From 2012 to 2019 and once more in 2021, MLB’s wild card round was a single game: the two wild card teams in each league met, winner takes all, at the better team’s ballpark. Eighteen of these games were played before the best-of-three Wild Card Series replaced the format in 2022.
American League Wild Card Game
| Year | Visitor | Score | Home | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Baltimore Orioles | 5–1 | Texas Rangers | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington |
| 2013 | Tampa Bay Rays | 4–0 | Cleveland Indians | Progressive Field |
| 2014 | Oakland Athletics | 8–9 (12) | Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium |
| 2015 | Houston Astros | 3–0 | New York Yankees | Yankee Stadium |
| 2016 | Baltimore Orioles | 2–5 (11) | Toronto Blue Jays | Rogers Centre |
| 2017 | Minnesota Twins | 4–8 | New York Yankees | Yankee Stadium |
| 2018 | Oakland Athletics | 2–7 | New York Yankees | Yankee Stadium |
| 2019 | Tampa Bay Rays | 5–1 | Oakland Athletics | Oakland Coliseum |
| 2021 | New York Yankees | 2–6 | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park |
National League Wild Card Game
| Year | Visitor | Score | Home | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | St. Louis Cardinals | 6–3 | Atlanta Braves | Turner Field |
| 2013 | Cincinnati Reds | 2–6 | Pittsburgh Pirates | PNC Park |
| 2014 | San Francisco Giants | 8–0 | Pittsburgh Pirates | PNC Park |
| 2015 | Chicago Cubs | 4–0 | Pittsburgh Pirates | PNC Park |
| 2016 | San Francisco Giants | 3–0 | New York Mets | Citi Field |
| 2017 | Colorado Rockies | 8–11 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Chase Field |
| 2018 | Colorado Rockies | 2–1 (13) | Chicago Cubs | Wrigley Field |
| 2019 | Milwaukee Brewers | 3–4 | Washington Nationals | Nationals Park |
| 2021 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1–3 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dodger Stadium |
Winners are shown in bold; figures in brackets are extra innings.
What the single-game era looked like
- Visiting teams and home teams each won nine of the eighteen games.
- Five games were shutouts, and all five were won by the visiting team, including three in a row in the National League from 2014 to 2016.
- Three games went to extra innings; the home team won two of them.
- Three ended in a walk-off win for the home team, and only the 2021 National League game did so in regulation.
- Pittsburgh hosted the National League game three years running, from 2013 to 2015.
- In eight of the eleven non-shutouts the losing team scored three runs or fewer; only two losing teams scored more than six.
Through the 2021 postseason, Wild Card Game winners went 9–9 in the Division Series that followed, and two of them went on to win the World Series: the 2014 Giants and the 2019 Nationals.
For the format that replaced it, see MLB wild card series history and the MLB wild card format.
Sources: Wikipedia, “Wild Card Series”.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When was the MLB Wild Card Game played?
From 2012 through 2019, and again in 2021. It was replaced by the best-of-three Wild Card Series for the 2022 postseason.
How many MLB Wild Card Games were played?
Eighteen in total, nine in each league. Home and visiting teams each won nine.
Did a Wild Card Game winner ever win the World Series?
Yes, twice: the 2014 San Francisco Giants and the 2019 Washington Nationals.