We rebuilt all 365 MLB postseason series of best-of-five or longer, 1,821 games from the 1903 World Series to the 2026 Division Series, from MLB's Stats API and tracked where each series stood after every game. They are 132 Division Series, 112 League Championship Series and 121 World Series, four of them best-of-nine.
How often the team up 2-0 wins an MLB playoff series
A 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series has held 85 times in 96, 89 percent. In a best-of-seven it has held 79 times in 95, 83 percent, and a 3-1 lead 82 times in 96, 85 percent. Only a 3-0 lead is close to safe: 41 of the 42 teams that led a best-of-seven series 3-0 won it.
The opener counts for more in a short series: the team that goes up 1-0 has won 73 percent of Division Series, 97 of 132, and 64 percent of best-of-seven League Championship Series and World Series, 127 of 197. The rounds differ less than the formats:
| Round | Up 1-0 | Up 2-0 | Up 2-1 | Up 3-1 | Up 3-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division Series, best-of-five (1981, 1995-2026) | 97/132 (73%) | 68/77 (88%) | 66/90 (73%) | — | — |
| LCS, best-of-five (1969-1984) | 22/32 (69%) | 17/19 (89%) | 13/19 (68%) | — | — |
| LCS, best-of-seven (1985-2025) | 52/80 (65%) | 34/40 (85%) | 46/63 (73%) | 39/47 (83%) | 34/49 (69%) |
| World Series, best-of-seven (1905-2025) | 75/117 (64%) | 45/55 (82%) | 63/92 (68%) | 43/49 (88%) | 46/68 (68%) |
| Wild Card Series, best-of-three (2020, 2022-2026) | 25/28 (89%) | — | — | — | — |
Comebacks from 0-2 in the ALDS and NLDS
Eleven teams have won a best-of-five series after losing the first two games, nine in the Division Series and two in the League Championship Series, which was best-of-five until 1984. The first 10 match MLB.com's list; the Guardians are the 11th, as CBS Sports noted. With the score and site of each deciding Game 5:
- 2026 ALDS: Cleveland Guardians over the Chicago White Sox, 2-0 at home
- 2017 ALDS: New York Yankees over the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 in Cleveland
- 2015 ALDS: Toronto Blue Jays over the Texas Rangers, 6-3 at home
- 2012 NLDS: San Francisco Giants over the Cincinnati Reds, 6-4 in Cincinnati
- 2003 ALDS: Boston Red Sox over the Oakland Athletics, 4-3 in Oakland
- 2001 ALDS: Yankees over the Athletics, 5-3 at home
- 1999 ALDS: Red Sox over Cleveland, 12-8 in Cleveland
- 1995 ALDS: Seattle Mariners over the Yankees, 6-5 at home
- 1984 NLCS: San Diego Padres over the Chicago Cubs, 6-3 at home
- 1982 ALCS: Milwaukee Brewers over the California Angels, 4-3 at home
- 1981 NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers over the Houston Astros, 4-0 at home
Nineteen teams have forced a Game 5 after losing the first two, and 11 won it. In the Division Series' 2-3 format of 1981, 1995 to 1997 and 2012, when the team with home field opened with two road games, 3 of the 16 teams down 0-2 came back. In the 2-2-1 format it has been 6 of 61. All 15 teams that led a Division Series 2-0 from 2018 to 2025 won it; in 2026 the Tampa Bay Rays and the Brewers held their 2-0 leads, and the White Sox did not.
MLB Division Series Game 1 winner, format by format
Game 1 winners have won 97 of the 132 Division Series, 73 percent, and 17 of the 20 since the 12-team bracket and its byes arrived in 2022. The exceptions were the 2022 Dodgers, beaten by the Padres, the 2025 Detroit Tigers, beaten by the Mariners, and the 2026 White Sox, beaten by the Guardians.
| Division Series format | Series | Game 1 winner won | Up 2-0 won | Home-field team won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-3: 1981, 1995-1997 and 2012 | 20 | 14 (70%) | 13 of 16 | 10 of 20 (50%) |
| 2-2-1: 1998-2021, except 2012 | 92 | 66 (72%) | 47 of 52 | 45 of 88 (51%) |
| 2-2-1 with byes: 2022-2026 | 20 | 17 (85%) | 8 of 9 | 13 of 20 (65%) |
| All Division Series | 132 | 97 (73%) | 68 of 77 | 68 of 128 (53%) |
Home field has mattered little: the team that would host Game 5 has won 53 percent of Division Series. In the 2-2-1 format, Game 1 winners went on to win 46 of 62 series when they won it at home and 34 of 46 on the road, 74 percent both times.
Teams that came back from 0-3 and 1-3 in MLB playoffs
The 2004 Red Sox are the only team to come back from 0-3 in an MLB postseason series. Down 0-3 to the Yankees in the ALCS after a 19-8 loss at Fenway Park, they won the next two at home and the last two at Yankee Stadium, then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The other 41 teams up 3-0 in a best-of-seven won it, and only the 2020 Astros also forced a Game 7 from 0-3, which they lost to the Rays.
Fourteen teams have come back from 1-3, eight in the LCS and six in the World Series, and 14 of the 20 that forced a Game 7 from 1-3 won it. The 1985 Kansas City Royals did it twice in one October, against the Blue Jays and the Cardinals, and the 2012 Giants came back from 0-2 in the Division Series and from 1-3 against the Cardinals on their way to the title.
| Year | Round | Came back from 1-3 | Against | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | NLCS | Los Angeles Dodgers | Atlanta Braves | 4-3, neutral site |
| 2016 | World Series | Chicago Cubs | Cleveland Indians | 8-7, away |
| 2012 | NLCS | San Francisco Giants | St. Louis Cardinals | 9-0, home |
| 2007 | ALCS | Boston Red Sox | Cleveland Indians | 11-2, home |
| 2004 | ALCS | Boston Red Sox (from 0-3) | New York Yankees | 10-3, away |
| 2003 | NLCS | Florida Marlins | Chicago Cubs | 9-6, away |
| 1996 | NLCS | Atlanta Braves | St. Louis Cardinals | 15-0, home |
| 1986 | ALCS | Boston Red Sox | California Angels | 8-1, home |
| 1985 | World Series | Kansas City Royals | St. Louis Cardinals | 11-0, home |
| 1985 | ALCS | Kansas City Royals | Toronto Blue Jays | 6-2, away |
| 1979 | World Series | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baltimore Orioles | 4-1, away |
| 1968 | World Series | Detroit Tigers | St. Louis Cardinals | 4-1, away |
| 1958 | World Series | New York Yankees | Milwaukee Braves | 6-2, away |
| 1925 | World Series | Pittsburgh Pirates | Washington Senators | 9-7, home |
The Red Sox have five of the 25 comebacks from two games down, more than any other team. Leads are less safe in baseball than in hockey or basketball: in best-of-seven series, Game 1 winners have won 64 percent of the time in MLB, 68 percent in the NHL since 1919 and 75 percent in the NBA since 1984, and a 3-1 lead has held 85, 91 and 95 percent of the time.
Teams that won the first two games on the road
Winning the first two games on the road has been worth at least as much as winning them at home. The 65 teams that did it in a best-of-five or best-of-seven series won 57 times, 88 percent, against 100 of 118, 85 percent, for teams that won the first two at home. Eight lost anyway: the 1985 Cardinals, the 1986 Red Sox and the 1996 Atlanta Braves in the World Series, the 2001 Athletics, 2012 Reds, 2015 Rangers and 2026 White Sox in the Division Series, and the 2025 Mariners in the ALCS, after winning twice in Toronto.
The 2026 MLB playoffs, as of October 12
The postseason opened with four best-of-three Wild Card Series, all won by the Game 1 winner, including the White Sox in Houston. Game 1 winners have now won 19 of the 20 Wild Card Series played since 2022.
The Division Series began on Saturday, October 3, with the four teams that had a bye at home for Games 1, 2 and 5, and all four went through: the Rays swept the Yankees, and the Brewers and the Dodgers beat the Padres and the Braves three games to one.
The Guardians lost the first two games of their ALDS at Progressive Field, 3-0 and 4-3, then won 9-3 and 9-5 in Chicago and took Game 5 2-0 at home on Saturday, October 10. They were the first team to come back from 0-2 in a Division Series since the 2017 Yankees, who did it against Cleveland.
In the NLCS, the Brewers beat the Dodgers 2-1 and 7-4 at American Family Field on October 11 and 12 to lead the series 2-0; in best-of-seven series, teams up 2-0 have won 79 of 95. The ALCS, between the Guardians and the Rays, began on October 12 in St. Petersburg. Every series, with its results and the games still to play, is on our 2026 MLB playoff bracket, and the whole season is on the MLB schedule.
MLB playoff series comebacks: frequently asked questions
Has an MLB team ever come back from 0-3 in a playoff series? Once: the 2004 Boston Red Sox, against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. The other 41 teams up 3-0 in a best-of-seven series won it.
How many MLB teams have come back from 0-2 in a best-of-five series? Eleven, nine of them in the Division Series. The Cleveland Guardians did it most recently, against the Chicago White Sox in the 2026 ALDS.
How many MLB teams have come back from 1-3 down? Fourteen in best-of-seven series, most recently the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers against the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS.
How often does the team up 2-0 win an MLB playoff series? 89 percent of the time in a best-of-five, 85 of 96, and 83 percent in a best-of-seven, 79 of 95.
How often does the Game 1 winner win the Division Series? 97 times in 132, 73 percent, and 17 times in 20 since 2022.
How this was built: every MLB postseason series of best-of-three or longer from 1903 to 2025, plus the 2026 Wild Card Series and Division Series, 1,885 games, from MLB's Stats API, grouped by round and pair of teams. A series counts once at every score it reached; the tied games of 1907, 1912 and 1922 are skipped. The best-of-nine World Series of 1903 and 1919 to 1921 stay out of the score figures, and the 1981 split-season Division Series count, as in MLB.com's history. Formats follow MLB.com; home figures leave out series played in one ballpark, such as 2020's. Every winner through 2025 matches MLB.com, as does every game of the 25 postseasons we checked on its year-by-year pages, including all with a comeback named here before 2026. 2026 results: Stats API, finished games only, as of 10:39 p.m. Eastern on October 12.