During Major League Baseball’s postseason in 1994, the wild card was introduced with the goal of assisting the best teams who did not win their division to still have a shot to win the World Series. There had to be first-round good riddance or the creation of a wild card for the best second-place club in each league’s three divisions after the reorganization of the leagues from two to three divisions.
As a result of the wild card, even if a club had the second-best record in a division with the best-performing team, that team would be assured a spot in the playoffs because of their record. Because the 1994–95 Major League Baseball players’ strike forced the postseason to be postponed, the 1995 postseason was the first to include a wild card club.
The Los Angeles Angels have only won the Wild Card Berth in 2002 since its foundation.
The Wild Card Berth 2002 Season
Despite finishing the regular season 4 games behind the Oakland Athletics in the AL West, the Angels earned their first-ever wild card playoff berth, allowing them to return to postseason action for the first time since 1986. With 123 runs batted in, Anderson was named an All-Star and received the Silver Slugger Award for outstanding slugging percentage. Jarrod Washburn led a pitching staff that allowed the fewest runs in the league with an 18-6 record and a 3.15 ERA.
