Editing American League Division Series (section)

==History==
{{main|Division Series}}
The Division Series was implemented in 1981 as a one-off tournament because of a [[1981 Major League Baseball strike|midseason strike]], with the first place teams before the strike taking on the teams in first place after the strike. In 1981, a split-season format forced the first ever divisional playoff series, in which the [[1981 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] won the Eastern Division series over the [[1981 Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers]] (who were in the American League until 1998) in five games while in the Western Division, the [[1981 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]] swept the [[1981 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]] (the only team with an overall losing record to ever make the postseason).

In 1994, it was returned permanently when [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) restructured each league into three divisions, but with a different format than in 1981.  Each of the division winners, along with one [[Wild card (sports)|wild card]] team, qualify for the Division Series. Despite being planned for the 1994 season, the postseason was cancelled that year due to the [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike]]. In 1995, the first season to feature a division series, the Western Division champion [[1995 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]] defeated the wild card [[1995 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] three games to two, while the Central Division champion [[1995 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]] defeated the Eastern Division champion [[1995 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]] in a three-game sweep.

From 1994 to 2011, the wild card was given to the team in the American League with the best overall record that was ''not'' a division champion.  Beginning with the [[2012 Major League Baseball season|2012 season]], a second wild card team was added, and the two wild card teams play a single-game playoff to determine which team would play in the ALDS.  For the [[2020 Major League Baseball season]] only, there was an expanded playoff format, owing to an abbreviated 60-game regular season due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].  Eight teams qualified from the American League: the top two teams in each division plus the next two best records among the remaining teams.  These eight teams played a best-of-three-game series to determine placement in the ALDS.  The regular format returned for the 2021 season.

As of 2022, the Yankees have played in and won the most division series, with thirteen wins in twenty-two appearances. In 2015, the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] and [[Houston Astros]] were the final American League teams to make their first appearances in the ALDS. The Astros had been in the National League through 2012, and had played in the [[National League Division Series]] (NLDS) seven times. The Astros are the only team to win the ALDS in six consecutive seasons. The Yankees record of four consecutive victories was broken by the Astros with their victory in the 2021 ALDS against the [[2021 Chicago White Sox season|Chicago White Sox]].

===Determining the matchups===
The ALDS is a best-of-five series where the divisional winner with the best winning percentage in the regular season hosts the winner of the [[Wild Card Series]] between the top two wild card teams in one matchup, and the divisional winner with the second best winning percentage hosts the winner of the series between the lowest-seeded divisional winner and the lowest-seeded wild card team.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-playoff-format-faq | title=New MLB postseason format, explained | website=[[MLB.com]] }}</ref> (From 2012 to 2021, the wild card team was assigned to play the divisional winner with the best winning percentage in the regular season in one series, and the other two division winners met in the other series.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kepner |first=Tyler |date=2012-03-05 |title=For No. 1 Seeds, Road to Title Comes With Bumps |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/sports/baseball/adding-wild-card-play-in-puts-no-1-seeds-in-tough-spot.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> From 1998 to 2011, if the wild-card team and the division winner with the best record were from the same division, the wild-card team played the division winner with the second-best record, and the remaining two division leaders played each other.) The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven ALCS. According to [[Nate Silver]], the advent of this playoff series, and especially of the wild card, has caused teams to focus more on "getting to the playoffs" rather than "winning the pennant" as the primary goal of the regular season.<ref>[[Nate Silver]], "Selig's Dream: The Wild Card as Enabler of Pennant Races," in Steven Goldman, Ed., ''It Ain't Over 'til It's Over'' (New York: Basic Books): 170-178.</ref>

From 2012 to 2021, the wild card team that advances to the Division Series was to face the number 1 seed, regardless whether or not they are in the same division.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120229&content_id=26927024&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|title=Addition of Wild Card berths finalized for 2012|first=Barry M.|last=Bloom|work=MLB.com|date=March 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-03-02|title=MLB to expand playoffs by two teams to 10|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/7638357/mlb-expand-playoffs-two-teams-10|access-date=2021-04-08|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rudnansky |first=Ryan |title=MLB Playoff Format 2012: Explaining Wild Card, Divisional Series Changes & More |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1356314-mlb-playoff-format-2012-explaining-wild-card-divisional-series-changes-more |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Kepner |first=Tyler |date=2012-10-05 |title=In Wild-Card Play-In Game, It’s Win or You’re Out |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/sports/baseball/in-wild-card-play-in-game-its-win-or-youre-out.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven ALCS. Beginning with the 2022 season, the winner between the lowest-ranked division winner and lowest-ranked wild card team faces the number 2 seed division winner in the Division Series, while the 4 v. 5 wild card winner still faces the number 1 seed, as there is no reseeding even if the 6-seeded wild card advances. Home-field advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record (or head-to-head record if there is a tie between two or more teams), except for the wild-card team, which never receives the home field advantage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New MLB postseason format, explained |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-playoff-format-faq |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kepner |first=Tyler |date=2022-10-06 |title=Baseball’s Postseason Is Evolving, for Better or Worse |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/sports/baseball/wild-card-postseason-preview.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=12teamplayoff>{{Cite web|title=Everything you need to know about '22 season|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2022-season-faq|access-date=2022-03-10|website=MLB.com|language=en}}</ref>

Beginning in 2003, MLB has implemented a new rule to give the team from the league that wins the All-Star Game with the best regular season record a slightly greater advantage. In order to spread out the Division Series games for broadcast purposes, the two ALDS series follow one of two off-day schedules. Starting in 2007, after consulting the [[MLBPA]], MLB has decided to allow the team with the best record in the league that wins the All-Star Game to choose whether to use the seven-day schedule (1-2-off-3-4-off-5) or the eight-day schedule (1-off-2-off-3-4-off-5). The team only gets to choose the schedule; the opponent is still determined by win–loss records.

Initially, the best-of-5 series played in a 2–3 format, with the first two games set at home for the lower seed team and the last three for the higher seed.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1984_NLCS.shtml 1984 NL Championship Series], Baseball-Reference.com</ref><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1997_ALDS1.shtml 1997 AL Division Series], Baseball-Reference.com</ref> Since [[1998 Major League Baseball season|1998]], the series has followed a 2–2–1 format,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | editor-last = Gillette | editor-first = Gary | editor2-last = Palmer | editor2-first = Pete | encyclopedia = The 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia | title = October Classics: Postseason Series and Playoffs | page = 1656 | publisher = Sterling Publishing | year = 2006 | location = New York}}</ref> where the higher seed team plays at home in Games 1 and 2, the lower seed plays at home in Game 3 and Game 4 (if necessary), and if a Game 5 is needed, the teams return to the higher seed's field. When MLB added a second wild card team in [[2012 Major League Baseball season|2012]], the Division Series re-adopted the 2–3 format due to scheduling conflicts. However, it reverted to the 2–2–1 format starting the next season, [[2013 Major League Baseball season|2013]].<ref name="SportingNews-2012WildCard">{{cite web | author = [[Sporting News]]| title = MLB expands playoff field to 10 teams with addition of two wild cards| date = 2012-03-02| url = http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2012-03-02/mlb-wild-card-two-more-playoff-expansion-postseason| access-date =October 28, 2013}}</ref>