The following teams qualified for the postseason: Home-field advantage priority order: Central, West, East Home-field advantage priority order: East, West, Central *Denotes walk-off Baltimore won the series, 3–1.
The Orioles knocked off the defending American League champion Indians in four games to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 1983.
When the series shifted to Cleveland, the Orioles held a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning and were hoping to sweep, but the Indians put up five unanswered runs afterward, capped off by a grand slam from Albert Belle.
In Game 4, the Indians were on the verge of tying the series as they lead 3–2 in the top of the ninth with the Orioles down to their final out.
Alomar then won the series for the Orioles with a solo home run in the top of the twelfth inning.
The Yankees evened the series in the bottom of the twelfth thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Charlie Hayes which scored Derek Jeter due to an error by Texas’ Dean Palmer.
In Game 4, the Rangers quickly put up a 4–0 lead, but the Yankees scored six unanswered runs to close out the series.
Game 3 in San Diego was an offensive slugfest between both teams, which was won by the Cardinals as they completed the sweep.
The tie was later broken by Atlanta’s Javy López, who hit a solo home run in the top of the tenth to win the game for the Braves.
Greg Maddux outdueled Ismael Valdéz in another pitchers duel as the Braves took Game 2 to go up 2–0 in the series headed back home.
In Game 3, the Braves’ offense chased Hideo Nomo from the mound as they won 5–2 to complete the sweep.
In Game 5, the Yankees jumped out to a big lead early thanks to home runs from Fielder, Jim Leyritz and Darryl Strawberry, and they held it to win the pennant.
This was a rematch of the 1982 NLCS, which the Cardinals won in a sweep en route to winning the World Series.
The Cardinals evened the series with a blowout win in Game 2, capped off by a grand slam from Gary Gaetti.
In St. Louis for Game 3, Ron Gant led the Cardinals to victory with a pair of home runs.
Smoltz had yet another stellar performance on the mound as the Braves embarrassed the Cardinals 14–0 in front of their home fans to send the series back to Atlanta.
The Braves would return to the NLCS the next year and in 1998, but they lost both to the Florida Marlins and San Diego Padres respectively.
This was the first season under a five-year rights agreement with ESPN, Fox, and NBC, marking the first time that playoff games aired nationally on U.S. cable television.