2009 American League Division Series
 | This article documents a current Major League Baseball American League Division Series. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports, scores, or statistics may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (October 2009) |
| 2009 American League Division Series | |||||||||||||
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| This file may be deleted after Monday, 17 August 2009. | |||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||
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| Dates | October 7– | ||||||||||||
| Television | TBS | ||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Chip Caray, Ron Darling | ||||||||||||
| Radio | ESPN | ||||||||||||
| Radio announcers | Jon Miller, Steve Phillips | ||||||||||||
| Umpires | Tim Tschida, Chuck Meriwether, Mark Wegner, Paul Emmel, Jim Joyce, Phil Cuzzi | ||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||
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| Dates | October 8– | ||||||||||||
| Television | TBS | ||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Don Orsillo, Buck Martinez | ||||||||||||
| Radio | ESPN | ||||||||||||
| Radio announcers | Dan Shulman, Dave Campbell | ||||||||||||
| Umpires | Joe West, C.B. Bucknor, Eric Cooper, Greg Gibson, Brian Gorman, Dan Iassogna | ||||||||||||
The 2009 American League Division Series (ALDS) are two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2009 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team will play in two series. The ALDS began on Wednesday, October 7. The teams are:
- (1) New York Yankees (Eastern Division champions, 103–59) vs. (3) Minnesota Twins (Central Division champions, 87–76)
- (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Western Division champions, 97–65) vs. (4) Boston Red Sox (Wild Card qualifier, 95–67)
The Twins and Detroit Tigers finished the 162-game schedule in a first-place tie atop the American League Central and played a one-game playoff at the Metrodome on Tuesday, October 6 that was won by the Twins, 6–5, in twelve innings, giving them the division championship and a postseason berth.
The Yankees, by virtue of finishing with the best record in the American League, were given the choice of playing an eight-day series (with three off-days) or a seven-day series (with two off-days) and opted for the former.
This is the third consecutive season—and the fourth since 2004—that the Angels and Red Sox have met in the ALDS. The Red Sox swept the Angels in 2004 and 2007, and defeated the Angels 3–1 in 2008.
TBS carried the tie breaker game and will also broadcast all Division Series games in the United States.
Matchups
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
New York leads the series, 2–0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 7 | Minnesota Twins – 2, New York Yankees – 7 | Yankee Stadium | 3:38 | 49,464[1] |
| 2 | October 9 | Minnesota Twins – 3, New York Yankees – 4 (11 innings) | Yankee Stadium | 4:22 | 50,006[2] |
| 3 | October 11 | New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | - | - |
| 4 | October 12† | New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | - | - |
| 5 | October 14† | Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees | Yankee Stadium | - | - |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles leads the series, 2–0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 8 | Boston Red Sox – 0, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 5 | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | 3:09 | 45,070[3] |
| 2 | October 9 | Boston Red Sox – 1, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 4 | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | 3:11 | 45,223[4] |
| 3 | October 11 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | - | - |
| 4 | October 12† | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | - | - |
| 5 | October 14† | Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | - | - |
†: Only if necessary
New York vs. Minnesota
Game 1, October 7
6:07 p.m. (ET) at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New York | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP: CC Sabathia (1–0) LP: Brian Duensing (0–1) Home runs: MIN: None NYY: Derek Jeter (1), Hideki Matsui (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the first postseason game at the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees rebounded from an early 2–0 deficit to take the first game of the series, 7–2, behind a strong outing from CC Sabathia and timely hitting by Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez, and Hideki Matsui. The Twins opened the scoring in the third by stringing together three consecutive two-out hits, including an RBI single by Michael Cuddyer. One batter later, a passed ball by Jorge Posada enabled Joe Mauer to score from third, giving the Twins a 2–0 lead. The Yankees answered in the bottom of the inning when Jeter smashed a two-run home run into the left field seats, and in the fourth, a two-out RBI double off the bat of Swisher put the Yankees in front for the first time of the night. One inning later, Rodriguez broke an 0-for-29 postseason skid with runners on base (dating back to the 2004 ALCS) by lining a two-out single to left center, scoring Jeter from second and knocking Twins starter Brian Duensing out of the game. Matsui then belted a two-run home run into Monument Park off reliever Francisco Liriano, making it 6–2 Yankees. Rodriguez added another RBI single in the seventh to complete the scoring. Sabathia settled down after the third inning, striking out eight and limiting the Twins to two runs (one earned) and eight hits in 6+2⁄3 innings of work. The Yankees bullpen then combined for 2+1⁄3 innings of scoreless relief.
Game 2, October 9
6:07 p.m. (ET) at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| WP: David Robertson (1-0) LP: José Mijares (0-1) Home runs: MIN: None NYY: Alex Rodriguez (1), Mark Teixeira (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Late-game heroics from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira powered the Yankees past the Twins in Game 2 for a commanding two-games-to-none series lead. With the Yankees trailing 3–1 in the bottom of the ninth, Teixeira led off with a single off Twins closer Joe Nathan, and Rodriguez followed with a dramatic game-tying two-run home run into the Yankee bullpen in right center.[5] The Yankees threatened to win the game in the tenth, putting runners on first and third with one out, but Johnny Damon lined out to shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Brett Gardner was doubled off third to end the inning. The Twins mounted a threat of their own in the eleventh, beginning with a Joe Mauer base hit after he was denied a ground-rule double on a controversial call by line judge Phil Cuzzi. The Twins loaded the bases with none out, but Yankee reliever David Robertson was able to work out of the jam, bringing to seventeen the total number of runners left on base by the Twins. [6] That set the stage for Teixeira, who opened the bottom of the frame by lining José Mijares' 2–1 pitch down the line and just over the left field wall for a walk-off home run.[5]
Teixeira's home run was the first of his postseason career and the first postseason walk-off home run by a Yankee since Aaron Boone's series-winner in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.[6]
Game 3, October 11
7:07 p.m. (ET) at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Starting pitchers: NYY: Andy Pettitte MIN: Carl Pavano | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles vs. Boston
Game 1, October 8
9:37 p.m. (ET) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 5 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP: John Lackey (1–0) LP: Jon Lester (0–1) Home runs: BOS: None LAA: Torii Hunter (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game 1 started off as a pitchers' duel between Los Angeles' John Lackey and Boston's Jon Lester. Each starter gave up four hits; however, one of the hits given up by Lester was a three-run home run by Torii Hunter in the fifth inning that proved to be all the run support Lackey needed. Los Angeles scored two more runs in the seventh inning on a Kendry Morales RBI single that scored Vladimir Guerrero and Juan Rivera.
Game 2, October 9
9:37 p.m. (ET) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 4 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP: Jered Weaver (1–0) LP: Josh Beckett (0–1) Sv: Brian Fuentes (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Angels broke a 1–1 tie with three runs in the seventh to hand Josh Beckett his first loss in nine postseason starts since Game 3 of the 2003 World Series.[7] Maicer Izturis broke the deadlock with an RBI single and Erick Aybar's two-run triple over center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury's head chased Beckett from the game two batters later. Angels starter Jered Weaver continued in the footsteps of Game 1 starter John Lackey with a masterful performance, striking out seven while limiting the potent Red Sox offense to one run on two hits and two walks in 7+1⁄3 innings.[7]
Game 3, October 11
12:07 p.m. (ET) at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Starting pitchers: LAA: Scott Kazmir BOS: Clay Buchholz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series quotes
Fly ball, center field.....WELL HIT....AT THE TRAAAACK HE'S DONE IT AGAIN!
— Chip Caray, calling Alex Rodriguez's game tying homer in game 2.
DRIVEN DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE.........AND IT IS GONE! The Yankees have walked off with reckless abandon at home in 2009, and Mark Teixeira walks off with a laser down the left field line.
— Chip Caray, calling Mark Teixeira's walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the same game.
Notes
- ^ "Boxscore:Minnesota vs. NY Yankees - October 7, 2009". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "Boxscore:Minnesota vs. NY Yankees - October 9, 2009". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "Boxscore:Boston vs. LA Angels - October 8, 2009". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "Boxscore:Boston vs. LA Angels - October 9, 2009". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ a b Kepner, Tyler (2009-10-09). "Yankees 4, Twins 3, 11 innings – Swing, Shout, Score. Repeat as Needed". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ^ a b "Yankees steal 2–0 lead over Twins after A-Rod ties game in 9th inning". ESPN.com. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ^ a b "Angels take commanding 2–0 lead as series shifts to Boston". ESPN.com. 2009-10-10. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
