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{{short description|Semifinal round of postseason play in Major League Baseball}}
{{for|the North American League of Legends esports league|League Championship Series (esports)}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2013}}
{{MLB playoffs sidebar}}
The '''League Championship Series''' ('''LCS''') is the [[semifinal]] round of [[Major League Baseball postseason|postseason play]] in [[Major League Baseball]] which has been conducted since [[1969 in baseball|1969]]. In [[1981 in baseball|1981]], and since [[1995 in baseball|1995]], the two annual series have matched up the winners of the [[Division Series]], and the winners advance to meet in the [[World Series]]. The LCS comprises the [[American League Championship Series]] (ALCS) and [[National League Championship Series]] (NLCS).
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 | footer = Photos showing the two LCS in pregame preparations (left: [[2008 National League Championship Series|NLCS, 2008]] and right: [[2022 American League Championship Series|ALCS, 2022]])
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==History==
The League Championship Series was created in {{mlby|1969}}, when both the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] and the [[American League]] increased in size from ten teams to twelve with the addition, via [[1969 Major League Baseball expansion|expansion]], of the [[1969 Montreal Expos season|Montreal Expos]] and [[1969 San Diego Padres season|San Diego Padres]] to the former and the [[1969 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]] and [[1969 Seattle Pilots season|Seattle Pilots]] (now the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] of the NL) to the latter. Both leagues then formed East and West Divisions, the first-place teams from which faced off in the LCS.

For its first sixteen seasons, the League Championship Series were [[playoff format|best-of-five]], using the {{nowrap|2–3}} format in which the team without [[home field advantage]] hosted the first two games, and the team with it hosted the rest of the LCS, making it impossible for the disadvantaged team to win the series at home. It also allowed those teams the unusual luxury of starting a series at home, possibly having home-field advantage in a three-game series, and a guarantee that they play two games at home.

In {{mlby|1985}},<ref name=ftdalm>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OmEeAAAAIBAJ&pg=4792%2C5236055 |work=Times Daily |location=Florence, Alabama|agency=Associated Press |title=Owners propose best-of-7 league playoffs |date=March 22, 1985 |page=4B}}</ref><ref name=lgposr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vlhWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6821%2C1949999 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=staff and wire reports |title=League playoffs expand to seven games |date=April 4, 1985 |page=C2}}</ref> the LCS was lengthened to [[best-of-seven playoff|best-of-seven]] games in the {{nowrap|2–3–2}} format with the team holding home-field advantage opening the series at home and playing the next three games on the road, before returning home for two more possible games. The disadvantaged team would have had more games played at home than on the road if the series ends in five games.

Since {{mlby|1995}}, the LCS has matched up the winners of the [[Division Series]], which were added when both leagues realigned into three divisions.

Until {{mlby|1998}}, the home-field advantage in the LCS was allocated on a rotating basis between the two (three from 1995 through {{mlby|1997}}) division champions; since 1998, that advantage is given to the team with the better regular season record, except that if a division champion faces a wild card team, the division champion always gets home-field advantage regardless of record.

As of {{mlby|{{CURRENTYEAR}}}}, all thirty MLB teams have reached the LCS at least once. The Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers are the only teams to have played in both the ALCS and NLCS.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/2RXAf|title=Team Batting Game Finder:In the LCS Game 1, From 1903 to 2018, Team Won, sorted by most recent date|publisher=Baseball Reference|access-date=November 18, 2018}}</ref>  Four teams have never lost an LCS:  the [[Colorado Rockies]] (won in [[2007 National League Championship Series|2007]]), the [[Miami Marlins]] (won as the Florida Marlins in [[1997 National League Championship Series|1997]] and [[2003 National League Championship Series|2003]]), the [[Tampa Bay Rays]] (won in [[2008 American League Championship Series|2008]] and [[2020 American League Championship Series|2020]]), and the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] (won in [[2010 American League Championship Series|2010]], [[2011 American League Championship Series|2011]], and [[2023 American League Championship Series|2023]]).

==See also==
* [[League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_lcs.jsp|title=League Championship Series Overview|work=MLB.com}}
*[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/League_Championship_Series.shtml League Championship Series] at Baseball Almanac
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[[Category:Major League Baseball postseason]]
[[Category:National League Championship Series]]
[[Category:American League Championship Series]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1969]]
[[Category:October in sports]]
[[Category:Annual events in Major League Baseball]]