If you have a goal of watching every game there will be this year, you need to know how many games in a baseball season happen annually.
Well, there are a total of 2,430 games for the regular season in MLB. That’s 162 games for your favorite team alone.
Sounds like a lot? The number of games baseball teams play in a season can still increase or decrease.
Lucky for you, we’ll explain all that, plus the MLB games’ schedule this year.
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Total Games in a Baseball Season
As we mentioned, 2,430 games are played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season games. If this surprised you, remember that there are 30 teams in MLB. Every MLB team plays against each other, and a single team would play only 162 games.
Given that the regular season would span six months, those 162 games don’t sound like a lot now, does it?
Looking back, games in a season of baseball would only total 154 for a single team. This was between 1904 to 1960, when the league was composed of only 18 teams.
Just like today, MLB teams play against their division and then against the other division.
With the league’s expansion and the increase in the game’s popularity, they needed to decide on a new schedule. There would have been more than 200 games per team if they had kept the tradition. Fans and even players just couldn’t keep up.
Hence, the number 162 was instated in 1961.
That’s only for MLB regular season games. How these games could be increased or shortened would depend on some factors. Let’s find out why.
Reasons Why a Season Be Shortened/Extended
Are you hoping to watch more of your favorite team this year? If not, you might wonder why they played less than other teams last year.
There are multiple reasons why many games in a baseball season can be shortened or extended. If you’re a die-hard baseball fan, then you need to learn about these factors:
1. How can a season be extended?
The only reason the number of games in the MLB season (regular) could be more than 162 is when two teams tie. We know what you’re thinking. As complicated as MLB standings can be, ties still happen.
And when this happens, teams who are up for the postseason or the Mlb playoffs play a tie-breaker game. One of the most recent and historical tie-breaking battles was between Colorado Rockies v.s. Los Angeles Dodgers on October 01, 2018.
2. How can a season be shortened?
- The common reason a baseball season’s length is shortened is terrible weather. Baseball just doesn’t hit the same when it rains. Pun intended!
Rainy weather can cause a delay or a doubleheader for playing teams. In equation, this won’t necessarily lessen the number of games played, but it can cause further complications to the entire season’s schedule. This brings us to the second factor.
- Conflicts of schedule would also cause a decrease in games played in a season. When doubleheader games pile up because of consistently bad weather, it becomes a domino effect for future games. Makeup games would pile up and affect the visiting team’s availability.
- Other factors, such as lockouts and strikes, can cause a baseball team to play fewer games. Just recently, the pandemic caused a significant decrease in games played in MLB.
These factors would cause some games to be rescheduled to the end of the season. On the other hand, if the organizers deem these games do not affect the overall standing of teams, then the league may cancel them.
How Many More Games Are in the MLB Season?
You could expect a minimum of 32 to 53 games left in the MLB season, even after the regular season. These games would be played under these series:
- Wild Card Series
- Division Series
- Championship Series
- World Series
That being said, the answer to how many games in a baseball season does not rely on the regular season alone. We can watch more exciting games at the end of September!
When Does Baseball Season Start and End?
We know you can’t miss supporting your team from the opening of the regular series to the MLB playoffs and the MLB world series. Well, get your calendars ready.
Games in a Major League Baseball season (regular) usually start in late March or early April. Since the regular season spans up to six months, expect it to end by late September or early October.
The playoffs often occur in early October.
The Current Schedule of MLB Teams
MLB’s recently expanded wild card round paved the way for the new format for how baseball games are played starting in 2023.
You can still expect the same number of baseball games in a season. However, only 52 divisional games for each team would take place instead of the usual 76.
The same goes for intraleague games, which decreased from 66 to 64.
On the other hand, we’ll see a lot more interleague games. From the usual 20 games, there are 46 scheduled interleague matchups for 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s answer some FAQs!
Is basketball season longer than baseball season?
The NBA season happens longer than the MLB season. MLB spans six months, more specifically, 152 days. This accounts for 58% of the year the sport is active. While the NBA accounts for only 136 days annually, it’s active for about 63% of the year.
How long is a baseball game?
If you’re planning to watch a baseball game, you don’t need to allot the whole afternoon or night for it since an average baseball game lasts for about three hours.
Conclusion
Now that you know how many games in a baseball season there are, are you ready for this coming season? Still up for the challenge? It might be hard to watch all those 162 games, but anything for your favorite team, right?
Let’s keep our hopes up that our home team will win the world series! Who knows, we might get another tie-up this year. See you on the field!
Read more: The number of innings in a college baseball game or a high school baseball game.
Rogers is a hardcore baseball enthusiast. He joined Nations Baseball as a writer to share his knowledge and help others realize their passions for the sport. Roger is striving towards becoming a coach at his local baseball club.
