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The National League Division Series is the initial playoff rounds for all NL teams that qualify for the MLB post-season. The NLDS since starting up in 1994 has annually showcased the three NL division champions and one wild-card team. The most frequent match up in the events history has been the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros, who faced each other a total of five times in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005. Their last NLDS game four years ago marked the longest post-season event in MLB history. The Braves ended up claiming the game and series that night after 18 innings, which lasted a grueling 5 hour and 50 minutes.
The NLDS like the AL Division series is set up through a 2-2-1 format. The higher seed plays at home for Games 1 and 2, and the lower seed hosts Games 3 and 4. If necessary, the teams return to the higher seeds stadium for the deciding game. The 2008 series featured the Los Angeles Dodgers sweeping the Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies outlasting the Milwaukee Brewers in four games. The Phillies then defeated the Dodgers and went on to win the World Series after beating the Tampa Bay Rays in a short-lived best of seven contest. In 2009 the Dodgers won again in three, but this time it was the St Louis Cardinals that were dominated. The Phillies took four games to advance to NLCS game play after beating the Colorado Rockies.
