One of the biggest changes to come to Major League Baseball this year was an expanded postseason, which significantly increased the number of teams that advanced to October.
Sixteen clubs, split evenly from the American League and National League, had an opportunity to play their way to winning the World Series, as opposed to the usual 10 in a normal season.
The new format — introducing a Wild Card Series — allowed teams such as the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins to end long postseason droughts. It also resulted in additional TV revenue for the league, which was important given the lack of gate revenue this season.