How did the MLB playoffs work before the wild-card?

Answer 1

1969-93, each league (AL, NL) had two divisions (East, West). The seasonal division champions met in the League Championship Series (3-of-5 from 1969-84, 4-of-7 from 1985-present). Winners of the respective LCS advanced to the World Series, 4-of-7. WS winner named season champion.

Except 1981, which was a split season due to a players strike. When that ended, the remainder of the season was played, and both "halves" were approximately 55 games. So, MLB named first- and second-half champions, which met in a Division Series round, 3-of-5, and those winners advanced to the LCS like usual. Messy season; no team won both halves (there was a plan to deal with this), the Reds had the best overall record in baseball but didn't win either half and stayed home, and the Royals became the only sub-.500 team (overall record) yet to gain a postseason berth.

Prior to 1969, the individual league champions immediately met in the World Series, which was usually 4-of-7 but did use a 5-of-9 format four times.

Answer 2

Before 1969, there were just leagues-N.L. and A.L, so the league champs met in the World Series. If two teams were tied for the lead, they would have a playoff- either a best two out of three (ex. N.L. 1951, 1962) or one game (ex. A.L.-1978, N.L.-1980) Beginning in 1969, they split the leagues into divisions-East and West. Until 1985 that was a best of five, then it was expanded to best of seven. One note is that in 1985, (the first year of the best of seven) the Royals got down 3-1 to Blue Jays and came back and won.

In 1981, due to the strike, an extra tier was added a LDS of sorts, where the first half (before the strike) winner played the second half winner (leader after the strike). This produced some strange results in the N.L. where the Cardinals and the Reds had the best overall records in their division, but failed to win either half.

Answer 3

Adding to dff's answer... the ALCS and the NLCS indeed started in 1969 and were best of five until the 1985 series, then they went to a best of seven format like the World Series. It stayed that way until the Wild Card system began in 1995 (after the strike).

As a footnote, there was a sort of division series in 1981 because of a strike settlement and the split of that season into two halves. No wild card per se, but four teams from each league did qualify for the post season.

Answer 4

Two divisions champs played for the pennant in each league. Before that, the best record in the AL played the team with the best record in the NL for the WS. No other playoff levels were involved. Thats the best system by the way.

Answer 5

in 1969 each league was split into 2 divisons, the playoffs then was East vs West in a best of 5. before that it was the team who finished first in AL vs team who finshed first in NL.