# National League Championship Series

The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National League (NL) Division Series. The winner of the NLCS wins the NL pennant and advances to the World Series, MLB's championship series, to play the winner of the American League's (AL) Championship Series. The NLCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to a best-of-seven format.

## History

Before 1969, the National League champion (the "pennant winner") was determined by the best win–loss record at the end of the regular season. There were four ad hoc three-game playoff series due to ties under this formulation (in 1946, 1951, 1959, and 1962).
A structured postseason series began in 1969, when both the National and American Leagues were reorganized into two divisions each, East and West. The two division winners within each league played each other in a best-of-five series to determine who would advance to the World Series. In 1985, the format changed to best-of-seven.
The NLCS and ALCS, since the expansion to seven games, are always played in a 2–3–2 format: games 1, 2, 6, and 7 are played in the stadium of the team that has home field advantage, and games 3, 4, and 5 are played in the stadium of the team that does not. Home field advantage is given to the team that has the better record, except a division champion would always get home advantage over a Wild Card team. From 1969 to 1993, home field advantage was alternated between divisions each year regardless of regular season record and from 1995 to 1997 home field advantage was predetermined before the season.
In 1981, a one-off division series was held due to a split season caused by a players' strike.
In 1994, the league was restructured into three divisions, with the three division winners and a wild card team advancing to a best-of-five postseason round, the now-permanent National League Division Series (NLDS). The winners of that round advance to the best-of-seven NLCS; however, due to the player's strike later that season, no postseason was played and the new format did not formally begin until 1995. The playoffs were expanded in 2012 to include a second Wild Card team and in 2022 to include a third Wild Card team.
Seven managers have led a team to the NLCS in three consecutive seasons; however, the most consecutive NLCS appearances by one manager is held by Bobby Cox, who led the Atlanta Braves to eight straight from 1991 to 1999. The Braves (1991–1999) are also the only team in the National League to have made more than three consecutive National League Championship Series appearances. Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland are the only managers to lead their teams to three consecutive League Championship Series appearances in both leagues.
The Milwaukee Brewers, an American League team between 1969 and 1997, and the Houston Astros, a National League team between 1962 and 2012, are the only franchises to play in both the ALCS and NLCS. The Astros are the only team to have won both an NLCS (2005) and an ALCS (2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022). The Astros made four NLCS appearances before moving to the AL in 2013. Every current National League franchise has appeared in the NLCS and all teams except the Brewers have won an NL pennant via the NLCS.
For the first time in history, two wild card teams played in the 2022 National League Championship Series.

## Championship Trophy

The Warren C. Giles Trophy is awarded to the NLCS winner. Warren Giles served as president of the National League from 1951 to 1969.

## Most Valuable Player Award

    See: League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award#National League winners
A Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is given to the outstanding player in the NLCS. No MVP award is given for Division Series play.
The MVP award has been given to a player on the losing team twice, in 1986 to Mike Scott of the Houston Astros and in 1987 to Jeffrey Leonard of the San Francisco Giants.
Although the National League began its LCS MVP award in 1977, the American League did not begin its LCS MVP award until 1980. The winners are listed in several locations:
* in the below NLCS results table, in the "Series MVP" column
* in the article League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award
* on the MLB website

## Results

Key :
| † | Wild card |
| * | MVP did not play for winning team |
| Year | Winning team | Manager | Games | Losing team | Manager | Series MVP |
| 1969 | New York Mets | Gil Hodges | 3–0 | Atlanta Braves | Lum Harris | |
| 1970 | Cincinnati Reds | Sparky Anderson | 3–0 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Danny Murtaugh | |
| 1971 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Danny Murtaugh | 3–1 | San Francisco Giants | Charlie Fox | |
| 1972 | Cincinnati Reds | Sparky Anderson | 3–2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Bill Virdon | |
| 1973 | New York Mets | Yogi Berra | 3–2 | Cincinnati Reds | Sparky Anderson | |
| 1974 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Walter Alston | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Danny Murtaugh | |
| 1975 | Cincinnati Reds | Sparky Anderson | 3–0 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Danny Murtaugh | |
| 1976 | Cincinnati Reds | Sparky Anderson | 3–0 | Philadelphia Phillies | Danny Ozark | |
| 1977 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | 3–1 | Philadelphia Phillies | Danny Ozark | Dusty Baker, Los Angeles |
| 1978 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | 3–1 | Philadelphia Phillies | Danny Ozark | Steve Garvey, Los Angeles |
| 1979 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Chuck Tanner | 3–0 | Cincinnati Reds | John McNamara | Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh |
| 1980 | Philadelphia Phillies | Dallas Green | 3–2 | Houston Astros | Bill Virdon | Manny Trillo, Philadelphia |
| 1981 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | 3–2 | Montreal Expos | Jim Fanning | Burt Hooton, Los Angeles |
| 1982 | St. Louis Cardinals | Whitey Herzog | 3–0 | Atlanta Braves | Joe Torre | Darrell Porter, St. Louis |
| 1983 | Philadelphia Phillies | Paul Owens | 3–1 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | Gary Matthews, Philadelphia |
| 1984 | San Diego Padres | Dick Williams | 3–2 | Chicago Cubs | Jim Frey | Steve Garvey, San Diego |
| 1985 | St. Louis Cardinals | Whitey Herzog | 4–2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | Ozzie Smith, St. Louis |
| 1986 | New York Mets | Davey Johnson | 4–2 | Houston Astros | Hal Lanier | Mike Scott, Houston* |
| 1987 | St. Louis Cardinals | Whitey Herzog | 4–3 | San Francisco Giants | Roger Craig | Jeffrey Leonard, San Francisco* |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | 4–3 | New York Mets | Davey Johnson | Orel Hershiser, Los Angeles |
| 1989 | San Francisco Giants | Roger Craig | 4–1 | Chicago Cubs | Don Zimmer | Will Clark, San Francisco |
| 1990 | Cincinnati Reds | Lou Piniella | 4–2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jim Leyland | Rob Dibble and Randy Myers, Cincinnati |
| 1991 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | 4–3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jim Leyland | Steve Avery, Atlanta |
| 1992 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | 4–3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jim Leyland | John Smoltz, Atlanta |
| 1993 | Philadelphia Phillies | Jim Fregosi | 4–2 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | Curt Schilling, Philadelphia |
| 1994 | No Series due to a players' strike. | No Series due to a players' strike. | No Series due to a players' strike. | No Series due to a players' strike. | No Series due to a players' strike. | No Series due to a players' strike. |
| 1995 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | 4–0 | Cincinnati Reds | Davey Johnson | Mike Devereaux, Atlanta |
| 1996 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | 4–3 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | Javy López, Atlanta |
| 1997 | Florida Marlins$^†$ | Jim Leyland | 4–2 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | Liván Hernández, Florida |
| 1998 | San Diego Padres | Bruce Bochy | 4–2 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | Sterling Hitchcock, San Diego |
| 1999 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | 4–2 | New York Mets$^†$ | Bobby Valentine | Eddie Pérez, Atlanta |
| 2000 | New York Mets$^†$ | Bobby Valentine | 4–1 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | Mike Hampton, New York |
| 2001 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Bob Brenly | 4–1 | Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | Craig Counsell, Arizona |
| 2002 | San Francisco Giants$^†$ | Dusty Baker | 4–1 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | Benito Santiago, San Francisco |
| 2003 | Florida Marlins$^†$ | Jack McKeon | 4–3 | Chicago Cubs | Dusty Baker | Iván Rodríguez, Florida |
| 2004 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | 4–3 | Houston Astros$^†$ | Phil Garner | Albert Pujols, St. Louis |
| 2005 | Houston Astros$^†$ | Phil Garner | 4–2 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | Roy Oswalt, Houston |
| 2006 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | 4–3 | New York Mets | Willie Randolph | Jeff Suppan, St. Louis |
| 2007 | Colorado Rockies$^†$ | Clint Hurdle | 4–0 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Bob Melvin | Matt Holliday, Colorado |
| 2008 | Philadelphia Phillies | Charlie Manuel | 4–1 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Joe Torre | Cole Hamels, Philadelphia |
| 2009 | Philadelphia Phillies | Charlie Manuel | 4–1 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Joe Torre | Ryan Howard, Philadelphia |
| 2010 | San Francisco Giants | Bruce Bochy | 4–2 | Philadelphia Phillies | Charlie Manuel | Cody Ross, San Francisco |
| 2011 | St. Louis Cardinals$^†$ | Tony La Russa | 4–2 | Milwaukee Brewers | Ron Roenicke | David Freese, St. Louis |
| 2012 | San Francisco Giants | Bruce Bochy | 4–3 | St. Louis Cardinals$^†$ | Mike Matheny | Marco Scutaro, San Francisco |
| 2013 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mike Matheny | 4–2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Don Mattingly | Michael Wacha, St. Louis |
| 2014 | San Francisco Giants$^†$ | Bruce Bochy | 4–1 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mike Matheny | Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco |
| 2015 | New York Mets | Terry Collins | 4–0 | Chicago Cubs$^†$ | Joe Maddon | Daniel Murphy, New York |
| 2016 | Chicago Cubs | Joe Maddon | 4–2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dave Roberts | Javier Báez and Jon Lester, Chicago |
| 2017 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dave Roberts | 4–1 | Chicago Cubs | Joe Maddon | Chris Taylor and Justin Turner, Los Angeles |
| 2018 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dave Roberts | 4–3 | Milwaukee Brewers | Craig Counsell | Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles |
| 2019 | Washington Nationals$^†$ | Dave Martinez | 4–0 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mike Shildt | Howie Kendrick, Washington |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dave Roberts | 4–3 | Atlanta Braves | Brian Snitker | Corey Seager, Los Angeles |
| 2021 | Atlanta Braves | Brian Snitker | 4–2 | Los Angeles Dodgers$^†$ | Dave Roberts | Eddie Rosario, Atlanta |
| 2022 | Philadelphia Phillies$^†$ | Rob Thomson | 4–1 | San Diego Padres$^†$ | Bob Melvin | Bryce Harper, Philadelphia |
| 2023 | Arizona Diamondbacks$^†$ | Torey Lovullo | 4–3 | Philadelphia Phillies$^†$ | Rob Thomson | Ketel Marte, Arizona |
| 2024 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dave Roberts | 4–2 | New York Mets$^†$ | Carlos Mendoza | Tommy Edman, Los Angeles |

### Appearances by team

| Apps | Team | Wins | Losses | Win % | Most recent win | Most recent appearance | Games won | Games lost | Game win % |
| 16 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 9 | 7 | .563 | 2024 | 2024 | 43 | 44 | .494 |
| 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | .500 | 2013 | 2019 | 38 | 43 | .469 |
| 13 | Atlanta Braves | 6 | 7 | .462 | 2021 | 2021 | 34 | 39 | .466 |
| 11 | Philadelphia Phillies | 6 | 5 | .545 | 2022 | 2023 | 29 | 25 | .537 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 7 | .222 | 1979 | 1992 | 17 | 25 | .405 |
| 8 | Cincinnati Reds | 5 | 3 | .625 | 1990 | 1995 | 18 | 14 | .563 |
| 9 | New York Mets | 5 | 4 | .556 | 2015 | 2024 | 28 | 21 | .571 |
| 7 | San Francisco Giants | 5 | 2 | .714 | 2014 | 2014 | 24 | 15 | .615 |
| 6 | Chicago Cubs | 1 | 5 | .167 | 2016 | 2017 | 11 | 21 | .344 |
| 4 | Houston Astros | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2005 | 2005 | 11 | 13 | .458 |
| 3 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2023 | 2023 | 8 | 8 | .500 |
| 3 | San Diego Padres | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1998 | 2022 | 8 | 8 | .500 |
| 2 | Miami Marlins | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2003 | 2003 | 8 | 5 | .615 |
| 2 | Washington Nationals | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2019 | 2019 | 6 | 3 | .667 |
| 2 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | 2 | .000 | Never | 2018 | 5 | 8 | .385 |
| 1 | Colorado Rockies | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2007 | 2007 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |

### Years of appearance

In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of wins, then by number of appearances, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning appearances.
| Apps | Team | Wins | Losses | Win % | Season(s) |
| 16 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024 |
| 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | .500 | 1982, 1985, 1987, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019 |
| 13 | Atlanta Braves | 6 | 7 | .462 | 1969, 1982, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2020, 2021 |
| 11 | Philadelphia Phillies | 6 | 5 | .545 | 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2022, 2023 |
| 9 | New York Mets | 5 | 4 | .556 | 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2024 |
| 8 | Cincinnati Reds | 5 | 3 | .625 | 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1990, 1995 |
| 7 | San Francisco Giants | 5 | 2 | .714 | 1971, 1987, 1989, 2002, 2010, 2012, 2014 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 7 | .222 | 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1992 |
| 3 | San Diego Padres | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1984, 1998, 2022 |
| 3 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2001, 2007, 2023 |
| 2 | Miami Marlins | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 1997, 2003 |
| 6 | Chicago Cubs | 1 | 5 | .167 | 1984, 1989, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| 4 | Houston Astros | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1980, 1986, 2004, 2005 |
| 2 | Washington Nationals | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1981, 2019 |
| 1 | Colorado Rockies | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2007 |
| 2 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2011, 2018 |

### Frequent matchups

| Count | Matchup | Record | Years |
| 5 | Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates | Reds, 4–1 | 1970, 1972, 1975, 1979, 1990 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies | Phillies, 3–2 | 1977, 1978, 1983, 2008, 2009 |
| 4 | San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals | Giants, 3–1 | 1987, 2002, 2012, 2014 |
| 2 | Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets | Tied, 1–1 | 1969, 1999 |
| 2 | Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals | Tied, 1–1 | 1982, 1996 |
| 2 | Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates | Braves, 2–0 | 1991, 1992 |
| 2 | Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | Tied, 1–1 | 2020, 2021 |
| 2 | Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals | Tied, 1–1 | 2004, 2005 |
| 2 | New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals | Tied, 1–1 | 2000, 2006 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals | Cardinals, 2–0 | 1985, 2013 |
| 2 | Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | Tied, 1–1 | 2016, 2017 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets | Dodgers, 2–0 | 1988, 2024 |