What does clinched wild card mean in MLB?

Major League Baseball (MLB) has its ways of making sure that enough teams can make it to the postseason. These are the MLB Wild Card games. These games are how the teams can make it to the postseason. The Wild Card games are played separately for both the American League (AL) and the National League (NL).

The format of the MLB Wild Card games follows a best-of-three-game series beginning in 2022. The teams that win the Wild Card games then advance to the Division Series games of their respective league. From there, they go on to play the League Championships games. Finally, the two teams that twin their respective leagues face off in the final stage, i.e.; the World Series games. One out of these two teams emerge as the MLB World Series Champions for the season.

Meaning of clinching Wild Card in MLB

An MLB team that clinches a Wild Card means that they have managed to secure a spot for themselves successfully in the postseason. Usually, MLB teams that become their respective Division Champions in the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) become qualified to play in the postseason games. These include six Division Champions from the National League (NL) and the American League (AL).

After these six teams are qualified, the remaining lower-seeded teams from the division with the best records are allowed to qualify for the postseason games. The Wild Card games are played in the best-of-three-game series since the 2022 season separately for the National League and the American League (AL).

Teams in the 2024 MLB Wild Card Games

The following teams have successfully made it to the MLB Wild Card Series in 2024 as per the MLB official site. These games will be played from October 1, 2024, to October 3, 2024 -

• Detroit Tigers

• Houston Astros

• Kansas City Royals

• Baltimore Orioles

• New York Mets

• Milwaukee Brewers

• Atlanta Braves

• San Diego Padres