The 2020 MLB playoff bracket ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2, in the World Series. This completed archive covers all 15 series and all 53 played games, with scores, actual dates and ballparks.
The season used a special 16-team postseason, and the rounds after the Wild Card Series moved to neutral sites. Start with the final bracket, then follow each round's game tables to see who advanced and where the games actually happened.
Complete 2020 MLB playoff bracket and final results
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 World Series by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays, four games to two. The full postseason contained 15 series and 53 played games. All 16 qualifying teams entered the opening Wild Card round, creating eight initial matchups before the field narrowed to eight, four and finally two clubs.
| Round | Winner | Opponent | Series result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL Wild Card | Houston Astros | Minnesota Twins | 2-0 |
| AL Wild Card | Oakland Athletics | Chicago White Sox | 2-1 |
| AL Wild Card | Tampa Bay Rays | Toronto Blue Jays | 2-0 |
| AL Wild Card | New York Yankees | Cleveland Indians | 2-0 |
| NL Wild Card | Atlanta Braves | Cincinnati Reds | 2-0 |
| NL Wild Card | Miami Marlins | Chicago Cubs | 2-0 |
| NL Wild Card | San Diego Padres | St. Louis Cardinals | 2-1 |
| NL Wild Card | Los Angeles Dodgers | Milwaukee Brewers | 2-0 |
| AL Division Series | Houston Astros | Oakland Athletics | 3-1 |
| AL Division Series | Tampa Bay Rays | New York Yankees | 3-2 |
| NL Division Series | Atlanta Braves | Miami Marlins | 3-0 |
| NL Division Series | Los Angeles Dodgers | San Diego Padres | 3-0 |
| AL Championship Series | Tampa Bay Rays | Houston Astros | 4-3 |
| NL Championship Series | Los Angeles Dodgers | Atlanta Braves | 4-3 |
| World Series | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tampa Bay Rays | 4-2 |
The Dodgers' route ran through Milwaukee, San Diego, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. The Rays advanced past Toronto, the Yankees and Houston before facing Los Angeles. Both finalists had to win a deciding seventh game in their league championship series, so neither pennant was settled early.
The series totals show games won, with the winner listed first. A 4-3 result means a seven-game series, not a one-run final score. The tables in the following rounds give those individual game scores separately, together with the actual played date and physical ballpark.
The historical team names are retained here. Cleveland played as the Indians in 2020, and Oakland's club was the Oakland Athletics. Those names help this archive match the season's game records. For the larger championship timeline, see World Series winners by year.
Why the 2020 postseason had 16 teams
The pandemic-shortened 2020 season used a 60-game regular season and a 16-team postseason. Eight teams from each league qualified, and all of them played a best-of-three Wild Card series. No club received a first-round bye.
That makes this bracket different from the 12-team arrangement introduced in 2022. In 2020, even the eventual champion had to advance through the opening round. The Dodgers won two games against Milwaukee before their Division Series against San Diego; the Rays did the same against Toronto before facing the Yankees.
The four rounds required a champion to win two, three, four and four games respectively: 13 wins in total. Los Angeles reached that total across 18 postseason games, including its seven-game NLCS and six-game World Series. For the rules used in later seasons, see the MLB playoff format guide; this page describes the completed 2020 competition.
Neutral sites and designated home teams
The Wild Card series used the hosts' home ballparks. From the Division Series onward, the postseason moved to neutral sites. That is why a game listed as Yankees at Rays in the tables could physically take place in San Diego, rather than at Tampa Bay's regular ballpark.
| Series | Physical ballpark | City |
|---|---|---|
| Astros-Athletics ALDS | Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles |
| Rays-Yankees ALDS | Petco Park | San Diego |
| Braves-Marlins NLDS | Minute Maid Park | Houston |
| Dodgers-Padres NLDS | Globe Life Field | Arlington |
| Rays-Astros ALCS | Petco Park | San Diego |
| Dodgers-Braves NLCS | Globe Life Field | Arlington |
| Dodgers-Rays World Series | Globe Life Field | Arlington |
The designated home team still batted in the bottom half of each inning. The designation changed during a series while the physical venue stayed the same. Read the ballpark column to establish where a game happened, and the team order to establish who played as the visitor and host.
For the World Series, all six games were at Globe Life Field. A change from Dodgers home designation to Rays home designation did not represent a flight between Los Angeles and Tampa Bay. The neutral-site arrangement is an essential part of reading the 2020 dates correctly.
Wild Card Series: all 16 clubs entered the opening round
The 2020 postseason opened with four American League matchups on September 29 and four National League matchups on September 30. Six series ended in sweeps; Oakland-Chicago and San Diego-St. Louis required a third game. The full round contained 18 games and finished on October 2.
American League Wild Card results
Houston won both games at Target Field, 4-1 and 3-1. Tampa Bay also swept, beating Toronto 3-1 and 8-2 at Tropicana Field. Those results put both teams through without a third game, although they advanced to separate Division Series branches.
Oakland lost its opener to the White Sox 4-1, then won 5-3 and 6-4 to advance at Oakland Coliseum. The Yankees scored 22 runs across their two wins in Cleveland: a 12-3 opener and a much tighter 10-9 clincher. Both victories counted equally toward the required two wins, despite their different margins.
| Date | Series game | Final score (visitor first) | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-29 | Game 1 | Astros 4, Twins 1 | Target Field |
| 2020-09-29 | Game 1 | White Sox 4, Athletics 1 | Oakland Coliseum |
| 2020-09-29 | Game 1 | Blue Jays 1, Rays 3 | Tropicana Field |
| 2020-09-29 | Game 1 | Yankees 12, Indians 3 | Progressive Field |
| 2020-09-30 | Game 2 | Astros 3, Twins 1 | Target Field |
| 2020-09-30 | Game 2 | White Sox 3, Athletics 5 | Oakland Coliseum |
| 2020-09-30 | Game 2 | Blue Jays 2, Rays 8 | Tropicana Field |
| 2020-09-30 | Game 2 | Yankees 10, Indians 9 | Progressive Field |
| 2020-10-01 | Game 3 | White Sox 4, Athletics 6 | Oakland Coliseum |
The advancing matchups were Houston against Oakland and Tampa Bay against the Yankees. Their Division Series would be played in California, so the hosts shown in this opening-round table should not be carried forward as assumptions about the next round's locations.
National League Wild Card results
Atlanta shut out Cincinnati in both games. Freddie Freeman's walk-off single ended the opener in the 13th inning; a 5-0 second-game win completed the sweep. Miami won 5-1 and 2-0 at Wrigley Field, with its second game actually played on October 2.
The Dodgers won their two home games against Milwaukee, 4-2 and 3-0. San Diego took the longer route: after losing 7-4 to St. Louis, the Padres won 11-9 and then 4-0. Nine San Diego pitchers combined on that clinching shutout, documented in the official Padres series report.
| Date | Series game | Final score (visitor first) | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-30 | Game 1 | Reds 0, Braves 1 | Truist Park |
| 2020-09-30 | Game 1 | Marlins 5, Cubs 1 | Wrigley Field |
| 2020-09-30 | Game 1 | Cardinals 7, Padres 4 | Petco Park |
| 2020-09-30 | Game 1 | Brewers 2, Dodgers 4 | Dodger Stadium |
| 2020-10-01 | Game 2 | Reds 0, Braves 5 | Truist Park |
| 2020-10-01 | Game 2 | Cardinals 9, Padres 11 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-01 | Game 2 | Brewers 0, Dodgers 3 | Dodger Stadium |
| 2020-10-02 | Game 2 | Marlins 2, Cubs 0 | Wrigley Field |
| 2020-10-02 | Game 3 | Cardinals 0, Padres 4 | Petco Park |
All four National League series ended with a shutout victory for the advancing club. That shared finish contrasts with the different scoring in the earlier games, especially the 20-run San Diego-St. Louis Game 2. Atlanta next faced Miami, while Los Angeles next faced San Diego.
This is also the last round in the archive where every matchup used a participant's regular home ballpark. The next set of tables shows the neutral venues that took over for the remaining postseason.
Division Series results in four neutral-site matchups
The American League Division Series began on October 5, followed by the National League series on October 6. Houston, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Los Angeles advanced. The National League matchups both ended in sweeps, while the American League series lasted four and five games.
American League Division Series games
Houston beat Oakland three games to one at Dodger Stadium. The Astros won the first two games, lost the third and finished with an 11-6 victory in Game 4. Across the four games Houston scored 33 runs and Oakland scored 22, making this a high-scoring series even though it ended before a fifth game.
The Rays and Yankees played all five games at Petco Park. New York won the opener, Tampa Bay took Games 2 and 3, and the Yankees tied the series in Game 4. Mike Brosseau's eighth-inning homer off Aroldis Chapman gave Tampa Bay the lead in the deciding game. The final score was 2-1, sending the Rays to the ALCS.
| Date | Series game | Final score (visitor first) | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-05 | Game 1 | Astros 10, Athletics 5 | Dodger Stadium |
| 2020-10-05 | Game 1 | Yankees 9, Rays 3 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-06 | Game 2 | Astros 5, Athletics 2 | Dodger Stadium |
| 2020-10-06 | Game 2 | Yankees 5, Rays 7 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-07 | Game 3 | Athletics 9, Astros 7 | Dodger Stadium |
| 2020-10-07 | Game 3 | Rays 8, Yankees 4 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-08 | Game 4 | Athletics 6, Astros 11 | Dodger Stadium |
| 2020-10-08 | Game 4 | Rays 1, Yankees 5 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-09 | Game 5 | Yankees 1, Rays 2 | Petco Park |
The Rays-Yankees finale was the only Game 5 played in this round. Houston finished on October 8 and Tampa Bay on October 9. The resulting ALCS would also use Petco Park, so the Rays remained at the same physical ballpark while Houston moved from Los Angeles to San Diego.
National League Division Series games
Atlanta swept Miami at Minute Maid Park, winning 9-5, 2-0 and 7-0. The final two games were shutouts, following Atlanta's two shutout victories in the opening round against Cincinnati. The Braves reached the NLCS without losing a game across their first two series.
The Dodgers also advanced unbeaten through those opening rounds. Los Angeles defeated San Diego 5-1, 6-5 and 12-3 at Globe Life Field. The middle game was decided by one run; the last game provided the largest winning margin. The Dodgers scored 23 runs and allowed nine across the sweep.
| Date | Series game | Final score (visitor first) | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-06 | Game 1 | Marlins 5, Braves 9 | Minute Maid Park |
| 2020-10-06 | Game 1 | Padres 1, Dodgers 5 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-07 | Game 2 | Marlins 0, Braves 2 | Minute Maid Park |
| 2020-10-07 | Game 2 | Padres 5, Dodgers 6 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-08 | Game 3 | Braves 7, Marlins 0 | Minute Maid Park |
| 2020-10-08 | Game 3 | Dodgers 12, Padres 3 | Globe Life Field |
Both National League teams clinched on October 8. Their next matchup would place them against each other at Globe Life Field, where the Dodgers had already played their Division Series. Atlanta's earlier round had been in Houston, so its neutral-site journey changed cities before the pennant race.
Both pennants were decided in Game 7
The ALCS and NLCS each went the full seven games, with Tampa Bay winning its pennant on October 17 and Los Angeles winning on October 18. Their routes through those series were almost opposites: the Rays defended an early lead after Houston rallied, while the Dodgers had to recover from a deficit.
Rays held off Houston in the ALCS
Tampa Bay won the first three games at Petco Park, 2-1, 4-2 and 5-2. Houston then won three straight, including two consecutive 4-3 results, to force a deciding Game 7. The Astros' rally extended the series but did not complete a comeback victory: the Rays won the finale 4-2.
All seven games were played on consecutive dates, October 11 through October 17, at the same physical venue. The changing visitor and home labels below reflect game designations rather than travel between Tampa Bay and Houston.
| Date | Series game | Final score (visitor first) | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-11 | Game 1 | Astros 1, Rays 2 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-12 | Game 2 | Astros 2, Rays 4 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-13 | Game 3 | Rays 5, Astros 2 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-14 | Game 4 | Rays 3, Astros 4 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-15 | Game 5 | Rays 3, Astros 4 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-16 | Game 6 | Astros 7, Rays 4 | Petco Park |
| 2020-10-17 | Game 7 | Astros 2, Rays 4 | Petco Park |
Randy Arozarena received ALCS MVP honors. For fans following the Rays' route, the seventh-game victory completed a run through Toronto, the Yankees and Houston. The two earlier series had lasted two and five games, respectively, making this the longest matchup on their path to the World Series.
Dodgers came back against Atlanta in the NLCS
Atlanta won the first two games at Globe Life Field. Los Angeles answered with a 15-3 victory in Game 3, but Atlanta's 10-2 Game 4 win put the Dodgers behind three games to one. Los Angeles then won the final three games, 7-3, 3-1 and 4-3, to claim the pennant.
Cody Bellinger's go-ahead seventh-inning home run was the deciding swing in Game 7. Corey Seager received NLCS MVP honors. His trophy in the photograph is the National League Championship Series award, distinct from the World Series honor represented by this article's cover image.
| Date | Series game | Final score (visitor first) | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-12 | Game 1 | Braves 5, Dodgers 1 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-13 | Game 2 | Braves 8, Dodgers 7 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-14 | Game 3 | Dodgers 15, Braves 3 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-15 | Game 4 | Dodgers 2, Braves 10 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-16 | Game 5 | Dodgers 7, Braves 3 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-17 | Game 6 | Braves 1, Dodgers 3 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-18 | Game 7 | Braves 3, Dodgers 4 | Globe Life Field |
The Dodgers won the biggest game by one run, despite having recorded a 12-run victory earlier in the series. That distinction matters when revisiting a seven-game matchup: the largest scoring margin did not decide the pennant on its own. Los Angeles needed the separate wins in Games 5, 6 and 7 to turn the 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 series victory.
After that October 18 clincher, the Dodgers stayed at Globe Life Field for the World Series. Tampa Bay moved from the ALCS venue in San Diego to the same Arlington ballpark for the final round.
2020 World Series: Dodgers beat Rays, 4-2
The Dodgers and Rays played the entire 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Los Angeles won Games 1, 3, 5 and 6; Tampa Bay won Games 2 and 4. The Dodgers' 3-1 victory on October 27 finished the championship in six games.
Los Angeles led the series 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before its final win. Tampa Bay tied the matchup twice, but never held a series lead. Read that sequence alongside the game scores: a tied series after Game 4 still left both clubs needing two more victories for the title.
| Date | Series game | Final score (visitor first) | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-20 | Game 1 | Rays 3, Dodgers 8 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-21 | Game 2 | Rays 6, Dodgers 4 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-23 | Game 3 | Dodgers 6, Rays 2 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-24 | Game 4 | Dodgers 7, Rays 8 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-25 | Game 5 | Dodgers 4, Rays 2 | Globe Life Field |
| 2020-10-27 | Game 6 | Rays 1, Dodgers 3 | Globe Life Field |
The two breaks in the played calendar were October 22 and October 26. The visitor-first score labels changed during the series, but every ballpark entry remained Globe Life Field. A Rays home designation in Games 3 through 5 did not place those games at Tropicana Field.
The Game 4 finish and the Game 6 clincher
Brett Phillips' hit and Dodgers defensive errors allowed Randy Arozarena to score the winning run in Game 4. Tampa Bay's 8-7 walk-off victory tied the series at two games apiece. The official Rays Game 4 report records the finish.
That result prevented Los Angeles from taking a 3-1 lead, but the Dodgers responded with a 4-2 Game 5 win. Their next chance to close the series was Game 6, where a 3-1 victory delivered the championship. The final two games therefore belonged to Los Angeles even though the most dramatic late finish had gone Tampa Bay's way.
Mookie Betts hit an eighth-inning home run in the clincher, and Corey Seager received World Series MVP honors. Seager had already won NLCS MVP after the seven-game Atlanta series; the final award recognized the championship round against Tampa Bay.
For a concise view of the Dodgers' full run, their four series totals were 2-0, 3-0, 4-3 and 4-2. Those 13 game wins came against four different opponents. The two opening sweeps established the route, the Atlanta comeback delivered the pennant, and the last two wins against the Rays completed the title.
Tampa Bay's finished route was 2-0 against Toronto, 3-2 against the Yankees, 4-3 against Houston and 2-4 against Los Angeles. Keeping the losing team's own wins first in that final comparison avoids turning its World Series result into a Rays championship by accident.
Actual 2020 postseason dates and archive notes
The completed 2020 postseason ran from September 29 through October 27, with 53 games played. The table below groups those actual games by round. Potential games that became unnecessary after a series ended are excluded from both the date ranges and the game totals.
| Round | First played date | Last played date | Games played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card Series | September 29, 2020 | October 2, 2020 | 18 |
| Division Series | October 5, 2020 | October 9, 2020 | 15 |
| League Championship Series | October 11, 2020 | October 18, 2020 | 14 |
| World Series | October 20, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | 6 |
The two championship series each played seven games on seven consecutive dates. The ALCS ran October 11-17, while the NLCS ran October 12-18. The combined round therefore spans eight calendar dates while containing 14 games, because both leagues played on several of the same days.
When reading an individual result, identify the teams and their scores first, then the ballpark. Visitor and home designations remain useful for following the game, but from the Division Series onward they do not identify the clubs' hometown venues. The site table earlier in the article resolves that difference.
This archive also keeps the season's team names, including Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics. A modern team directory can use today's names; a 2020 results page needs to make the original matchups recognizable without changing the historical record.
For a current-season bracket, visit the 2026 MLB playoff schedule and bracket guide. For current fixtures, use MLB games today. The 16-team field, neutral-site assignments and completed scores here belong specifically to 2020.
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