2020 Major League Baseball postseason

Tournament details
Dates	September 29 – October 27, 2020[1]
Teams	16
Final positions
Champions	Los Angeles Dodgers (7th title)
Runners-up	Tampa Bay Rays
Awards
MVP	Corey Seager (LAD)
← 2019 2021 →

The2020 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament ofMajor League Baseball for the2020 season. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the league played only a 60-game season, and an expanded 16-team postseason tournament began on September 29, with games of all but the first round being played at neutral sites.^[2][3][4] A new best-of-three Wild Card series was added as the opening round of this postseason due to the shortened season caused by the pandemic; it would become a permanent addition to the postseason format starting in2022.

In the American League, theTampa Bay Rays made their second consecutive appearance, theNew York Yankees andHouston Astros made their fourth consecutive appearance, and theCleveland Indians made their fifth appearance in the last eight seasons. Also appearing in the AL side were theOakland Athletics, who made their third consecutive appearance, and it would be their last during their time in Oakland as the team would relocate toLas Vegas. TheChicago White Sox returned for the first time since2008, theMinnesota Twins made their third appearance in the past five seasons, and theToronto Blue Jays returned for the third time in six seasons.

In the National League, theLos Angeles Dodgers made their eighth consecutive appearance, theAtlanta Braves made their third straight appearance, theSan Diego Padres made their first appearance since2006, theMilwaukee Brewers made their third consecutive appearance, and theSt. Louis Cardinals made their third appearance in the past six seasons. Also on the NL side were the now-Miami Marlins, who ended nearly two decades of futility by clinching their first postseason appearance since2003, ending what was the second longest postseason appearance drought in the majors. TheChicago Cubs returned for the fifth time in the past six seasons, marking the first time since2008 that both teams fromChicago made the postseason. Last but not least were theCincinnati Reds, who returned to the postseason for the first time since2013, marking the first time since then that both teams fromOhio made the postseason.

The postseason began on September 29, and ended on October 27. TheWorld Series began on October 20 atGlobe Life Field inArlington, and ended on October 27, with theLos Angeles Dodgers defeating theTampa Bay Rays in six games to win their first title since1988. It was the Dodgers' seventh title in franchise history.

Rays

Twins

Athletics

Indians

Yankees

Astros

White Sox

Blue Jays

Braves

Cubs

Dodgers

Padres

Cardinals

Marlins

Reds

Brewers

American League Teams National League Teams

The following teams qualified for the postseason:

1. Tampa Bay Rays – 40–20,AL East champions^[5]
2. Oakland Athletics – 36–24,AL West champions (26–14 record vs. AL West)^[6]
3. Minnesota Twins – 36–24,AL Central champions (23–17 record vs. AL Central)^[7]
4. Cleveland Indians – 35–25 (8–2 head-to-head record vs. CHI)^[8]
5. New York Yankees – 33–27^[9]
6. Houston Astros – 29–31^[10]
7. Chicago White Sox – 35–25 (2–8 head-to-head record vs. CLE)^[11]
8. Toronto Blue Jays – 32–28^[12]

1. Los Angeles Dodgers – 43–17,NL West champions^[13]
2. Atlanta Braves – 35–25,NL East champions^[14]
3. Chicago Cubs – 34–26,NL Central champions^[15]
4. San Diego Padres – 37–23^[16]
5. St. Louis Cardinals – 30–28^[17]
6. Miami Marlins – 31–29^[18]
7. Cincinnati Reds – 31–29^[19]
8. Milwaukee Brewers – 29–31 (19–21 record vs. NL Central)^[20][21]

Tampa Bay won the series, 2–0.

The Rays swept the Blue Jays to advance to the ALDS for the second straight year.

Blake Snell pitched six solid innings as the Rays took Game 1. In Game 2,Mike Zunino andHunter Renfroe both homered for the Rays as they blew out the Blue Jays to complete the sweep.

This was the first of three straight losses in the Wild Card round for Toronto. In2022 they were swept by theSeattle Mariners, and in2023 they would get swept by theMinnesota Twins, which was Minnesota’s first playoff series win since2002.

Oakland won the series, 2–1.

The Athletics defeated the White Sox to advance to the ALDS for the first time since2013.

Lucas Giolito pitched seven solid innings as the White Sox took Game 1 in Oakland. In Game 2, home runs fromMarcus Semien andKhris Davis would propel the Athletics to victory. In Game 3, the White Sox jumped out to an early 3–0 lead, but the Athletics went on a 6–1 run across the fourth and fifth innings to close out the series and advance. Game 3 was the last postseason game ever played atOakland Coliseum.

This was the first playoff series win by the Athletics since2006, and their last during their time in Oakland, as the team would relocate to Las Vegas.

Houston won the series, 2–0.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Astros and Twins. The Astros swept the Twins to advance to the ALDS for the fifth time in six years.

Zack Greinke andFramber Valdez kept the Twins offense at bay in Game 1. Game 2 remained tied until the top of the seventh whenCarlos Correa hit a go-ahead solo home run to put the Astros in the lead for good.

With the series loss, the Twins' playoff game losing streak had been extended to eighteen games. Both teams would meet again in the ALDS in2023, which the Astros also won.

New York won the series, 2–0.

This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Yankees and Indians. The Yankees swept the Indians to advance to the ALDS for the fourth year in a row.

The Yankees blew out the Indians in Game 1 asAaron Judge,Gleyber Torres,Giancarlo Stanton, andBrett Gardner all homered for New York. Game 2 was an offensive shootout between both teams, which would be won by the Yankees 10–9 as they completed a sweep.

Both teams would meet again in the ALDS in2022, and the ALCS in2024, with both being won by the Yankees in five games.

Los Angeles won the series, 2–0.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Brewers. The first was the NLCS in2018, which Los Angeles won in seven games before falling in the World Series. The Dodgers swept the Brewers to advance to the NLDS for the eighth year in a row.

In Game 1, the Dodgers jumped out to an early 3–0 lead, but it was narrowed to one thanks to a two-run blast fromOrlando Arcia. However,Corey Seager would extend the Dodgers’ lead to two in the bottom of the seventh, which was good enough to secure the victory.Clayton Kershaw andBrusdar Graterol would silence the Milwaukee offense in Game 2 as the Dodgers won 3–0 to close out the series.

Both teams would meet again in the NLCS in2025, which the Dodgers also won in a sweep.

Atlanta won the series, 2–0.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Reds and Braves. They last met in the NLCS in1995, which the Braves won in a four-game sweep en route to a World Series title. The Braves once again swept the Reds to advance to the NLDS for the third year in a row.

Game 1 was a long scoreless affair that went into extra innings, whereFreddie Freeman won the game for the Braves in the bottom of the thirteenth with an RBI single.Ian Anderson pitched six solid innings in Game 2 as the Braves blanked the Reds 5–0 to close out the series and advance. This was the first playoff series won by the Braves since2001.

Miami won the series, 2–0.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Marlins and Cubs. The first was in a highly controversial NLCS in2003, which the Marlins won in seven games en route to a World Series title as a result of the Cubs’ collapse after theSteve Bartman incident. The Marlins swept the Cubs to return to the NLDS for the first time since2003.

Sandy Alcántara pitched six solid innings andCorey Dickerson andJesús Aguilar homered for the Marlins as they won 5–1 in Game 1. Game 2 was a pitchers’ duel between both teams’ bullpens, which was broken in the top of the seventh whenGarrett Cooper hit a home run offYu Darvish to put the Marlins ahead for good.

This was the first playoff series win by the Marlins since the2003 World Series.

San Diego won the series, 2–1.

This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Padres and Cardinals (1996,2005,2006). The Cardinals won all three previous meetings. This time, the Padres returned the favor, defeating the Cardinals in three games to advance to the NLDS for the first time since 2006.

Game 1 was an offensive slugfest that was won by the Cardinals. Game 2 was yet another showdown between both teams’ offenses, which was won by the Padres asManny Machado,Wil Myers, andFernando Tatís Jr. all homered for the Padres. In Game 3, the Padres gambled by going with a “bullpen game” strategy in which they used different pitchers every inning. This risk paid off for the Padres as they silenced the Cardinals’ bats in a shutout victory to advance, exacting long-awaited revenge on the team that eliminated them from the postseason in three of their last four postseason appearances. This was the Padres’ first playoff victory since winning the National League pennant in1998.

This was the first of three straight losses in the Wild Card round for the Cardinals, as they would lose to their archrivalLos Angeles Dodgersthe next year, and they would lose to the eventual National League championPhiladelphia Phillies in2022.

Tampa Bay won the series, 3–2.

The Rays defeated the Yankees in five games to advance to the ALCS for the first time since2008.

The Yankees blew out the Rays in Game 1 asAaron Judge,Giancarlo Stanton,Clint Frazier, andKyle Higashioka all homered for New York. Game 2 was an offensive shootout between both teams, which was won by the Rays asAustin Meadows,Mike Zunino,Manuel Margot, andRandy Arozarena all hit home runs. In Game 3, Arozarena homered again along withMichael Pérez andKevin Kiermaier as the Rays won 8–4 to take the series lead. The Yankees struck back in Game 4 to even the series asGleyber Torres andLuke Voit both hit home runs to contribute to a 5–1 victory. In Game 5, the Yankees struck first with a solo home run from Judge, but the Rays put up two unanswered runs thanks to home runs from Meadows andMike Brosseau, and would hold on to win and advance to the ALCS.

Houston won the series, 3–1.

The Astros upset the Athletics in four games to advance to the ALCS for the fourth year in a row.

The Astros blew out the Athletics as they rallied from an early 3–0 deficit to win Game 1. In Game 2,George Springer andMartín Maldonado chased Oakland’sSean Manaea from the mound as they won 5–1 to take a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, five different players -Tommy La Stella,Mark Canha,Matt Olson,Marcus Semien, andChad Pinder, all homered as the Athletics prevailed in an offensive shootout. Game 3 would be the last playoff game ever won by the Athletics during their time in Oakland. Game 4 would be won by the Astros’ offense asCarlos Correa,Michael Brantley, andJose Altuve all homered for Houston in an 11–6 victory.

This was the last postseason appearance the Athletics made during their time in Oakland, as the team would relocate toLas Vegas.

Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.

This was the first postseason series to feature two teams from the same state since the2002 World Series.

This was the first postseason meeting in the history of theDodgers–Padres rivalry, also known as theI-5 Rivalry. The Dodgers swept the Padres to advance to the NLCS for the seventh time in the past twelve years.

In Game 1, the Padres once again used the “bullpen game” strategy in which they used different pitchers every inning, but it wouldn’t work this time as the Dodgers easily won. The Dodgers would also take Game 2 to take a 2–0 series lead. The Dodgers blew out the Padres in Game 3 to close out the series.

Both teams would meet again in the NLDS in2022, where the 89-win Padres pulled off a colossal upset over the 111-win Dodgers. They would also meet in the NLDS in2024, which the Dodgers won in five games en route to a World Series title.

Atlanta won the series, 3–0.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Braves and Marlins. They last met in the NLCS in1997, which was won by the Marlins en route to a World Series title. The Braves swept the Marlins to advance to the NLCS for the first time since2001.

Ronald Acuña Jr.,Travis d'Arnaud, andDansby Swanson all homered for the Braves as they took Game 1. In Game 2, Swanson and d'Arnaud homered again, andIan Anderson and the Braves bullpen blanked the Marlins as they took a 2–0 series lead.Kyle Wright pitched six innings of shutout baseball in Game 3 as the Braves blew out the Marlins to complete the sweep.

This was the first playoff series loss by the Marlins in franchise history, previously they had gone undefeated through the postseason field in1997 and2003.^[55]

Tampa Bay won the series, 4–3.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Rays and Astros. They last met in the ALDSthe previous year, which the Astros won in five games before falling in the World Series. The Astros became the second team in MLB history to overcome a 3–0 series deficit to force a Game 7 in a postseason series, the first team to do so since theBoston Red Sox in the2004 ALCS. However, the Rays managed to hold on and win Game 7, knocking off the defending American League champions to advance to the World Series for the first time since2008.

Blake Snell pitched five solid innings as the Rays took Game 1 narrowly. Former AstroCharlie Morton outdueled his old teammate inLance McCullers Jr. in a pitcher’s duel in Game 2 as the Rays took a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, the Astros took an early lead, but it was erased by a 5–1 run by the Rays in the sixth inning as they took a commanding three games to none series lead. However, the Rays weren’t out of the woods just yet.Jose Altuve andGeorge Springer both homered in a 4–3 Astros win in Game 4. Springer andCarlos Correa homered for the Astros in an identical 4-3 victory in Game 5. The Astros pitching overwhelmed Snell in Game 6 as they managed to force a seventh game. However, the Astros wouldn’t make history as the Rays jumped out to a 4–0 lead thanks to home runs fromMike Zunino andRandy Arozarena and maintained it to win 4–2 and clinch the pennant, surviving a scare.

The Astros would win the pennantthe next year over theBoston Red Sox in six games before falling in the World Series, and in2022 over theNew York Yankees in a sweep en route to a World Series title.

As of 2025, this is the last time the Rays won the AL pennant, and the last time aFlorida-based team won a league pennant.

Los Angeles won the series, 4–3.

This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Braves and Dodgers (1996,2013,2018), and their first postseason meeting outside of the NLDS. The Dodgers overcame a 3–1 series deficit to defeat the Braves in seven games and return to the World Series for the third time in the past four years.

Freddie Freeman,Austin Riley, andOzzie Albies all homered for the Braves as they took Game 1. Game 2 was a shootout between both teams’ offenses, which was won by the Braves as Freeman and Albies hit more home runs. In Game 3, the Dodgers blew out the Braves by twelve runs as five players -Joc Pederson,Max Muncy (who hit a grand slam),Edwin Ríos,Corey Seager, andCody Bellinger - all hit home runs. The Dodgers’ twelve run margin of victory was the third largest in a LCS game, surpassing their eleven-run margin of victory in Game 4 of the1974 NLCS. The Braves responded with a blowout victory of their own in Game 4, as the Atlanta offense chasedClayton Kershaw from the mound. However, their lead wouldn’t hold. The Dodgers held on to win in Game 5 to stay alive in the series.Walker Buehler pitched six solid innings andKenley Jansen got the save as the Dodgers narrowly won to force a seventh game. In Game 7, the Braves lead 2–0 after two innings after a solo home run fromDansby Swanson, but the Dodgers rallied with a 4–1 run across the next five innings to take the lead for good and secure the pennant.

This was the first of what is currently three NL pennants the Dodgers won during the 2020s decade - they would next win the pennant in2024 over theNew York Mets in six games, and in2025 they won the pennant in a sweep over theMilwaukee Brewers.

Both teams would meet again in the NLCSthe next year, and with Joc Pederson having switched sides, the Braves won in six games en route to a World Series title.

Los Angeles won the series, 4–2.

This was the first World Series ever played at a neutral site. The Dodgers defeated the Rays in six games to win their first World Series title since1988 and seventh overall.

Clayton Kershaw pitched six solid innings as the Dodgers blew out the Rays in Game 1. In Game 2, behindBrandon Lowe’s two home runs, the Rays evened the series.Walker Buehler pitched six solid innings as the Dodgers regained the series lead in Game 3. In Game 4, the Rays prevailed in a back-and-forth slugfest to even the series at two on a walk-off error committed by the Dodgers’Max Muncy in the bottom of the ninth, which scoredRandy Arozarena. Kershaw earned his second win of the series as the Dodgers won Game 5 to come within one game of the title. In Game 6, the Rays held a 1–0 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning when Rays’ managerKevin Cash removed starting pitcherBlake Snell from the mound and replaced him with relief pitcherNick Anderson. The decision proved to be fatal for the Rays, as the Dodgers scored three unanswered runs in the bottom of the sixth and eighth innings to secure the title.

With the win, theGreater Los Angeles area had bothNBA andMLB champions in the same season or calendar year, as theLos Angeles Lakers won the2020 NBA Finals as well. This was the first time since 1988 that theDodgers andLakers brought championships toLos Angeles in the same season or calendar year. This was the first of what is currently three World Series championships won by the Dodgers during the 2020s decade - they would win it again in2024 over theNew York Yankees in five games, and in2025 they repeated as champions against theToronto Blue Jays in seven games after being two outs away from elimination in Game 7.

As of 2025, this remains the last postseason appearance outside of the divisional round for the Rays, and this is the last World Series to feature a team fromFlorida.

This was seventh year of eight-year U.S. TV contracts withESPN,Fox Sports, andTBS. With the temporary expansion to a 16-team playoff format, Wild Card Series games aired across TBS, ESPN,ESPN2, andABC. This marked the first time that ABC had MLB playoff games since1995,^[76] and the first time since 2006 that the network began using theESPN on ABC branding.Fox Sports 1 andMLB Network then split the National League Division Series, and theFox broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 split the National League Championship Series. TBS had the American League Division Series, and Championship Series. The World Series then aired on the Fox broadcast network for the 21st consecutive year.

• League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings - 2020

• 2020 Major League Baseball season
• Major League Baseball postseason

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from July 2022