American League Championship Series

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The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two American League (AL) Division Series. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and advances to the World Series, MLB's championship series, to play the winner of the National League's (NL) Championship Series. The ALCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to its current best-of-seven format.

History[]

Prior to 1969, the American League champion (the "pennant winner") was determined by the best win-loss record at the end of the regular season. There was one ad hoc single-game playoff held, in 1948, due to a tie under this formulation. (The National League had to resolve ties four times, but used three-game playoff series.)

The ALCS started in 1969, when the AL reorganized into two divisions, East and West. The winners of each division played each other in a best-of-five series to determine who would advance to the World Series. In 1985, the format changed to best-of-seven.

In 1981, a division series was held due to a split season caused by a players' strike.

In 1994, the league was restructured into three divisions, with the three division winners and a wild-card team advancing to a best-of-five postseason round, known as the American League Division Series (ALDS). The winners of that round then advanced to the best-of-seven ALCS. In 2012, the playoffs were expanded again so that two wild card teams face off in a one-game wild card round to determine which team advances to the division series, with the playoffs then continuing as it had before 2012 (though with the possibility of a fifth seed being in the playoffs and a fourth seed being out) after the end of the wild card round. This is the system currently in use.

The ALCS and NLCS, since the expansion to best-of-seven, are always played in a 2–3–2 format: Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 are played in the stadium of the team that has home field advantage, and Games 3, 4, and 5 are played in the stadium of the team that does not. The series concludes when one team records its fourth win. Since 1998, home field advantage has been given to the team that has the better regular season record, except that the team made the postseason as the Wild Card shall not get home field advantage. If both teams have identical records in the regular season, then home field advantage goes to the team that has the winning head-to-head record. From 1969 to 1993, home-field advantage alternated between the two divisions, and from 1995 to 1997 home-field advantage was determined before the season.

Eight managers have led a team to the ALCS in three consecutive seasons; however, the most consecutive ALCS appearances by one manager is Joe Torre, who led the New York Yankees to four straight from 1998 to 2001. The Oakland Athletics (1971-75) and the Houston Astros (2017-present) are the only teams in the American League to have made five consecutive American League Championship Series appearances (with the latter being the first team to ever win the ALDS five straight years)

The Milwaukee Brewers, an American League team between 1969 and 1997, and the Houston Astros, a National League team between 1962 and 2012, are the only franchises to play in both the ALCS and NLCS. The Astros are the only team to have won both an NLCS (2005) and an ALCS (2017). Every current American League franchise has appeared in the ALCS.

Championship Trophy[]

The William Harridge Trophy is awarded to the ALCS champion.[1] Will Harridge served as American League president from 1931 to 1959.[2]

Most Valuable Player Award[]

See: League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award#American League winners

The Lee MacPhail Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is given to the outstanding player in the ALCS. No MVP award is given for Division Series play.

Although the National League began its LCS MVP award in 1977, the American League did not begin its LCS MVP award till 1980. The winners are listed in several locations:

Results[]

Further information: List of American League pennant winners § 1901–1968
Key
dagger Wild card
*
 MVP did not play for winning team
Year Winning team Manager Games Losing team Manager Series MVP
1969 Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver 3–0 Minnesota Twins Billy Martin  
1970 Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver 3–0 Minnesota Twins Bill Rigney
1971 Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver 3–0 Oakland Athletics Dick Williams
1972 Oakland Athletics Dick Williams 3–2 Detroit Tigers Billy Martin
1973 Oakland Athletics Dick Williams 3–2 Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver
1974 Oakland Athletics Alvin Dark 3–1 Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver
1975 Boston Red Sox Darrell Johnson 3–0 Oakland Athletics Alvin Dark
1976 New York Yankees Billy Martin 3–2 Kansas City Royals Whitey Herzog
1977 New York Yankees Billy Martin 3–2 Kansas City Royals Whitey Herzog
1978 New York Yankees Bob Lemon 3–1 Kansas City Royals Whitey Herzog
1979 Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver 3–1 California Angels Jim Fregosi
1980 Kansas City Royals Jim Frey 3–0 New York Yankees Dick Howser Frank White, Kansas City
1981 New York Yankees Bob Lemon 3–0 Oakland Athletics Billy Martin Graig Nettles, New York
1982 Milwaukee Brewers Harvey Kuenn 3–2 California Angels Gene Mauch Fred Lynn, California*
1983 Baltimore Orioles Joe Altobelli 3–1 Chicago White Sox Tony La Russa Mike Boddicker, Baltimore
1984 Detroit Tigers Sparky Anderson 3–0 Kansas City Royals Dick Howser Kirk Gibson, Detroit
1985 Kansas City Royals Dick Howser 4–3 Toronto Blue Jays Bobby Cox George Brett, Kansas City
1986 Boston Red Sox John McNamara 4–3 California Angels Gene Mauch Marty Barrett, Boston
1987 Minnesota Twins Tom Kelly 4–1 Detroit Tigers Sparky Anderson Gary Gaetti, Minnesota
1988 Oakland Athletics Tony La Russa 4–0 Boston Red Sox Joe Morgan Dennis Eckersley, Oakland
1989 Oakland Athletics Tony La Russa 4–1 Toronto Blue Jays Cito Gaston Rickey Henderson, Oakland
1990 Oakland Athletics Tony La Russa 4–0 Boston Red Sox Joe Morgan Dave Stewart, Oakland
1991 Minnesota Twins Tom Kelly 4–1 Toronto Blue Jays Cito Gaston Kirby Puckett, Minnesota
1992 Toronto Blue Jays Cito Gaston 4–2 Oakland Athletics Tony La Russa Roberto Alomar, Toronto
1993 Toronto Blue Jays Cito Gaston 4–2 Chicago White Sox Gene Lamont Dave Stewart, Toronto
1994 No Series due to a players' strike.
1995 Cleveland Indians Mike Hargrove 4–2 Seattle Mariners Lou Piniella Orel Hershiser, Cleveland
1996 New York Yankees Joe Torre 4–1 Baltimore Oriolesdagger Davey Johnson Bernie Williams, New York
1997 Cleveland Indians Mike Hargrove 4–2 Baltimore Orioles Davey Johnson Marquis Grissom, Cleveland
1998 New York Yankees Joe Torre 4–2 Cleveland Indians Mike Hargrove David Wells, New York
1999 New York Yankees Joe Torre 4–1 Boston Red Soxdagger Jimy Williams Orlando Hernández, New York
2000 New York Yankees Joe Torre 4–2 Seattle Marinersdagger Lou Piniella David Justice, New York
2001 New York Yankees Joe Torre 4–1 Seattle Mariners Lou Piniella Andy Pettitte, New York
2002 Anaheim Angelsdagger Mike Scioscia 4–1 Minnesota Twins Ron Gardenhire Adam Kennedy, Anaheim
2003 New York Yankees Joe Torre 4–3 Boston Red Soxdagger Grady Little Mariano Rivera, New York
2004 Boston Red Soxdagger Terry Francona 4–3 New York Yankees Joe Torre David Ortiz, Boston
2005 Chicago White Sox Ozzie Guillén 4–1 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Mike Scioscia Paul Konerko, Chicago
2006 Detroit Tigersdagger Jim Leyland 4–0 Oakland Athletics Ken Macha Plácido Polanco, Detroit
2007 Boston Red Sox Terry Francona 4–3 Cleveland Indians Eric Wedge Josh Beckett, Boston
2008 Tampa Bay Rays Joe Maddon 4–3 Boston Red Soxdagger Terry Francona Matt Garza, Tampa Bay
2009 New York Yankees Joe Girardi 4–2 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Mike Scioscia CC Sabathia, New York
2010 Texas Rangers Ron Washington 4–2 New York Yankeesdagger Joe Girardi Josh Hamilton, Texas
2011 Texas Rangers Ron Washington 4–2 Detroit Tigers Jim Leyland Nelson Cruz, Texas
2012 Detroit Tigers Jim Leyland 4–0 New York Yankees Joe Girardi Delmon Young, Detroit
2013 Boston Red Sox John Farrell 4–2 Detroit Tigers Jim Leyland Koji Uehara, Boston
2014 Kansas City Royalsdagger Ned Yost 4–0 Baltimore Orioles Buck Showalter Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City
2015 Kansas City Royals Ned Yost 4–2 Toronto Blue Jays John Gibbons Alcides Escobar, Kansas City
2016 Cleveland Indians Terry Francona 4–1 Toronto Blue Jaysdagger John Gibbons Andrew Miller, Cleveland
2017 Houston Astros A. J. Hinch 4–3 New York Yankeesdagger Joe Girardi Justin Verlander, Houston
2018 Boston Red Sox Alex Cora 4–1 Houston Astros A. J. Hinch Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston
2019 Houston Astros A. J. Hinch 4–2 New York Yankees Aaron Boone José Altuve, Houston
2020 Tampa Bay Rays Kevin Cash 4–3 Houston Astros dagger Dusty Baker Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay
2021 Houston Astros Dusty Baker 4–2 Boston Red Soxdagger Alex Cora Yordan Álvarez, Houston

Appearances by team[]

Apps Team Wins Losses Win % Most recent
win 		Most recent
appearance 		Games
won 		Games
lost 		Game
win %
17 New York Yankees 11 6 .647 2009 2019 50 40 .556
12 Boston Red Sox 6 6 .500 2018 2021 32 36 .471
11 Oakland Athletics 6 5 .545 1990 2006 23 23 .500
10 Baltimore Orioles 5 5 .500 1983 2014 21 20 .512
8 Kansas City Royals 4 4 .500 2015 2015 20 17 .541
7 Detroit Tigers 3 4 .429 2012 2013 18 15 .545
7 Toronto Blue Jays 2 5 .286 1993 2016 16 24 .400
6 Los Angeles Angels 1 5 .167 2002 2009 13 19 .406
5 Cleveland Indians 3 2 .600 2016 2016 17 13 .567
5 Houston Astros 3 2 .600 2021 2021 16 15 .516
5 Minnesota Twins 2 3 .400 1991 2002 9 12 .429
3 Chicago White Sox 1 2 .333 2005 2005 7 8 .467
3 Seattle Mariners 0 3 .000 Never 2001 5 12 .294
2 Texas Rangers 2 0 1.000 2011 2011 8 4 .667
2 Tampa Bay Rays 2 0 1.000 2020 2020 8 6 .571
1 Milwaukee Brewers[a] 1 0 1.000 1982 1982 3 2 .600

Years of appearance[]

In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of wins, then by number of appearances, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning appearances.

Apps Team Wins Losses Win % Season(s)
17 New York Yankees 11 6 .647 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019
12 Boston Red Sox 6 6 .500 1975, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2021
11 Oakland Athletics 6 5 .545 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2006
10 Baltimore Orioles 5 5 .500 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2014
8 Kansas City Royals 4 4 .500 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985, 2014, 2015
7 Detroit Tigers 3 4 .429 1972, 1984, 1987, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013
5 Cleveland Indians 3 2 .600 1995, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2016
7 Toronto Blue Jays 2 5 .286 1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2015, 2016
5 Minnesota Twins 2 3 .400 1969, 1970, 1987, 1991, 2002
5 Houston Astros 3 2 .600 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
2 Texas Rangers 2 0 1.000 2010, 2011
2 Tampa Bay Rays 2 0 1.000 2008, 2020
6 Los Angeles Angels 1 5 .167 1979, 1982, 1986, 2002, 2005, 2009
3 Chicago White Sox 1 2 .333 1983, 1993, 2005
1 Milwaukee Brewers[a] 1 0 1.000 1982
3 Seattle Mariners 0 3 .000 1995, 2000, 2001

Recurring matchups[]

Count Matchup Record Years
4 Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees Yankees, 3–1 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980
3 Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees Yankees, 2–1 1999, 2003, 2004
3 Baltimore Orioles vs. Oakland Athletics Athletics, 2–1 1971, 1973, 1974
3 Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Athletics, 2–1 1975, 1988, 1990
2 Baltimore Orioles vs. Minnesota Twins Orioles, 2–0 1969, 1970
2 Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Tied, 1–1 1972, 2006
2 Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays Royals, 2–0 1985, 2015
2 New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners Yankees, 2–0 2000, 2001
2 Oakland Athletics vs. Toronto Blue Jays Tied, 1–1 1989, 1992
2 Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees Astros, 2–0 2017, 2019
2 Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros Tied, 1–1 2018, 2021

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b The Milwaukee Brewers moved to the National League in 1998.

References[]

  1. ^ http://fielderschoice.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/overjoyed/ Dave (Tampa Bay Rays fan), "Overjoyed!", Fielder's Choice Baseball Card Blog, April 10, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009 (including photo of trophy).
  2. ^ Armour, Mark. "SABR Baseball Biography Project: Will Harridge". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  3. ^ League Championship Series Most Valuable Players (MLB.com/News/Awards/History/ ). MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved August 31, 2009.

External links[]

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