2012 Major League Baseball postseason

Tournament details
Dates	October 5–28, 2012[1]
Teams	10
Final positions
Champions	San Francisco Giants (7th title)
Runners-up	Detroit Tigers
Tournament statistics
MostHRs	Pablo Sandoval (SF) (6)
MostSBs	Carlos Beltrán (STL) &Nate McLouth (BAL) (3)
MostKs (as pitcher)	Justin Verlander (DET) (29)
Awards
MVP	Pablo Sandoval (SF)
← 2011 2013 →

The2012 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament ofMajor League Baseball for the2012 season. The winners of theDivision Series moved on to theLeague Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in theWorld Series. A new Wild Card Game was introduced as the opening round of the postseason, which features the #4 and #5 seeds of each league, and the winner faced the team with the best record in the Division Series, marking the first expansion of the postseason since1995. As a result of this new format, two teams from the same division can now meet in theDivision Series. In the past (from 1995–2011), if the team with the best record in their league and the wild card resided in the same division, the wild card would instead be assigned to face the second-seeded division champion while the team with the best record in their league to face the third-seeded division champion. This meant that the only way two teams in the same division could meet in the postseason would be the League Championship Series, provided both teams won their respective Division Series.^[2][3][4]

In the American League, theNew York Yankees made their seventeenth postseason appearance of the past eighteen years, theDetroit Tigers returned for the second year in a row, theOakland Athletics made their first appearance since2006, theTexas Rangers returned for the third straight time, and theBaltimore Orioles made their first postseason appearance since1997.

In the National League, theSan Francisco Giants andCincinnati Reds returned for the second time in three years, theSt. Louis Cardinals made their second straight appearance, theAtlanta Braves returned for the second time in three years, and theWashington Nationals ended over three decades of futility by making their first postseason appearance since1981 (when they were originally theMontreal Expos), ending what was the longest postseason drought in the majors since the 1969 expansion.^[5]

This is the last edition of the postseason to not feature theLos Angeles Dodgers, who would start a streak of what is currentlythirteen straight postseason appearances the next season.

The postseason began on October 5, 2012, and ended on October 28, 2012, with the Giants sweeping the Tigers in the2012 World Series. It was the second title in three years for the Giants and their seventh overall.

For the first time in the history of the Division Series, all four series went the maximum five games.^[6]

This is the last postseason in which the defending champions made the postseason in a leap year.^[7][8][9]

With the addition of the Wild Card Game, the three division winners all gained a first-round bye. The fourth and fifth seeded teams of each league would play in the Wild Card game to determine the winner who played the top seed in each league.

Yankees

Tigers

Rangers

Athletics

Orioles

Nationals

Reds

Giants

Braves

Cardinals

American League Teams National League Teams

The following teams qualified for the postseason:

1. New York Yankees – 95–67,AL East champions^[10]
2. Oakland Athletics – 94–68,AL West champions^[11]
3. Detroit Tigers – 88–74,AL Central champions^[12]
4. Texas Rangers – 93–69 (5–2 head-to-head record vs. BAL)^[13]
5. Baltimore Orioles – 93–69 (2–5 head-to-head record vs. TEX)^[14]

1. Washington Nationals – 98–64,NL East champions^[15]
2. Cincinnati Reds – 97–65,NL Central champions^[16]
3. San Francisco Giants – 94–68,NL West champions^[17]
4. Atlanta Braves – 94–68^[18]
5. St. Louis Cardinals – 88–74^[19]

This was the first postseason meeting between the Orioles and Rangers. The Orioles defeated the two-time defending American League champion Rangers in the inaugural AL Wild Card game to return to the ALDS for the first time since1997.

Both teams would meet again in the ALDS in2023, which would be won by the Rangers in a sweep en route to a World Series title.

This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Braves. The Cardinals defeated the Braves in the inaugural Wild Card Game to advance to the NLDS for the second year in a row.

Both teams would meet again in the NLDS in2019, which the Cardinals won.

New York won the series, 3–2.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Yankees and Orioles. They last met in the ALCS in1996, which the Yankees won in five games en route to starting a World Series dynasty. The Yankees once again defeated the Orioles in a tightly-contested series to advance to the ALCS for the sixth time in twelve years.

CC Sabathia pitched 82⁄3 solid innings as the Yankees took Game 1. In Game 2, the Yankees took an early lead, but a two-run RBI single fromChris Davis in the bottom of the third put the Orioles in the lead for good as they evened the series heading to the Bronx. Games 3 and 4 were both long extra-inning affairs — in Game 3, the Yankees rallied in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game thanks to a solo home run fromRaúl Ibañez, and then he did it again on the first pitch in the bottom of the twelfth to give the Yankees the series lead. Game 4 was another long extra-inning affair that lasted thirteen innings — the game remained scoreless for six innings after the bottom of the sixth, untilManny Machado helped the Orioles even the series by scoring on an RBI double fromJ. J. Hardy. The Yankees would ultimately close out the series in Game 5 as Sabathia pitched a four-hit complete game.

Detroit won the series, 3–2.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Athletics and Tigers. Despite blowing a 2–0 series lead, the Tigers defeated the Athletics in five games to advance to the ALCS for the second year in a row and third in the last seven years.

Justin Verlander and the Tigers' bullpen secured the first game, while in Game 2 the Tigers prevailed in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a sacrifice fly fromDon Kelly. When the series shifted to Oakland,Brett Anderson helped the Athletics shut out the Tigers in Game 3, and then rallied with three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 to even the series. However, Verlander would pitch a four-hit complete game shutout in Game 5 as the Tigers won 6–0 to close out the series.

This series was an inversion of the1972 ALCS between both teams. In that ALCS, the Athletics took the first two games at home, and while the Tigers evened the series in Detroit, fell by one run in Game 5.

Both teams would meet in the ALDS againthe next year, with the same result as this series.

St. Louis won the series, 3–2.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Nationals. The Cardinals rallied late in Game 5 to upset the MLB-best Nationals and advance to the NLCS for the second year in a row and sixth time in the last ten years.

The Nationals rallied to take Game 1 on the road thanks to a two-run RBI fromTyler Moore in the top of the eighth. In Game 2, the Cardinals blew out the Nationals to even the series headed to Washington. In the first postseason game in the nation’s capital since1933, the Nationals would disappoint asChris Carpenter pitched nearly six innings of shutout ball in another Cardinals’ blowout win, and looked poised to close out the series. However, the Nationals responded. Game 4 was tied going into the bottom of the ninth, untilJayson Werth hit a walk-off solo home run to give the Nationals the victory and force a decisive fifth game. In Game 5, the Nationals held a 7–5 lead in the top of the ninth and were one out away from advancing to the NLCS for the first time in31 years. However, the Nationals' bullpen imploded, as they gave up four unanswered runs as the Cardinals took the lead for good. The Cardinals then closed out the series in the bottom of the ninth to advance. The Cardinals set the record for the largest deficit a team overcame to win a winner-take-all game at six runs.

With the win, the Cardinals became the first fifth-seeded team to knock off a number one seed in the Division Series. Both teams would meet again in the NLCS in2019, which was won by the Nationals in a sweep en route to a World Series title.

San Francisco won the series, 3–2.

The Giants overcame a two games to none series deficit to defeat the Reds in five games and advance to the NLCS for the second time in three years.

Home runs fromBrandon Phillips andJay Bruce helped the Reds steal Game 1 on the road to win their first postseason game since1995. In Game 2,Bronson Arroyo outdueled San Francisco aceMadison Bumgarner as the Reds blew out the Giants to take a 2–0 series lead headed to Cincinnati, handing Bumgarner his worst postseason loss ever. When the series moved to Cincinnati, the Giants narrowly prevailed in an extra-inning Game 3 to avoid elimination. In Game 4, the Giants blew out the Reds to force a decisive fifth game. Then in Game 5, the Giants jumped out to a 6–0 lead, andSergio Romo stopped a late rally by the Reds to preserve a two-run victory, completing the Giants’ comeback.

The Giants were the second team to lose thefirst two games at home in a best-of-five series. However, the Giants became the first to accomplish the feat by winning all three elimination games on the road.

To date, this is the last postseason appearance outside of the Wild Card round for the Reds.

Detroit won the series, 4–0.

†: postponed from October 17 due to rain

This was the third postseason meeting between the Tigers and Yankees (2006,2011). The Tigers swept the Yankees to advance to the World Series for the first time since2006 (in the process denying a rematch of the1962 World Series between the Yankees and Giants).

DespiteRaúl Ibañez’s efforts to help the Yankees force extra innings, the Tigers managed to take Game 1 on the road after a grueling twelve-inning contest thanks to an RBI single fromAndy Dirks. Game 1 would ultimately beDerek Jeter’s final postseason game, as he missed the rest of the series due to a season ending injury to his left ankle. In Game 2, the Tigers shut out the Yankees thanks to seven shutout innings pitched byAníbal Sánchez andPhil Coke shutting out the Yankees in the eighth and ninth. In Detroit,Justin Verlander helped secure a narrow victory for the Tigers in Game 3 as he took a shutout into the ninth. In Game 4, the Tigers blew out the Yankees to secure the pennant. Game 4 would ultimately beIchiro Suzuki’s final postseason game.

This was the last time the Yankees were swept in the ALCS until2022. The Yankees returned to the ALCS in2017,2019, and 2022, but they would lose all three to theHouston Astros. It would be in2024 that the Yankees would finally break through once more, as they defeated the now-Cleveland Guardians in five games for the pennant before falling in the World Series.

With the win, the Tigers improved their postseason record against the Yankees to 3–0, and became the first team ever to win three consecutive postseason series against the Yankees. The Tigers returned to the ALCSthe next year, but they fell to the eventual World Series championBoston Red Sox in six games. As of 2026, this is the last time the Tigers won the AL pennant, and is the most recent conference championship won by a Detroit-based team.

San Francisco won the series, 4–3.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Giants. They had split the previous two meetings, in1987 (Cardinals victory), and2002 (Giants victory). The Giants overcame a 3–1 series deficit to defeat the defending World Series champion Cardinals in seven games, returning to the World Series for the second time in three years (in the process denying a rematch of the2006 World Series between the Cardinals and Tigers).

The Cardinals stole Game 1 on the road, whileRyan Vogelsong helped the Giants blow out the Cardinals in Game 2 with a solid seven-inning pitching performance. In St. Louis, the Cardinals narrowly prevailed in Game 3, andAdam Wainwright had a solid seven-inning performance in Game 4 as the Cardinals won by a convincing 8–3 score to take a 3–1 series lead. However, the Cardinals failed to maintain the lead.Barry Zito pitched eight shutout innings as the Giants won 5–0 to send the series back to San Francisco. Vogelsong again helped keep the Cardinals offense at bay in Game 6 to force a seventh game. The Giants blew out the Cardinals in Game 7 to clinch the pennant. This was the Game 7 ever won by the Giants in franchise history.

With this win, the Giants moved up to 2–1 against the Cardinals in the postseason. The Giants became the first team in MLB history to overcome both a 2–0 and 3–1 series deficit in the Division Series and League Championship Series respectively to reach the World Series. The Giants and Cardinals would meet one more time in the NLCS in2014, which the Giants won in five games en route to their most recent title and capping off a dynasty of three World Series titles in five years.

The Cardinals returned to the NLCSthe next year, and defeated theLos Angeles Dodgers in six games for their most recent pennant, but they came up short in the World Series.

San Francisco won the series, 4–0.

This was the Giants' fifth World Series matchup against a team from the currentAmerican League Central Division. Previously they had faced the White Sox in1917 (won by the White Sox), theTwins/Senators in1924 (won by the Senators), and1933 (won by the Giants), and the Indians in1954 (won by the Giants).

The Tigers were considered as the favorite to win the title even though the Giants had the better record and home-field advantage.^[55] Despite havingTriple Crown winnerMiguel Cabrera, and the top two pitchers in the American League inJustin Verlander andMax Scherzer, the heavily-favored Tigers were shockingly swept by the Giants, who won their second title in three years and seventh overall.^[56]

The Giants chased Verlander from the mound in a blowout victory in Game 1 which includedPablo Sandoval hitting three home runs. In Game 2,Madison Bumgarner out-dueledDoug Fister on the mound as the Giants won 2-0 to take a 2–0 series lead headed to Detroit. In Game 3,Ryan Vogelsong out-dueledAníbal Sánchez as the Giants again won by a 2-0 score to take a commanding three games to none series lead. In Game 4, the Tigers finally showed signs of life, as a two-run home run by Cabrera in the bottom of the third gave the Tigers their first lead of the series, and thenDelmon Young hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth which ended up forcing extras. However,Marco Scutaro hit an RBI single in the top of the tenth that put the Giants in the lead for good, andSergio Romo pitched a one-two-three tenth, striking out Cabrera for the title. This was the third straight World Series win by the National League. As of 2026, this is the most recent World Series to end in a sweep.

This was the first time the Tigers had been swept in the World Series since their first appearance in1907, and the first time they lost the World Series at home since1934. As of 2026, this is the last appearance by aDetroit-based team in the championship round in either one of thefour major North American sports leagues.

With the win, the Giants moved up to 3–2 against AL Central teams in the World Series. The Giants would return to the World Series in2014 to face another AL Central team in theKansas City Royals, who they defeated in seven games for their most recent championship, capping off a dynasty of three titles in five years.

This was the sixth postseason under a seven-year U.S. rights agreement withFox andTBS. Under the original contract, TBS was awarded allDivision Series games, with sister networkTNT used as an overflow channel. It was then agreed to give the two new Wild Card games to TBS/TNT, and, in exchange, award the league-ownedMLB Network the rights to televise two Division Series games. TBS also had theAmerican League Championship Series. Fox televised theNational League Championship Series and theWorld Series.

• League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings - 2012

• 2012 Major League Baseball season
• Major League Baseball postseason

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