There's nothing quite like postseason baseball.

It's the stage where Reggie Jackson earned the nickname "Mr. October" after a historic three-home-run performance in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. It's where Derek Jeter became "Mr. November" after hitting a walk-off homer in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series just after the stroke of midnight on Nov. 1.

While the World Series is Major League Baseball's grand finale, the wild-card series is the opening act of the postseason. Check out key facts about the MLB wild-card process and history below.

What is a wild card?

A wild card is given to MLB teams in each league (American League and National League) that qualify for the postseason despite not winning their division. The wild-card teams are the clubs that finish the regular season w

See Full Page