How Many Games Does a Baseball Season Involve?
Baseball is a highly popular sport in many countries around the world, primarily the United States, Canada and Japan. But how many games does a baseball season actually involve?
Regular Season
The most common baseball season, known as the regular season, typically involves 162 games taking place over a six-month period, April through September. 162 games allows each team to play the same number of games against all the other teams in their league, generating fair and balanced standings at completion.
Postseason
The teams that finish in the top divisions of their respective leagues then go on to the playoffs, known as the postseason. How many games are played in the postseason depends on which series you are talking about. For example, the National League Division Series (NLDS) consists of a 5-game series and the American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a 7-game series.
World Series
Finally, the end of the postseason is the World Series which is a best-of-seven series that determines the champion club of Major League Baseball. It always takes place in the fall and is the most important series of them all.
Total Number of Games Played
Summing up, an entire Major League Baseball season can consist of anywhere from 172 to 219 games depending on whether or not the teams involved reach the World Series, but the typical amount of regular season games is 162.
Key Points:
- Regular season: 162 games
- Postseason: can vary from 5- to 7-game series
- World Series: best-of-seven series
- Total games played: 172 to 219 games
