How Many Games of Baseball Are in a Season?
Contents
The answer might surprise you! Learn how many games are in a season, and how that number has changed over time.
The regular season
A Major League Baseball season is typically 162 games long, but in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the season to 60 games. In a typical season, each team plays every other team in their league a total of 19 times. A season is typically divided into two halves – the first half of the season is before the All-Star break, and the second half is after.
Length of the regular season
The length of the regular season has varied throughout the years. In 1876, the National League played a 144-game schedule. The American Association and Union Association, which were both major leagues in 1884, played 140 games. When the Union Association disbanded after that season, the National League adopted a 140-game schedule, which it kept until 1892.
In 1893, the National League expanded from 8 to 12 teams and increased its schedule to 154 games. After two years at that length, the league returned to 140 games in 1896, a level it maintained through 1899. In 1900, the American League was formed and adopted a 154-game schedule. Both leagues kept that number of games through 1904.
In 1905, they both went to 162 games, where they have remained ever since (with the exception of 1918, when both leagues played 140 games because of World War I).
How many games are in a season
A regular season game is usually nine innings long, but some games are only seven or eight innings. A game can also end early if one team is ahead by a certain number of runs after a certain number of innings have been played (the “mercy rule”). A regulation game has nine innings, but extra innings can be played if the game is tied after nine innings.
The playoffs
The MLB playoff system is a four-tiered playoff system that was implemented in 1969.The four teams that make it to the postseason are the three division winners, plus the team with the best record that did not win its division.
Length of the playoffs
The playoffs are a best-of-seven series between the two pennant winners of each league, played after the conclusion of the regular season. The winner of each league’s playoff series advances to the World Series, the best-of-seven championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB).
How many games are in the playoffs
If a team is good enough to make the playoffs, they will play a best-of-seven game series. The first team to win four games in the series moves on to the next round. In the World Series, the two best teams in each league play each other in a best-of-seven game series.
The World Series
The World Series is the professional baseball championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Length of the World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner’s Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.
How many games are in the World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner’s Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.
