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MLB Playoffs Format Changes: Major League Baseball Officially Institutes 10-Team Postseason

The MLB officially announced postseason changes that have been speculated for weeks.

Major League Baseball officially announced Friday that the 2012 playoffs format has been changed, with one additional wild card team in each league resulting in a 10-team postseason.

The bottom two wild card teams in each league will participate in a one-game play-in to reach the division series. For 2012 only, the format of the division series has also been altered.

Rather than the normal 2-2-1 schedule, the division series will follow a 2-3 format in 2012, before reverting to the old 2-2-1 slate in 2013 and beyond. The 2012 changes mean division winners will start the playoffs on the road, just for one year.

"The enthusiasm for the 10-team structure among our clubs, fans and partners has been overwhelming," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "This change increases the rewards of a division championship and allows two additional markets to experience playoff baseball each year, all while maintaining the most exclusive postseason in professional sports."