The 2010 MLB Playoffs determined the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2010 season. The playoffs concluded on November 1, 2010, when the San Francisco Giants win the World Series by defeating the Texas Rangers in five games.http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=301101113

The 2010 MLB postseason began on October 6, 2010, as the top eight teams at the end of the regular season battled it out for the championship. In 2010, these teams included the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants from the National League and the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins from the American League. Winning in the 2010 MLB Division Series, the Phillies and Giants earned a place in the 2010 NLCS while the Yankees and Rangers reached the 2010 ALCS.http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=10

The MLB postseason in 2010 opened with the Division Series and continued with the American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series starting on October 15, 2010. The two teams that won those series, the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants, qualified to play in the 2010 World Series, which started on October 27, 2010.http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=10

Under the current Major League Baseball rules, the top team in each of the six divisions automatically qualifies for the MLB Playoffs. Two other spots, one for each of the American League and National League, are filled with a wild-card team, using a second-place team within a division with the best record in the league. Teams play the opening round, known as the Divisional Round, in a best-of-five-games series with the winners advancing to their corresponding championship series. The American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series are played in a best-of-seven-games format, with the winners advancing to the best-of-seven games World Series.http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2010/official_rules/2010_OfficialBaseballRules.pdf