A Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season consists of 162 games for each of the 30 teams. This schedule has been standard since the early 1960s and typically runs from early April to late September or early October, spanning about six months. Each team plays 81 home games and 81 away games within this schedule. The 162 games include intradivision games, intraleague games, and interleague games against teams from the other league. The schedule is constructed to balance competition and provide ample opportunities for teams to qualify for the postseason.