There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the single elimination , the best-of- series, the total points series more commonly known as on aggregate , and the round-robin tournament .
102-636: The American League Championship Series ( ALCS ) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball 's (MLB) postseason . The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and advances to the World Series , MLB's championship series, to play the winner of the National League 's (NL) Championship Series . The ALCS began in 1969 as
204-420: A third place playoff , a single match to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing in third and fourth place. The teams that compete in such third place games are usually the two losing semifinalists in a particular tournament. Although these semifinalists are still in effect "eliminated" from contending for the championship, they may be competing for a bronze medal , like some tournaments in
306-543: A Silver Slugger Award for pitchers was awarded in the National League (except in 2020). The Hank Aaron Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball players selected as the top hitter in each league, as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It was introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron surpassing Babe Ruth 's 714 career home runs . The award
408-525: A best-of- x series, as it may yield long waits for the teams winning the bye, while the teams that played in the earlier rounds would be spent when they reach the later rounds. The Big East men's basketball tournament used this format in a 16-team, five-round format. The PBA Tour uses a four-player, three-round format (sometimes a five-player, four-round format). College leagues in the Philippines use this format (four teams, three rounds) only if there
510-561: A best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to its current best-of-seven format. Prior to 1969, the American League champion (the " pennant winner ") was determined by the best win–loss record at the end of the regular season. There was one ad hoc single-game playoff held, in 1948 , due to a tie under this formulation. The ALCS started in 1969, when the AL reorganized into two divisions, East and West . The winners of each division played each other in
612-619: A best-of-five series to determine who would advance to the World Series. In 1985, the format changed to best-of-seven. In 1981, a division series was held due to a split season caused by a players' strike . In 1994, the league was restructured into three divisions, with the three division winners and a Wild Card team advancing to a best-of-five postseason round, known as the American League Division Series (ALDS). The winners of that round then advanced to
714-405: A bye through to week 3 of the tournament to play home preliminary finals, while the losers play home semi-finals in week 2. The bottom four teams play the two elimination finals, where the winners advance to week 2 away games and the losers' seasons are over. The specific advantages gained by finishing in higher positions on the league table are as follows: First and second – These teams receive
816-412: A competition that often uses the stepladder system. The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) uses a double stepladder for its playoffs, giving the top two teams a bye to the semifinals, the third and fourth-place teams a bye to the quarterfinals, and the fifth and sixth-placed teams a bye to the second round. The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) also used a stepladder bracket for the playoffs, while
918-427: A double-elimination format send only the top eight teams, or a mix of top teams plus the winners of a single-elimination qualifier tournament, to their conference tournament. The NCAA baseball and softball tournaments have used the format since its inception for regional and College World Series play. The Little League World Series adopted a new format in 2010 that involves four double-elimination brackets. In 2010,
1020-506: A four-team group. In this usage, the format is referred to as "GSL", after the Global StarCraft II League . Dota 2 competitions often use a GSL or round-robin group stage to seed teams into a double-elimination bracket. Super Smash Bros. tournaments, as well as other fighting game competitions, typically use an open double-elimination bracket with no preceding group stage or qualifiers. The Mideast regional of
1122-525: A higher-ranked team always beats a lower-ranked team, the second game will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.; the third will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 4, No. 2 vs. No. 3; the fourth will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 2. The brackets are fixed, meaning teams are not re-seeded between rounds. In association football , the World Cup uses single-elimination knockout rounds after a round-robin group stage. The Champions League and Europa League do
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#17327661954471224-482: A minimum of 100 at bats at DH are eligible. The Associated Press discontinued the award in 2000, but it was picked up by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, which has administered it since. Until 2019 , and in 2021 , use of the designated hitter was allowed only in the American League (AL). In 2020 and since 2022 , the designated hitter has been allowed in the National League (NL), in addition to
1326-399: A more traditional playoff system in 2021. The video game Rocket League had a competition that used the stepladder system. The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Winter Split in the 2022–23 season used a Round Robin group stage where places 2 and 3 would go to round 1 of the playoffs , while first place would go to the quarterfinals. The RLCS Season 8 World Championship also used
1428-479: A player's overall offensive value". As with the Gold Glove, the prize is presented to outfielders irrespective of their specific position, and an additional award is presented to a utility player in each league. Pitchers do not receive a Silver Slugger Award; an award is given to one designated hitter in each league, instead. Prior to 2022, when the designated hitter was permanently allowed across both leagues,
1530-562: A playoff finals known as the final series. The Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Super League also uses a type of single elimination where the top two teams get byes into the semifinals while the other four teams play in two eliminators like this: Although the Indian Super League follows the UEFA champions league style of two legs in their semi finals. The 2007 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage: The "stepladder", named because
1632-517: A pure knockout format was adopted beginning in 2013 . In the modern top-six system, the first round consists of knockout matches involving No. 3 vs No. 6 and No. 4 vs No. 5, with the No. 1 and No. 2 teams receiving a bye into the next round. After those matches, the format is identical to the Page playoff system. The A-League's former system had the top two teams participating in a two-legged match instead of
1734-570: A single Delivery Man of the Year Award , for one pitcher in all of MLB, from 2005 through 2013. The Delivery Man award was developed as part of a sponsorship agreement between MLB and package delivery company DHL Express . There was also a Delivery Man of the Month Award issued for each month of the regular season from 2005 from 2013. In 2017, MLB began a Reliever of the Month Award , for one pitcher in each league, issued for each month of
1836-576: A stepladder bracket. There were 2 groups of 6, and they were double elimination . The groups were also stepladders. 4 teams started in the Winner's Quarterfinal, while 2 teams started in the winner's semifinal. If a team won the winner's final, they went to the semifinal of the playoffs. If they got second (by losing the winner's final), or won the loser's final, they would go to the quarterfinal. See 2023 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament * denotes overtime period A double-elimination format
1938-455: A trophy: a gold baseball sitting atop a silver trophy base. The award has been presented thirteen times by Commissioner Bud Selig : eleven times to players, once to a team, and once to a non-player. The award is most often presented for breaking a Major League Baseball record; it has been presented three times to players who broke the single-season home run record ( Sammy Sosa , Mark McGwire , and Barry Bonds ). Other record-breakers to receive
2040-487: A two-game total-points series over two weekends (the two-game total point series was used as the CFL's playoff format prior to 1973), while the four Western teams played a single-elimination playoff over the same timeframe. The CFL eventually amended this format into the present "crossover rule" in 1997 so as to allow a qualifying fourth-place team to compete as the third-place team in the other divisional bracket, thereby preserving
2142-607: Is Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants . The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, one each for the American and National Leagues. The award was first introduced in 1956 by Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young , who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in
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#17327661954472244-437: Is an undefeated team, and if there are seven teams or more participating. Otherwise for tournaments of seven or more teams where no team won all games, it uses a single-elimination two-round, four teams format. While Nippon Professional Baseball 's Climax Series has been called a "stepladder" playoff with only three participating teams (in two rounds), it functions mostly as a single-elimination tournament with three teams, and
2346-586: Is announced during the Winter Meetings . The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National and American Leagues, as voted by the managers and coaches in each league. Managers are not permitted to vote for their own players. Twenty Gold Gloves are awarded each year: one at each of
2448-715: Is given annually to the players deemed to have the most impact on their teams' performances in each of the two respective League Championship Series that comprise the penultimate round of the MLB postseason. This series has a best-of-seven playoff format, and currently follows the Division Series . The winners of the National League Championship Series and the American League Championship Series advance to
2550-421: Is given to the outstanding player in the ALCS. No MVP award is given for Division Series play. Although the National League began its LCS MVP award in 1977, the American League did not begin its LCS MVP award till 1980. The winners are listed in several locations: In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of wins, then by number of appearances, and finally by year of first appearance. In
2652-561: Is named for Warren Giles , who was league president from 1951 to 1969. Until 2017 the award was passed from champion to champion (like the NHL 's Stanley Cup , but unlike the American League) as opposed a new trophy being created each season. Starting in 2017, an identical trophy as the American League trophy was made, and a new trophy is now made each season. Warren's son Bill Giles , the honorary league president and former part-owner of
2754-701: Is one in which a participant ceases to be eligible to win the tournament's championship upon having lost two matches. The exact schedule shape will change depending on the number of teams per bracket. In the United States, a double-elimination format is used in most NCAA and high school baseball and softball tournaments. Starting in 2010 , the Little League World Series in baseball also adopted this format. Teams are eliminated from contention after incurring two losses in each round of play. Most major collegiate baseball conferences with
2856-428: Is structurally the same as a six-team, three-round playoff. The KBO League 's Korean Series , on the other hand, is considered a stepladder system: the teams that finish fourth and fifth place play a best-of-three series (the fourth-place team automatically given a 1–0 series lead), meaning that the fourth-place team need to win only one game to advance while the fifth place have to win two. The winner of that round faces
2958-717: Is to recognize a player's exemplary contributions in "both his community and philanthropy." The bestowal of the award is overseen by the headquarters of the Phi Delta Theta in Oxford, Ohio , and the name of each winner is inscribed onto the Lou Gehrig Award plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York . It is the only MLB award conferred by a fraternity . The most recent award winner
3060-624: Is voted on by 30 members of the BBWAA. Each places a vote for first, second, and third place among the managers of each league. The manager with the highest score in each league wins the award. In 1991, Bobby Cox became the first manager to win the award in both leagues, winning with the Atlanta Braves and having previously won with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1985. Tony La Russa , Lou Piniella , and Jim Leyland have since won
3162-476: The 1975 NCAA Division I baseball tournament : Some playoff systems combine the features of single- and double-elimination tournaments. In these systems, one or more higher-ranked teams have an opportunity to skip a round of the playoffs by winning their first match. Even if they lose that match, they can still advance to the championship final. Lower-ranked teams receive no such break. These are variations of systems developed by Australian lawyer Ken McIntyre for
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3264-450: The 1–2 match against the winner of the 3–4 match. The 2006 Tim Hortons Brier , Canada's national men's curling championship: McIntyre's first modification was an expansion to five teams. In this format, the first-round matches No. 2 v No. 3 and No. 4 v No. 5, with the No. 1 seed receiving a bye into the second round. The 4–5 match is played to eliminate one team, while the 2–3 match is played to determine which match they will play in
3366-439: The 2006 Bartercard Cup , the championship of New Zealand rugby league: McIntyre next developed two slightly different systems for six-team playoffs. In each system, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds played to determine the specific semifinal match in which they would compete, while the other four teams played knockout matches in the first week to eliminate two teams and determine the other two semifinal participants. The semifinal in which
3468-542: The 2019 season , honors the best players at each position across all of MLB. A panel consisting of media members, former players, and baseball officials selects the honorees; fan voting is also incorporated into the selection process, with the collective fan vote having the same weight as a single panel member. First and second teams are named, each consisting of one catcher, one player at each infield position, three outfielders regardless of position, five starting pitchers, two relievers, and one designated hitter. The All-MLB Team
3570-530: The Atlanta Braves in the National League . The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig , both on the field and off it. The award was created by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in honor of Gehrig, who was a member of the fraternity at Columbia University . It was first presented in 1955 , fourteen years after Gehrig's death. The award's purpose
3672-593: The Boston Red Sox . The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the player in Major League Baseball who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It is named for Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente . Originally known as the Commissioner's Award, it has been presented by Major League Baseball since 1971. In 1973,
3774-720: The Chicago White Sox owner of the 1930s. In 1987, it was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award, in honor of the 40th year since Robinson broke the baseball color line . Only two players, both in the American League, have been named Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year: Fred Lynn in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. The only Rookie of the Year to win the Cy Young Award in the same year was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. In 1947 and 1948, only one award
3876-722: The Cleveland Guardians . A new trophy is awarded each season. The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP) is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The MVP originated in 1910 as the Chalmers Award , sponsored by the Chalmers Automobile Company. Chalmers presented the award until 1914. The National and American Leagues presented their own "League Awards" from 1922 to 1929, after which
3978-472: The Grey Cup . The only exception to a strict single-elimination format since the early 1970s was in 1986 (for that season only), when the league amended its playoff format to allow a fourth-place team in one division to qualify in place of a third-place team with a worse record. That year, when only two East Division teams qualified—compared to four Western teams—the rules mandated the two Eastern teams play
4080-558: The Houston Astros , a National League team between 1962 and 2012, are the only franchises to play in both the ALCS and NLCS. The Astros are the only team to have won both an NLCS ( 2005 ) and an ALCS ( 2017 , 2019 , 2021 , and 2022 ). Every current American League franchise has appeared in the ALCS. The William Harridge Trophy is awarded to the ALCS champion. Will Harridge served as American League president from 1931 to 1959. The Lee MacPhail Most Valuable Player (MVP) award
4182-851: The League Championship Series , and the World Series. Offensive awards include the Silver Slugger Award and the Hank Aaron Award , while the Cy Young Award and Major League Baseball Reliever of the Year Award recognize pitching; the Rawlings Gold Glove Award is given for fielding. The newest award is the All-MLB Team , introduced in 2019 to honor the best players at each position across all of MLB. Before that time,
American League Championship Series - Misplaced Pages Continue
4284-719: The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and League of Legends Master Series (LMS) used it to determine the LCS and LMS third representatives at the League of Legends World Championship , which in this case was referred to as "The Gauntlet". The LCS scrapped the Gauntlet in 2020, while the LMS became the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) that year following a merger with Southeast Asia's scene. The LCK moved towards
4386-452: The Major League Baseball team that wins the World Series. The World Series is played between the champion clubs of the American League and the National League. The "modern" World Series has been played every year since 1903 with the exception of 1904, which was cancelled when the NL champion New York Giants declined to play the AL champion Boston Americans , and 1994, which was cancelled due to
4488-705: The National Hockey League 's Stanley Cup , the National Football League 's Vince Lombardi Trophy , and the National Basketball Association 's Larry O'Brien Trophy ). The current holders of the trophy are the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League, who won the 2024 World Series . The Warren C. Giles Trophy is presented annually to the champion of the National League. The award
4590-602: The New York Yankees to four in a row (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), and Dusty Baker , who led the Houston Astros to four in a row (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). The Astros (2017–2023) are also the only team in the American League to have made seven consecutive American League Championship Series appearances. Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland are the only managers to lead their teams to three consecutive League Championship Series appearances in both leagues. The Milwaukee Brewers , an American League team between 1969 and 1997, and
4692-478: The Olympic Games . Of the big four North American sports leagues , only the National Football League (NFL) uses a single-elimination system for all rounds of its postseason. Since the 2020 season, seven teams are seeded from each conference ( AFC and NFC ), with only the top team from each conference getting a first-round " bye ". The remaining six teams in each conference play against each other in
4794-612: The Philadelphia Phillies , presents the trophy to the National League champion at the conclusion of each National League Championship Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the current holders of the Giles Trophy after beating the New York Mets in the 2024 National League Championship Series . The William Harridge Trophy is the American League's counterpart to the Giles Trophy, and is presented each year to
4896-440: The players' strike . Baseball has employed various championship formulas since the 1860s. When the term "World Series" is used by itself, it is usually understood to refer to the "modern" World Series exclusively. The World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff . Best-of-seven has been the format of nearly all of the modern World Series, except 1903 and 1919–1921 which were best-of-nine. In addition to
4998-458: The wild-card round . The lowest-seeded winner plays the lone "bye" team, and the other two winners play against each other in the divisional round; the winners of those games facing each other in the conference championships. In all cases, the higher-seeded team plays at home. The winners of the conference championships then face each other in the Super Bowl for the league championship. Like
5100-414: The "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning appearances. Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff A single-elimination ("knockout") playoff pits the participants in one-game matches, with the loser being dropped from the competition. Single-elimination tournaments are often used in individual sports like tennis . In most tennis tournaments, the players are seeded against each other, and
5202-553: The AFL adopted a modified top-eight playoff in 2000 . The National Rugby League (NRL), Australia's top rugby league competition (also with a team in New Zealand), used this system from 1999 through 2011, after which it changed to the AFL system. The current AFL finals system breaks up the eight participants into four groups of two teams, ranked by their league position after regular-season play. Each group receives an advantage over
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#17327661954475304-471: The AL. In 2020, Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves was the first-ever winner of the award from the NL. The 2024 recipient of the annual award was Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers . The Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award is presented by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball to a group or individual who has made a "major impact on the sport" of baseball. The award consists of
5406-528: The American League champion. Prior to 2017, the trophy featured a golden eagle, the league's emblem, sitting atop a silver baseball and clutching the American League banner. Since 2017 , the trophy is all silver with a pennant on top. The trophy is named for Will Harridge , who was league president from 1931 to 1958. The New York Yankees are the current holders of the Harridge Trophy in honor of their 2024 American League Championship Series win over
5508-664: The BBWAA began to present an unofficial award. Since 1931, it has been officially presented by the BBWAA. It was officially called the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award until 2020, following complaints from past MVP winners about Landis's role in stonewalling racial integration. The most recent award winners are Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels in the American League and Ronald Acuña Jr. of
5610-520: The British rugby league. The League 1 playoff does not involve the top four teams; the team that tops the table after the Super 8s phase, which follows a single round-robin phase involving all league teams, is crowned champion and receives automatic promotion to the second-tier championship , while the next four teams contest a knockout playoff for the second promotion place. A nearly identical format, with
5712-456: The Commissioner's Trophy, each player on the winning team receives an individual World Series ring . The Commissioner's Trophy has been awarded to the Series winner since 1967. Recent trophy designs contain flags representing each team in each league. It is the only championship trophy of the four major sports in the United States that is not named after a particular person (contrasting with
5814-679: The MLS playoffs or Liga MX Liguilla , the A-League finals series uses one-off matches throughout, culminating in the A-League Grand Final . This format is a departure from norms in football codes in Australia; previously, the A-League used a hybrid elimination system that allowed top teams in the regular season to lose one finals match but still win the tournament. The Philippines Football League 's inaugural 2017 season also featured
5916-559: The NFL, the Canadian Football League (CFL) also uses one-game single-elimination playoffs, and has used them almost exclusively since the 1973 season. In the CFL, six teams qualify for the playoffs, divided into two divisional brackets of three teams each. The second-place teams in each division host the division semi-final, while the division winners each receive a bye to the division final. The division final winners play in
6018-550: The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball —present awards for such accomplishments as excellence in batting, pitching performance, fielding prowess, and community service. The Most Valuable Player Award , commonly known as the "MVP", is the oldest individual award, given in its current format since 1931. MVP awards are also presented for performances in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game ,
6120-534: The QF. William Harridge Trophy Major League Baseball presents a variety of annual awards and trophies to recognize both its teams and its players. Three team trophies are awarded annually: one each to the National League and American League champions, and one of the champion of the World Series . Additionally, various organizations—such as the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) and
6222-615: The U.S. division and the International division were split into two four-team pools, with each pool conducting a double-elimination tournament to determine its winner. After the end of double-elimination play, the U.S. pool winners play one another in single games, as do the International pool winners, with the losers playing a third-place game and the winners playing a final. This was altered in 2011 so that all eight U.S. teams and all eight international teams played in one large bracket each, with each bracket's winner playing each other for
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#17327661954476324-478: The Victorian Football League (VFL), the historic predecessor to today's Australian Football League (AFL), starting in 1931. This system, also bearing the name of its promoter Percy Page, is a four-team playoff first developed for Australian rules football . It has been used in many competitions in that sport and in rugby league , but is most prominent in softball and curling (which use
6426-419: The World Series. The 2024 award winners were Tommy Edman of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League and Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees in the American League. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to the most outstanding player in each year's MLB All-Star Game . Awarded each season since 1962 , it
6528-436: The Year Award is given annually to one player from each league, as voted upon by the BBWAA. The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA who alone selected a rookie of the year. Starting in 1947 , all members of the national BBWAA organization voted. Jackie Robinson was awarded the first official Rookie of the Year award. The award was originally known as the J. Louis Comiskey Memorial Award, after
6630-417: The award going to the player with the most overall points. The 2024 award winners are Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox in the American League and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves in the National League. The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player who most contributes to his team's success in the final round of the Major League Baseball post-season . The award
6732-424: The award in both leagues. Joe Girardi is the only manager to win the award with a fourth-place team (2006 Florida Marlins ); he is also the only manager to win the award after fielding a team with a losing record. The 2023 award winners are Brandon Hyde of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League and Skip Schumaker of the Miami Marlins in the National League. The All-MLB Team, introduced following
6834-551: The award include Ichiro Suzuki (hits in a single season), Cal Ripken Jr. (consecutive games played), Rickey Henderson (career stolen bases and career runs scored) and Mariano Rivera (career saves, both regular season and postseason; postseason ERA). The most recent recipient is Shohei Ohtani in 2021. The Major League Baseball Lifetime Pass is a pass gifted to players, managers, coaches, umpires, and league executives, and various other people of special interest which grants them lifetime attendance to any regular season game for
6936-465: The award was renamed after Clemente following his death in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake . Each year, a panel of baseball dignitaries selects 1 player from 30 nominees, one from each club. Teams choose their nominee during the regular season, and the winner is announced at the World Series . The player who receives the most votes online via MLB's official website, MLB.com , gets one vote in addition to
7038-407: The best-of-seven ALCS; however, due to the player's strike later that season, no postseason was played and the new format did not formally begin until 1995. The playoffs were expanded in 2012 to include a second Wild Card team and in 2022 to include a third Wild Card team. The ALCS and NLCS, since the expansion to best-of-seven, are always played in a 2–3–2 format: Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 are played in
7140-406: The bracket resembles a step ladder , is a variation of the single-elimination tournament; instead of the No. 1 seed facing the No. 16 seed in the first round, the bracket is constructed to give the higher seeded teams byes , where the No. 1 seed has bye up to the third (or fourth) round, playing the winner of game between the No. 8 seed and the No. 9-versus-No. 16 winner. This setup is seldom used in
7242-418: The championship, and each bracket's runner-up playing each other for third-place. All teams are guaranteed at least three games; the first team eliminated from each pool plays a "crossover game" that matches an eliminated U.S. team with an eliminated International team. Many esports , such as Counter-Strike and StarCraft , use a double-elimination bracket in competitions to determine the top two teams in
7344-513: The conference quarterfinals, which is best-of-three series. Liga MX in Mexico , which splits its season into two phases , uses playoffs known as the Liguilla to determine the champions of each phase. Unlike the MLS system, all Liguilla matches are two-legged ties. Australia 's A-League introduced a six-team knockout playoff, known locally as a "finals series", in the 2012–13 season . Unlike
7446-561: The double-chance, and play their first two finals matches at home—their Qualifying Final, and then either a Semi-final (should they lose the QF) or Preliminary Final (should they win the QF). They must win two finals matches to reach the grand final. Third and fourth – Like the top two teams, they receive the double-chance, and must win two finals matches to reach the grand final. However, they only get to play one finals match at home—a Semi-final if they lose their QF, or Preliminary Final if they win
7548-403: The first-place byes. In both the men's and women's NCAA college basketball tournaments, there are 68 teams seeded into four brackets of 16 teams each. Prior to the first round, eight teams (4 No. 16 seeds and 4 other seeds) play a play-in game to gain entry into the "main" bracket. In the first round, the No. 1 team plays the No. 16, the No. 2 plays the No. 15, and so on. Theoretically, if
7650-491: The major leagues, but after Frick's retirement in 1967, the award was given to one pitcher in each league. Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America , with two representatives from each team. The most recent award winners are Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees in the American League and Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres in the National League. The Rookie of
7752-516: The most recently established awards were the Major League Baseball Reliever of the Year Award and Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award , both established in 2005. Additionally, the Commissioner, at his discretion, can present an Historic Achievement Award for any great contribution to the sport that he deems worthy. The Commissioner's Trophy is presented each year by the Commissioner of Baseball to
7854-465: The name "Page playoff system"). The Indian Premier League , Pakistan Super League in Twenty20 cricket , and NBA play-in tournament use this format as well. In this system, the first round (sometimes called the "quarterfinals") matches No. 1 against No. 2 and No. 3 against No. 4. The winner of the 1–2 match advances directly to the final. The next round, known as the semifinal, pits the loser of
7956-500: The nine positions, plus one for a utility player, in each league. The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League , as determined by Major League Baseball's coaches and managers. These voters consider several offensive categories in selecting the winners, including batting average , slugging percentage , and on-base percentage , in addition to "coaches' and managers' general impressions of
8058-550: The only difference being that the knockout stage followed a full home-and-away league season, was used by the second level of France's rugby union system, Pro D2 , through the 2016–17 season. Since then, Pro D2 uses a six-team playoff with the winner earning automatic promotion to the Top 14 and the runner-up entering a playoff with the 13th-place team in Top 14 for the final place in the next season's Top 14. Some knockout tournaments include
8160-492: The points, while broadcasters' and analysts' votes account for the other 70%. The 2024 winners of the Hank Aaron Award are Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in the American League and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League. The Comeback Player of the Year Award is presented by MLB to the player who is judged to have "re-emerged on the baseball field during a given season." The award
8262-601: The present-day Super League in the UK and France. Many lower-level leagues in both Australian rules and rugby league still use the system. A variation of the five-team playoff system has been used by the Big Bash League since its 2019-20 seaeson . In the first round, the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams play each other and the winner goes to the next round as fourth while the loser is eliminated. Then, four-way playoffs will start (1 vs 2 and 3 vs winner 4–5 match.) As used in
8364-435: The regular season, then home field advantage goes to the team that has the winning head-to-head record. From 1969 to 1993, home-field advantage alternated between the two divisions, and from 1995 to 1997 home-field advantage was determined before the season. Nine managers have led a team to the ALCS in three consecutive seasons; the record for most consecutive ALCS appearances by a manager is jointly held by Joe Torre , who led
8466-644: The regular season. The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1973. It is named for Hall of Fame designated hitter Edgar Martinez . The award is voted on by club beat reporters, broadcasters, and public relations departments. All players with
8568-406: The regular-season league table to eliminate two teams in the first week of the playoffs. The procedure is: The fates of the teams in this round depend on whether they won or lost their Qualifying Final, and on their regular-season position. The four winners and the two losers that finished highest on the regular-season table advance to later rounds, with the two other losers eliminated. It guarantees
8670-401: The remainder of their life. It also allows one guest per entry and is non-transferable. Generally, the pass is given when a player or coach spends a minimum 8 years in the league or when an executive spends at least 25 years. In addition, some people not involved with MLB have been given passes based on their merits in other areas. Most notably of which was President Theodore Roosevelt , who was
8772-655: The same, except each single-elimination round consists of a two-legged tie , with the winner determined by aggregate score . Most European domestic cups (e.g. the FA Cup in England or the DFB-Pokal in Germany) use hybrid systems with various round-robin and single-elimination stages. Major League Soccer (MLS) uses a single-elimination format for their playoffs ; since 2023 , all rounds are conducted as single games, except
8874-495: The second round. In the second round, the loser of the 2–3 match plays the winner of the 4–5 match, while the winner of the 2–3 match plays the No. 1 seed. From this point forward, the tournament is identical to the Page playoff system. The SANFL is the highest level league using this system today, it has been used in the past by the VFL and several rugby league competitions, most notably the short-lived Super League of Australia and
8976-536: The semi-finals. The winner of the upper and lower quarter-finals join the two semi-finalists in a single-elimination bracket. This system was further refined into the top-six system used by the Championship and League 1 of European rugby league until being abandoned from the 2015 season forward. A slightly modified version of this system was used in the A-League of Australian soccer starting in 2010 before
9078-400: The single-elimination matches that the other four teams faced. It did not affect the teams' eventual playoff paths. As used in the 2010–11 A-League : McIntyre's final development expanded the concept to an eight-team playoff. This expansion meant that no team received a "second chance" after the first week of the playoffs. The original McIntyre final eight system is notable in that it uses
9180-417: The stadium of the team that has home field advantage , and Games 3, 4, and 5 are played in the stadium of the team that does not. The series concludes when one team records its fourth win. Since 1998, home field advantage has been given to the team that has the better regular season record, except a division champion would always get home advantage over a Wild Card team. If both teams have identical records in
9282-536: The team that finished in third place. The winner then plays the second-place team in a best-of-five series, whose winner in turn plays the first-place team in a best-of-seven series for the title. The WNBA , from 2019 to 2021, used to have their playoffs done this way: the No. 5 seed plays No. 8, and No. 6 plays No. 7 in the first round. The top two seeds got double byes, and the next two seeds first-round byes. The first two rounds are single-elimination; all others are best-of-five. The video game League of Legends has
9384-425: The teams directly below it on the league table. These advantages are the so-called "double-chance", where a loss in the first week will not eliminate a team from the finals, and home ground finals. Note, however, that "home" designations are often irrelevant if a finals match involves two teams from the same state. The finals format operates as follows: The top four teams play the two qualifying finals. The winners get
9486-406: The top two seeds advancement, and requires the bottom two seeds to win their qualifying final. The middle four teams' fate is determined by the performance of the other four teams. The two losing teams are eliminated, and the two winning teams progress to week 3. The two losing teams are eliminated, and the two winning teams progress to the grand final. Due to perceived weaknesses of this system,
9588-543: The votes cast by the panel. Salvador Pérez of the Kansas City Royals is the 2024 winner and current holder of the award. Major League Baseball has awarded a Reliever of the Year Award, for one pitcher in each league, since 2014. The 2024 recipients were Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians in the American League and Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League. Previously, MLB awarded
9690-601: The winner of each match continues to the next round, all the way to the final. When a playoff of this type involves the top four teams, it is sometimes known as the Shaughnessy playoff system , after Frank Shaughnessy , who first developed it for the International League of minor league baseball . Variations of the Shaughnessy system also exist, such as in the promotion playoffs held by League 1 of
9792-488: The winner of the 1–2 match competes directly determines one place in the championship final (often called a "Grand Final", especially in Australia). The other semifinal is an elimination match, with the winner advancing into a "Preliminary Final" to determine the other Grand Final place. There is also one more system. Two teams are in lower-bracket round 1, two teams are in the upper-bracket quarter-finals and two teams are in
9894-495: Was developed in 2005, as part of a sponsorship agreement between MLB and Viagra . In 2005 and 2006 representatives from MLB and MLB.com selected six candidates each from the AL and NL and one winner for each league was selected via an online poll on MLB.com. Since then, the winners have been selected by a panel of MLB beat reporters . Under the current voting structure, first-place votes are worth five points, second-place votes worth three, and third-place votes worth one, with
9996-610: Was given to a single player. Since 1949, the honor has been given to one player in each league. The most recent award winners are Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League and Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League. The Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to the best managers in the American and National Leagues. The winner
10098-622: Was originally called the "Arch Ward Memorial Award" in honor of Arch Ward , the man who conceived the All-Star Game. The award's name was changed to the "Commissioner's Trophy" in 1970, but this name change was reversed in 1985 when the World Series Trophy was renamed the Commissioner's Trophy . Finally, the trophy was renamed the "Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award" in 2002, in honor of former Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams , who had died earlier that year. No award
10200-456: Was originally given by the editors of Sport magazine , but is now decided by a combination of media members and Major League Baseball officials. On September 29, 2017, it was renamed in honor of Willie Mays in remembrance of the 63rd anniversary of The Catch . Mays never won the award himself. The 2024 award winner was Freddie Freeman , first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers . The League Championship Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award
10302-519: Was presented for the 2002 All-Star Game , which ended in a tie. In 2003 , Garret Anderson of the Anaheim Angels was the first recipient of the newly named Ted Williams Award. The award was not given in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic postponing the 2020 MLB season for over three months, resulting in the 2020 All-Star Game 's cancellation. The 2024 award winner was Jarren Duran of
10404-470: Was the first major award to be introduced by Major League Baseball in more than 25 years. Each team's radio and television play-by-play broadcasters and color analysts vote for three players in each league. Their first place vote receives five points, the second place vote receives three points, and the third place vote receives one point. Beginning in 2003, fans were given the opportunity to vote via Major League Baseball's website. Fans' votes account for 30% of
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