The 1999 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 1999 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 5, and ended on Saturday, October 9, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:
- (1) Atlanta Braves (Eastern Division champion, 103–59) vs. (3) Houston Astros (Central Division champion, 97–65): Braves win series, 3–1.
- (2) Arizona Diamondbacks (Western Division champion, 100–62) vs. (4) New York Mets (Wild Card, 97–66): Mets win series, 3–1.
The higher seed (in parenthesis) possessed home field advantage (Games 1, 2 and 5 at home), which was determined by playing record. Although the team with the best record was normally scheduled to host the wild card team, teams in the same division cannot play against each other until the championship series round. The Braves played the Astros, rather than the wild card Mets. The Mets clinched the wild card spot through a one-game playoff with the Cincinnati Reds, winning 5–0 on October 4.
The Diamondbacks were participating in the postseason in only their second year of existence, the fastest any expansion team had ever qualified. The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets went on to meet in the NL Championship Series (NLCS). The Braves became the National League champion, and were defeated by the American League champion New York Yankees in the 1999 World Series.
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—Ida M. Tarbell (1857–1944)
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