Are the MLB Wild Card Series the best three? Why the first-round format should favor higher seeds – but so far it hasn't

The entire month of October is full of baseball drama, but nothing stirs up the chaos like the Wild Card Series.

The introduction of the one-game wild card format in 2012 gave MLB something it had never seen before, and the results were special. From an umpiring controversy in 2012 to a walk-off home run in 2016, the format has worked.

The expanded postseason in 2022 eliminated the single-elimination Wild Card Game format, but the newer structure arguably invites even more drama. This could be the postseason that unlocks it.

Here's what you need to know about the length of the Wild Card Series.

SN's MLB Headquarters: Live MLB scores | Updated MLB Rankings | Complete MLB schedule

How long is the MLB Wild Card Series?

The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three format where the first team with two wins advances. All three games of each series are played at one location, so the away team's only hope of playing postseason games at their stadium is to advance.

A best-of-three game isn't as compelling as a winner-take-all game, but the league had a reason to implement the change. With the expanded six-team postseason, the third-best division winner will face the lowest wild card seed in the first round. The MLB did not want to force a division winner into a one-game playoff to determine their season.

Instead, MLB can overlap four different series (two in the AL and two in the NL) that are still short enough to generate plenty of excitement.

And since each series only consists of three games, a winner-take-all game is still a real possibility. With four series running at the same time, there's a good chance there will be at least one crucial Game 3 on Thursday.

However, that has not been the case so far. In 2022 we only saw one series go the distance, and in 2023 all four series were sweeps. Is this just a coincidence or is the dynamic really that important? This season could provide the answer.

Road teams in the Wild Card Series

Success on the road is another trend of the Wild Card Series in its current format.

The road teams entered 2024 with an 11-7 record in Wild Card Series games and extended that record with a 3-0 start to the postseason on Tuesday.

Overall, road teams have won five of eight Wild Card Series in the current format. That percentage could rise if the away teams that won Game 1 this year finish their work.

MORE: How Jose Altuve can break the all-time postseason home run record

Here are the Wild Card Series results since the format was introduced in 2022:

The Tigers, Royals and Mets all won on Tuesday and threaten to extend the disappointment of the home teams and higher seeds in the Wild Card Series.