The MLB: A Comprehensive Guide
Richard WeissKey Takeaways
- Major League Baseball has 30 clubs: 15 in the American League and 15 in the National League, with three divisions of five teams in each league.
- Each team plays 162 regular-season games. The 2026 regular season ran from March 25 to September 27, 2026.
- The postseason has 12 teams, six per league: three division winners and three Wild Card teams.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series over the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3. The 2026 postseason is in the Division Series round as of October 6, 2026.
- Topps, owned by Fanatics, holds the exclusive MLB trading card license.
Table of Contents
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the top professional baseball league in the United States and Canada. It has 30 clubs split evenly between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), and each club plays 162 regular-season games. Below are all 30 teams by division, how the schedule and playoffs work, and who makes MLB trading cards today.
MLB at a Glance
MLB has 30 member clubs, 29 in the United States and one in Canada (the Toronto Blue Jays). The National League dates to 1876 and the American League to 1901. Each league has 15 teams in three divisions: East, Central and West. The commissioner is Robert D. Manfred Jr.
MLB Teams by Division
Team names, ballparks and locations below match the league's own team directory as of October 6, 2026. Three changes since this guide was first written: Cleveland now plays as the Guardians, the Athletics dropped Oakland from their name and play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, and several ballparks have new names (Rate Field, Daikin Park, loanDepot park).
American League
| Division | Team | Ballpark | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL East | Baltimore Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore, MD |
| AL East | Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | Boston, MA |
| AL East | New York Yankees | Yankee Stadium | Bronx, NY |
| AL East | Tampa Bay Rays | Tropicana Field | St. Petersburg, FL |
| AL East | Toronto Blue Jays | Rogers Centre | Toronto, ON |
| AL Central | Chicago White Sox | Rate Field | Chicago, IL |
| AL Central | Cleveland Guardians | Progressive Field | Cleveland, OH |
| AL Central | Detroit Tigers | Comerica Park | Detroit, MI |
| AL Central | Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium | Kansas City, MO |
| AL Central | Minnesota Twins | Target Field | Minneapolis, MN |
| AL West | Athletics | Sutter Health Park | West Sacramento, CA |
| AL West | Houston Astros | Daikin Park | Houston, TX |
| AL West | Los Angeles Angels | Angel Stadium | Anaheim, CA |
| AL West | Seattle Mariners | T-Mobile Park | Seattle, WA |
| AL West | Texas Rangers | Globe Life Field | Arlington, TX |
National League
| Division | Team | Ballpark | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL East | Atlanta Braves | Truist Park | Atlanta, GA |
| NL East | Miami Marlins | loanDepot park | Miami, FL |
| NL East | New York Mets | Citi Field | Flushing, NY |
| NL East | Philadelphia Phillies | Citizens Bank Park | Philadelphia, PA |
| NL East | Washington Nationals | Nationals Park | Washington, DC |
| NL Central | Chicago Cubs | Wrigley Field | Chicago, IL |
| NL Central | Cincinnati Reds | Great American Ball Park | Cincinnati, OH |
| NL Central | Milwaukee Brewers | American Family Field | Milwaukee, WI |
| NL Central | Pittsburgh Pirates | PNC Park | Pittsburgh, PA |
| NL Central | St. Louis Cardinals | Busch Stadium | St. Louis, MO |
| NL West | Arizona Diamondbacks | Chase Field | Phoenix, AZ |
| NL West | Colorado Rockies | Coors Field | Denver, CO |
| NL West | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles, CA |
| NL West | San Diego Padres | Petco Park | San Diego, CA |
| NL West | San Francisco Giants | Oracle Park | San Francisco, CA |
MLB Schedule Overview
Each team plays 162 regular-season games. The 2026 schedule shows how the calendar is laid out:
- Opening Night: March 25, 2026, Yankees at Giants at Oracle Park.
- Opening Day: March 26, 2026. The league called it the earliest traditional Opening Day in Major League history, not counting special and international openers.
- All-Star Game: July 14, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
- Final day of the regular season: September 27, 2026.
MLB Playoffs and the World Series
The MLB postseason is not single elimination. The current format, introduced in 2022, has 12 teams, six from each league: the three division winners and three Wild Card teams.
- Wild Card Series: best of three. The No. 3 seed plays No. 6 and No. 4 plays No. 5. The top two seeds in each league get a bye.
- Division Series: best of five.
- League Championship Series: best of seven.
- World Series: best of seven between the AL and NL champions.
As of October 6, 2026, the 2026 postseason is in the Division Series round, so the most recent champion is the 2025 winner. The New York Yankees hold the record with 27 World Series titles.
| Year | Champion | Opponent | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Toronto Blue Jays | 4-3 |
| 2024 | Los Angeles Dodgers | New York Yankees | 4-1 |
| 2023 | Texas Rangers | Arizona Diamondbacks | 4-1 |
| 2022 | Houston Astros | Philadelphia Phillies | 4-2 |
| 2021 | Atlanta Braves | Houston Astros | 4-2 |
Who Makes MLB Trading Cards?
Topps, owned by Fanatics, holds the exclusive MLB trading card license. The 2026 baseball calendar included 2026 Topps Series 1 (February 11), 2026 Bowman (May 13) and 2026 Topps Chrome (July 22), with 2026 Topps Update Series set for October 14, 2026. See every date in our 2026 sports card release calendar.
New to the hobby? Start with what a rookie card and a 1st Bowman are, then browse our baseball cards. For the record sales, see the top 10 most valuable baseball cards of all time. We also have guides to the NBA and the NFL.
Sources
- MLB team directory: ballpark names and addresses (MLB.com)
- About MLB (MLB.com)
- MLB announces 2026 regular season schedule (MLB.com)
- MLB playoff format FAQ (MLB.com)
- 2026 MLB postseason schedule (MLB.com)
- World Series history (MLB.com)
- Major League Baseball (Wikipedia)
- Fanatics-owned Topps and its league licenses (FOX Sports)
Shop the Setup
Gear from this article — custom-printed and shipped in 2–4 business days.
