American League Division Series

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In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consist of two best-of-five series, featuring the three division winners and a wild-card team (the non-division winning team with the best record).

Contents

[edit] History

The Division Series was permanently created after the 1993 season when Major League Baseball restructured each league into three divisions, but their first regular playing was in 1995 due to the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs. Previously, because of a players' strike in 1981, a split-season format forced a divisional playoff series, in which the New York Yankees won the Eastern Division series over the Milwaukee Brewers (who were in the American League until 1998) in five games while the Oakland Athletics swept the Kansas City Royals in three games in the Western Division. The Yankees have currently played in the most division series in history, with fourteen appearances. Two teams have yet to play in an A.L. division series, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays(though the Blue Jays have won the World Series twice, they won both before the division series existed).

[edit] Determining the matchups

Since 1998, the wild-card team has been assigned to play the division winner with the best winning percentage (outside of their own division) in one series, and the other two division winners meet in the other series. The two series winners move on to the best-of-seven ALCS. Home field advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record, except for the wild card team, which never receives the home field advantage.

Beginning in 2007, MLB has implemented a new rule to give the team with the best regular season record a slightly greater advantage.[1] In order to spread out the Division Series games for broadcast purposes, the two ALDS series follow one of two off-day schedules. Starting in 2007, after consulting the MLBPA, MLB has decided to allow the team with the best record in the AL to choose whether to use the seven-day schedule (1-2-off-3-4-off-5) or the eight-day schedule (1-off-2-off-3-4-off-5). The team only gets to choose the schedule; the opponent is still determined by win-loss records. This rule change does not apply to the two NLDS, since they are not similarly staggered.

Currently, the Division Series follows a 2-2-1 format. [2] The higher seed plays at home in Games 1 and 2. The lower seed plays at home in Game 3 and Game 4 (if necessary). If a Game 5 is needed, the teams return to the higher seed's field.

Historically, MLB had also used a 2-3 format in a best-of-5 series, but no longer uses that format. [3][4]

[edit] Previous matchups

Since the ALDS's inception, several pairs of opponents have met more than once.

The Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox played in:

The Texas Rangers played the New York Yankees in:

Also, six matchups have occurred twice, four of which involve the Yankees; they played:

The Athletics and the Twins make up the fifth such occurrence, meeting in:

The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim met in:

[edit] ALDS results

Year Winner Loser Wins Losses
1981 New York Yankees Milwaukee Brewers 3 2
Oakland Athletics Kansas City Royals 3 0
1994 Not held due to player strike.
1995 Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox 3 0
Seattle Mariners New York Yankees† 3 2
1996 New York Yankees Texas Rangers 3 1
Baltimore Orioles† Cleveland Indians 3 1
1997 Baltimore Orioles Seattle Mariners 3 1
Cleveland Indians New York Yankees† 3 2
1998 New York Yankees Texas Rangers 3 0
Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox† 3 1
1999 New York Yankees Texas Rangers 3 0
Boston Red Sox† Cleveland Indians 3 2
2000 Seattle Mariners† Chicago White Sox 3 0
New York Yankees Oakland Athletics 3 2
2001 New York Yankees Oakland Athletics† 3 2
Seattle Mariners Cleveland Indians 3 2
2002 Minnesota Twins Oakland Athletics 3 2
Anaheim Angels† New York Yankees 3 1
2003 New York Yankees Minnesota Twins 3 1
Boston Red Sox† Oakland Athletics 3 2
2004 New York Yankees Minnesota Twins 3 1
Boston Red Sox† Anaheim Angels 3 0
2005 Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox† 3 0
Los Angeles Angels New York Yankees 3 2
2006 Detroit Tigers† New York Yankees 3 1
Oakland Athletics Minnesota Twins 3 0
2007 Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Angels 3 0
Cleveland Indians New York Yankees† 3 1

† indicates wild card team
* series outcome still undecided

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "AL's top team to pick first-round format", USA Today, 2007-09-12. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. 
  2. ^ Major League Baseball announces revamped postseason schedule, MLB.com Press Releases
  3. ^ 1984 NL Championship Series, Baseball-Reference.com
  4. ^ 1997 AL Division Series, Baseball-Reference.com

[edit] External links

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American League Division Series

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