A look at the schedules, results and coverage of the 2012 Major League Baseball playoffs:
WILD-CARD GAMES
American League
Friday, Oct. 5: Baltimore Orioles 5, Texas Rangers 1 - Orioles detrhone two-time defending AL champs
National League
Friday, Oct. 5: St. Louis Cardinals 6, Atlanta Braves 3 - Cardinals let pop-up drop, but get reprieve
DIVISION SERIES ROUND (best of five)
American League
New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles
Results
- Game 1: Oct. 7, Yankees 7, Orioles 2 -- Yankees score five in ninth, beat Johnson, back CC
- Game 2: Oct. 8, Orioles 3, Yankees 2 -- Orioles hang on as Chen outduels Pettitte
- Game 3: Oct. 10, Yankees 3, Orioles 2 (12) -- Ibanez hits pinch-hit tying HR, then winner in 12th
- Game 4: Oct. 11, Orioles 2, Yankees 1 (13) -- Hardy's double ties series
- Game 5, Oct. 12, Yankees 3, Orioles 1 -- Sabathia throws complete game, sends Yankees on
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics
Results
- Game 1: Oct. 6, Tigers 3, A's 1 -- Verlander dominates A's
- Game 2: Oct. 7, Tigers 5, A's 4 -- Detroit goes up 2-0 on Kelly's walk-off sac fly
- Game 3: Oct. 9, A's 2, Tigers 0 -- Anderson shuts down Tigers
- Game 4, Oct. 10, A's 4, Tigers 3 -- Oakland's incredible rally in ninth knots series
- Game 5: Oct. 11, Tigers 6, A's 0 -- Verlander throws shutout as Tigers head back to ALCS
National League
Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Results
- Game 1: Oct. 7, Nationals 3, Cardinals 2 -- Moore's pinch-hit single sparks comeback
- Game 2: Oct. 8, Cardinals 12, Nationals 4 -- Beltran's two homers power Cards
- Game 3: Oct. 10, Cardinals 8, Nationals 0 -- Carpenter comes through again
- Game 4: Oct. 11, Nationals 2, Cardinals 1 -- Werth hits walk-off homer in ninth to tie series
- Game 5: Oct. 12, Cardinals 9, Nationals 7 -- More St. Louis magic: Cards rally from 6-0 down, two down in ninth to advance
Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants
Results
- Game 1: Oct. 6, Reds 5, Giants 2 - Cueto exits, but Latos comes through
- Game 2: Oct. 7, Reds 9, Giants 0 - Arroyo puts Reds in driver's seat with gem
- Game 3: Oct. 9, Giants 2, Reds 1 (10) -- Error in 10th gives Giants life
- Game 4: Oct. 10, Giants 8, Reds 3 -- Three homers, Lincecum in relief spark Giants
- Game 5: Oct. 11, Giants 6, Reds 4 -- Posey's grand slam caps big series comeback
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ROUND (best of seven)
American League
New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers
- Game 1: Oct. 13, Tigers 6, Yankees 4 -- Yankees rally in ninth, but lose Jeter, game in 12th
- Game 2: Oct. 14, Tigers, 3, Yankees 0 -- Sanchez, missed call big in shutout
- Game 3: Oct. 16, Tigers 2, Yankees 1 -- Verlander wins another, Coke gets out of jam as Tigers lead 3-0
- Game 4: Oct. 18, Tigers 8, Yankees 1 -- Scherzer, Peralta finish off Yankees
National League
San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals
- Game 1: Oct. 14, Cardinals 6, Giants 4 -- Freese, Beltran hit homers as St. Louis gets on board first
- Game 2: Oct. 15, Giants 7, Cardinals 1 -- Scutaro's single sets tone as Giants even series
- Game 3: Oct. 17, Cardinals 3, Giants 1 -- Carpenter steps in during rain-delayed win
- Game 4: Oct. 18, Cardinals 8, Giants 3 -- Wainwright bounces back as Cards batter Lincecum
- Game 5: Oct. 19, Giants 5, Cardinals 0 -- Zito baffles Cardinals, sends series back to San Francisco
- Game 6: Oct. 21, Giants 6, Cardinals 1 -- Vogelsong strong as Giants beat Chris Carpenter again
- Game 7: Oct. 22, Giants 9, Cardinals 0 -- Giants complete comeback behind Cain, MVP Scutaro
WORLD SERIES (best of seven)
San Francisco Giants vs. Detroit Tigers
- Game 1: Oct. 24, Giants 8, Tigers 3 -- Sandoval makes history with 3 HRs, backing Zito
- Game 2: Oct. 25, Giants 2, Tigers 0 -- Two-hit shutout for Bumgarner, two relievers
- Game 3: Oct. 27, Giants 2, Tigers 0 -- Vogelsong, Lincecum, Romo combine on shutout
- Game 4: Oct. 28, Giants 4, Tigers 3 (10) -- Giants sweep to second title in three years on Scutaro single
THE CONTENDERS
American League
New York Yankees (95-67): They lost Mariano Rivera early in the season, but an improved rotation and solid seasons from veterans Derek Jeter and others led the Yankees to their second consecutive AL East title and their 17th playoff berth in 18 seasons.
Oakland Athletics (94-68): Came out of nowhere to win the American League West on the season's final day thanks to emerging hitters Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes and an overachieving pitching staff. Oakland was 13 games out of first place on June 30 and was in first place for just three days.
Detroit Tigers (88-74): Pulled away from the Chicago White Sox in the final week of the season and repeated as the American League Central champs, led by Miguel Cabrera, the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years, and ace pitcher Justin Verlander.
Texas Rangers (93-69): Led almost wire to wire, but the two-time defending AL pennant winners were swept by the A's in the final three-game series of the season to give up the division as they were sent to a one-game wild-card playoff. Led by former MVP Josh Hamilton, who finished second in the league in home runs and RBI.
Baltimore Orioles (93-69): Emerged from a dark period to become a surprise contender, and were in contention for the AL East title until the final day of the season, led by center fielder Adam Jones and closer Jim Johnson.
National League
Washington Nationals (98-64): The future came early as a young team led by pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg and 19-year-old rookie Bryce Harper took the No. 1 overall seed and the best record in baseball, sending the franchise to its first-ever division title and into the playoffs for the first time since they were the Montreal Expos in 1981.
Cincinnati Reds (97-65): Bounced back from one year out of the playoff race to have the best record in baseball for much of the season and winning the NL central by nine games, the biggest cushion in baseball. Former MVP Joey Votto missed much of the season but still hit .340, and a solid young pitching staff was steady.
San Francisco Giants (94-68): Matt Cain threw a perfect game early in the season and catcher Buster Posey won the batting title as the 2010 champions were one of the hottest teams in baseball in the second half and pulled away from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Atlanta Braves (94-68): In slugger Chipper Jones' final season, the Braves got back to the playoffs, which is something that was a given earlier in Jones' career. Young ace Kris Medlen emerged in the second half and closer Craig Kimbrel was almost unhittable as the Braves clinched a wild-card berth in mid-September.
St. Louis Cardinals (88-74): The defending World Series champions took the final wild-card spot late in the season as Carlos Beltran hit 32 homers and Kyle Lohse (16-3) and Lance Lynn (18-8) picked up the slack on the mound.
Top 10 Teams in Each Playoff Franchise's History
- Yankees: Ruth and Gehrig set the standard in 1927.
- Tigers: Morris, Gibson, Trammell and company won it all in 1984.
- Giants: Three Hall of Famers led John McGraw's juggernaut in 1905.
- Orioles: Rotation full of 20-game winners led to 1970 dominance.
- Reds: The Big Red Machine was humming in 1976.
- Rangers: Pennant-winning breakthrough in 2010.
- Cardinals: A gritty group called the Gas House Gang.
- Nationals: Strike stopped chance of franchise's greatest season
All-Time Lineups (from the best season any player had at that position in team history to create a lineup)
