<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> In Major League Baseball (MLB), the wild - card teams are the two teams in each of the two leagues (American and National) that have qualified for the postseason despite failing to win their division . Both teams in each league possess the two best winning percentages in their respective league after the three division winners . The wild card was first instituted in MLB in 1994, with one wild - card team per league advancing to the Division Series in the postseason to face a division winner . In 2012, the system was modified to add a second wild - card team per league and pit each league's wild - card teams against each other in a play - in game--the MLB wild - card game--the winner of which would then advance to the Division Series and play the team with the best record . This system ensures that the team with the second - best record in each league, after the three division winners and the team with the first - best record in the league that is a non-division winner, will also get a postseason berth, even if it isn't a division champion . </P> <P> From 1969 through 1993, division leaders in each league advanced to the League Championship Series, with the winners of each LCS meeting in the World Series . However, an expanding number of teams over the years made making the playoffs increasingly difficult . The new system was instituted in 1994 (but first used in 1995 because a players strike canceled the 1994 playoffs) when Major League Baseball expanded from two to three divisions per league . In the new three - division leagues, each league had four teams in the playoffs . In addition to the three division winners, a wild - card team made the playoffs as the fourth seed . This was the team with the most wins amongst non-division winners . The wild - card matchup was played in the first round between the League leader in wins and the wild - card team, unless both teams were in the same division, which resulted in the wild card facing the second - best division winner in the league . </P>

When did the wild card start in baseball