The National League’s wild card round was a single game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021, and has been a best-of-three Wild Card Series since 2022 — with a one-off eight-team version in 2020.
NL Wild Card Games, 2012–2021
| Year | Visitor | Score | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | St. Louis Cardinals | 6–3 | Atlanta Braves |
| 2013 | Cincinnati Reds | 2–6 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 2014 | San Francisco Giants | 8–0 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 2015 | Chicago Cubs | 4–0 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 2016 | San Francisco Giants | 3–0 | New York Mets |
| 2017 | Colorado Rockies | 8–11 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 2018 | Colorado Rockies | 2–1 (13) | Chicago Cubs |
| 2019 | Milwaukee Brewers | 3–4 | Washington Nationals |
| 2021 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1–3 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
The National League produced the strangest stretch of the single-game era: Pittsburgh hosted three years in a row from 2013 to 2015 and was shut out in the last two, part of three consecutive NL shutouts won by the visiting team. The 2017 game between Colorado and Arizona is the highest-scoring in the round’s history at 11–8, and the 2018 game at Wrigley Field went 13 innings.
NL Wild Card Series since 2020
| Year | Series winners |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Philadelphia Phillies; San Diego Padres |
| 2023 | Arizona Diamondbacks; Philadelphia Phillies |
| 2024 | New York Mets; San Diego Padres |
| 2025 | Los Angeles Dodgers; Chicago Cubs |
| 2026 | Atlanta Braves; San Diego Padres |
Four more series were played in the expanded 2020 format, won by the Dodgers, Braves, Marlins and Padres. The complete list is on MLB wild card series history.
2026 in the National League
Atlanta hosted Philadelphia as the No. 3 seed and won the series 2–1, taking Game 1 5–3, losing Game 2 4–3 in ten innings and winning the decider 6–2 on October 1. San Diego, the No. 4 seed, swept the No. 5 seed Chicago Cubs 8–0 and 4–1, allowing a single run in the round. The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers had byes, and the Braves drew the Dodgers while the Padres drew the Brewers in the Division Series.
Appearances
San Diego has the strongest record in the National League’s wild card round: five appearances and four series wins, all of them in the best-of-three era. The Chicago Cubs have also appeared five times, winning two. Milwaukee has four appearances and no wins.
For the junior circuit, see the AL wild card game.
Sources: Wikipedia, “Wild Card Series” and “2026 National League Wild Card Series”.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What replaced the NL Wild Card Game?
The National League Wild Card Series, a best-of-three round introduced for 2020 and made permanent from 2022.
Which NL teams won their wild card series in 2026?
The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 and the San Diego Padres swept the Chicago Cubs 2–0.
Has an NL wild card team won the World Series?
Yes. The 2014 San Francisco Giants and the 2019 Washington Nationals both won the World Series after winning the NL Wild Card Game.