American League Division Series 3862 225895589 2008-07-15T22:20:27Z Milk's Favorite Bot 7074530 [[WP:MOS|Manual of style]]/other general fixes. (BOT) {{Mlbplayoffs}} 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 (sports)|wild-card]] team (the non-division winning team with the best record). ==History== The Division Series was permanently created after the {{by|1993}} season when Major League Baseball restructured each league into three divisions, but their first regular playing was in {{by|1995}} due to the [[1994 Major League Baseball strike|cancellation of the 1994 playoffs]]. Previously, because of a [[1981 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]] in {{by|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 {{by|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). ==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 {{by|2007}}, MLB has implemented a new rule to give the team with the best regular season record a slightly greater advantage.<ref>{{cite news|date= [[2007-09-12]] | title = AL's top team to pick first-round format | url = http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/playoffs/2007-09-11-Options_N.htm | publisher = [[USA Today]] | accessdate = 2007-09-27}}</ref> 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. <ref>[http://pressbox.mlb.com/pressbox/news/pressbox_story.jsp?ymd=20070514&content_id=1964536&vkey=pressbox&fext=.jsp Major League Baseball announces revamped postseason schedule], MLB.com Press Releases</ref> 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. <ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1984_NLCS.shtml 1984 NL Championship Series], Baseball-Reference.com</ref><ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1997_ALDS1.shtml 1997 AL Division Series], Baseball-Reference.com</ref> ==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: * [[1995 American League Division Series|1995]] * [[1998 American League Division Series|1998]] * [[1999 American League Division Series|1999]] The [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] played the [[New York Yankees]] in: * [[1996 American League Division Series|1996]] * [[1998 American League Division Series|1998]] * [[1999 American League Division Series|1999]]. Also, six matchups have occurred twice, four of which involve the Yankees; they played: * [[Oakland Athletics]] in [[2000 American League Division Series|2000]] & [[2001 American League Division Series|2001]]. * [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Anaheim-LA Angels]] in [[2002 American League Division Series|2002]] and [[2005 American League Division Series|2005]] *[[Minnesota Twins]] in [[2003 American League Division Series|2003]] and [[2004 American League Division Series|2004]] *[[Cleveland Indians]] in [[1997 American League Division Series|1997]] and [[2007 American League Division Series|2007]] The Athletics and the Twins make up the fifth such occurrence, meeting in: * [[2002 American League Division Series|2002]] * [[2006 American League Division Series|2006]] The [[Boston Red Sox]] and the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim]] met in: * [[2004 American League Division Series|2004]] * [[2007 American League Division Series|2007]]. ==ALDS results== {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="3" |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" ! Year ! Winner ! Loser ! Wins ! Losses |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[1981 American League Division Series|1981]] | [[New York Yankees]] || [[Milwaukee Brewers]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |[[Oakland Athletics]] || [[Kansas City Royals]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- |1994 |colspan="5" align="center" | ''Not held due to [[1994 Major League Baseball strike|player strike]].'' |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[1995 American League Division Series|1995]] | [[Cleveland Indians]] || [[Boston Red Sox]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |[[Seattle Mariners]] || [[New York Yankees]]† | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- |rowspan="2"|[[1996 American League Division Series|1996]] | [[New York Yankees]] || [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- |[[Baltimore Orioles]]† || [[Cleveland Indians]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[1997 American League Division Series|1997]] | [[Baltimore Orioles]] || [[Seattle Mariners]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |[[Cleveland Indians]] || [[New York Yankees]]† | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- |rowspan="2"|[[1998 American League Division Series|1998]] | [[New York Yankees]] || [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- |[[Cleveland Indians]] || [[Boston Red Sox]]† | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[1999 American League Division Series|1999]] | [[New York Yankees]] || [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |[[Boston Red Sox]]† || [[Cleveland Indians]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- |rowspan="2"|[[2000 American League Division Series|2000]] | [[Seattle Mariners]]† || [[Chicago White Sox]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- |[[New York Yankees]] || [[Oakland Athletics]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[2001 American League Division Series|2001]] | [[New York Yankees]] || [[Oakland Athletics]]† | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |[[Seattle Mariners]] || [[Cleveland Indians]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- |rowspan="2"|[[2002 American League Division Series|2002]] | [[Minnesota Twins]] || [[Oakland Athletics]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- |[[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Anaheim Angels]]† || [[New York Yankees]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[2003 American League Division Series|2003]] | [[New York Yankees]] || [[Minnesota Twins]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |[[Boston Red Sox]]† || [[Oakland Athletics]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- |rowspan="2"|[[2004 American League Division Series|2004]] | [[New York Yankees]] || [[Minnesota Twins]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- |[[Boston Red Sox]]† || [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Anaheim Angels]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[2005 American League Division Series|2005]] | [[Chicago White Sox]] || [[Boston Red Sox]]† | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" | [[Los Angeles Angels]] || [[New York Yankees]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 2 |- |rowspan="2"|[[2006 American League Division Series|2006]] |[[Detroit Tigers]]† || [[New York Yankees]] |align="center"|3||align="center"|1 |- |[[Oakland Athletics]] || [[Minnesota Twins]] |align="center"|3||align="center"|0 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" |rowspan="2"|[[2007 American League Division Series|2007]] | [[Boston Red Sox]] || [[Los Angeles Angels]] | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 0 |- style="background-color: #e0e0e0;" | [[Cleveland Indians]] || [[New York Yankees]]† | align="center" | 3 || align="center" | 1 |- |} † indicates wild card team<br>* series outcome still undecided ==See also== *[[Division Series]] *[[Division Series#Criticism of scheduling|Criticism of Scheduling in the Division Series]] *[[Baseball]] *[[American League pennant winners 1901-68]] *[[National League pennant winners 1876-1900]] *[[National League pennant winners 1901-68]] *[[National League Division Series]] (NLDS) *[[American League Championship Series]] (ALCS) *[[National League Championship Series]] (NLCS) *[[World Series]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/ Baseball-Reference.com] - annual playoffs *[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ds.jsp MLB.com] - MLB's Division Series historical reference - box scores, highlights, etc. {{ALDS}} [[Category:Baseball playoffs and champions]] [[Category:American League Division Series|*]] [[zh:美國聯盟分區賽]]