 Won NLWC (Marlins) 2–0
Won NLDS (Braves) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Diamondbacks) 4–3
Miami Marlins 84–78 .519 Lost NLWC (Phillies) 2–0
Arizona Diamondbacks 84–78 .519 Won NLWC (Brewers) 2–0
Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0
Won NLCS (Phillies) 4–3
Lost World Series (Rangers) 4–1
2024 San Diego Padres 93–69 .574 Won NLWC (Braves) 2–0
Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3–2
Atlanta Braves 89–73 .549 Lost NLWC (Padres) 2–0
New York Mets 89–73 .549 Won NLWC (Brewers) 2–1
Won NLDS (Phillies) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4–2

Most NL Wild Card appearances

[edit]
Rank Team Total Year(s)
T-1 Colorado Rockies 5 1995, 2007, 2009, 2017–2018
T-1 New York Mets 5 1999–2000, 2016, 2022, 2024
3 St. Louis Cardinals 4 2001, 2011–2012, 2021
T-4 Atlanta Braves 3 2010, 2012, 2024
T-4 Chicago Cubs 3 1998, 2015, 2018
T-4 Los Angeles Dodgers 3 1996, 2006, 2021
T-4 Miami Marlins 3 1997, 2003, 2023
T-4 Milwaukee Brewers 3 2008, 2019–2020
T-4 Pittsburgh Pirates 3 2013–2015
T-4 San Francisco Giants 3 2002, 2014, 2016
T-11 Arizona Diamondbacks 2 2017, 2023
T-11 Cincinnati Reds 2 2013, 2020
T-11 Houston Astros 2 2004–2005
T-11 Philadelphia Phillies 2 2022–2023
T-11 San Diego Padres 2 2022, 2024
16 Washington Nationals 1 2019

Notes:

  • The Houston Astros have competed in the American League since 2013.
  • The Miami Marlins were known as the Florida Marlins before 2012.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jayson Stark (March 2, 2012). "The new MLB postseason". ESPN.com.
  2. ^ "Year In Review : 2012 American League". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "MLB expands playoffs to 16 teams for shortened 2020 season, adds best-of-three Wild Card Series". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  4. ^ "Everything you need to know about '22 season". MLB.com. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
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