2002 American League Division Series
Encyclopedia
Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins
Game 1, October 1
Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New YorkThe game went back and forth with the Angels taking a 5–4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia
Mike Scioscia
Michael Lorri Scioscia is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has worked in that capacity since the 2000 season, and is the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball....
brought in Scott Schoeneweis
Scott Schoeneweis
Scott David Schoeneweis is an American Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.In the five seasons from 2003–07, Schoeneweis allowed only one home run to left-handed batters...
to pitch to Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi
Jason Gilbert Giambi is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball.He was the American League MVP in 2000 while with the Oakland Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star who has led the American League in walks four times, in on base percentage...
, who tied the game with an RBI single. Scioscia then brought in Brendan Donnelly
Brendan Donnelly
Brendan Kevin Donnelly is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He bats and throws right-handed.-Career:Donnelly was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 27th round of the 1992 amateur draft...
to face Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
who hit a three-run homer to take an 8–5 lead which would hold, and give the Yankees a Game 1 victory.
Game 2, October 2
Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New YorkIt was a game of home runs at Yankee Stadium in Game 2. Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
and Alfonso Soriano
Alfonso Soriano
Alfonso Guilleard Soriano is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs....
each hit solo home runs for the Yankees. Tim Salmon
Tim Salmon
Timothy James Salmon is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter who played his entire career with the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels...
and Scott Spiezio
Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League . He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the...
hit home runs for the Angels, but the two most important ones came back to back leading off the top of the eighth. Garret Anderson
Garret Anderson
Garret Joseph Anderson is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played most of his career with the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels...
and Troy Glaus
Troy Glaus
Troy Edward Glaus is a Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman who is currently a free agent. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels , Arizona Diamondbacks , Toronto Blue Jays , St. Louis Cardinals , and the Atlanta Braves . Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA...
did so for Anaheim giving them the lead for good.
Game 3, October 4
Edison International Field of AnaheimAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...
in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
The Yankees started teeing off Ramon Ortiz
Ramón Ortiz
Ramón Diógenes Ortiz is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He has previously pitched in Major League Baseball for the Anaheim Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs as well as the Orix...
right away, putting up three runs in the top of the first, and one in the third before Ortiz was lifted. John Lackey
John Lackey
John Derran Lackey is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Lackey was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 1999 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title in 2002, which was his first season in the major leagues...
came in for the Angels and gave up two more runs, giving New York a 6–1 lead. Anaheim responded by pecking away at the Yankee lead off Mike Mussina
Mike Mussina
Michael Cole Mussina , nicknamed Moose, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees ....
to tie the game after seven innings. They took the lead in the eighth with an RBI double by Darin Erstad
Darin Erstad
Darin Charles Erstad is the Head Coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team and a former Major League Baseball outfielder/first baseman. Prior to , he had played with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise before signing with the Chicago White Sox in 2007...
off Mike Stanton. Steve Karsay
Steve Karsay
Stefan Andrew Karsay is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics , Cleveland Indians , Atlanta Braves , New York Yankees , and Texas Rangers .Karsay grew up in the College Point neighborhood in Queens, New York City, just a few miles from Shea...
relieved Stanton and served up a two-run shot to Tim Salmon, giving Anaheim a 9–6 lead for good, giving them a 2–1 series lead.
Game 4, October 5
Edison International Field of AnaheimAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...
in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
With New York facing elimination, they sent David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
to the mound. The Yankees had a 2–1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning when the floodgates opened. Shawn Wooten
Shawn Wooten
William Shawn Wooten is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. Previously, Wooten played in the majors with the Anaheim Angels , Philadelphia Phillies , and Boston Red Sox...
opened the inning with a home run to tie the game, and Anaheim rattled off six consecutive singles with one out to chase Wells. Ramiro Mendoza
Ramiro Mendoza
Ramiro Mendoza , nicknamed "El Brujo" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Mendoza played with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed. Although Mendoza made 62 starts in his major league career, he was primarily known as a middle relief pitcher...
relieved Wells and gave up three more runs and was relieved by Orlando Hernández
Orlando Hernández
Orlando Hernández Pedroso , nicknamed "El Duque", is a former Cuban right-handed baseball pitcher....
, but the damage was done. The eight-run inning gave the Angels a commanding 9–2 lead. The Yankees had a few one-run innings, but it was too little too late. The Angels were going to the ALCS.
Anaheim's victory secured their place in the American League Championship Series.
Composite box
2002 ALDS (3–1): Anaheim AngelsLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
over New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
Game 1, October 1
Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
The inexperienced Twins played up-tight and had some bad blunders in the field to start the game off. They trailed 5–1 after the first two innings. Oakland starter Tim Hudson
Tim Hudson
Timothy Adam Hudson is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Atlanta Braves. Hudson began his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and played his last two years of college eligibility at Auburn University...
could not hold the lead, giving up a home run to Twin third baseman Corey Koskie
Corey Koskie
Cordel Leonard "Corey" Koskie is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.-Baseball career:...
and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz
Doug Mientkiewicz
Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz is a first baseman who last appeared in the majors in with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed...
. Minnesota took a 6–5 advantage in the sixth inning on a Koskie RBI groundout. The Minnesota bullpen pitched four innings of shutout ball to escape with a stunning victory over the Athletics.
Game 2, October 2
Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Oakland dominated Twin starter Joe Mays
Joe Mays
Joeseph Emerson Mays is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.Mays is a 1994 graduate of Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida. He also attended Manatee Community College in Bradenton. He and his wife, Melinda , have two children.Mays began his major league career with the...
from the get-go and never looked back. Third baseman Eric Chavez
Eric Chavez
Eric Cesar Chavez is an American Major League Baseball infielder. Chavez has played for the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees...
hit a three-run home run in the first inning, and the A's added five more runs in the fourth, chasing Mays after innings. Minnesota's lone run came on a Cristian Guzmán
Cristian Guzmán
Cristian Antonio Guzmán is a Dominican baseball player who plays second base and shortstop, who is currently a free agent.-Minnesota Twins:...
solo blast in the sixth inning.
Game 3, October 4
Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
Ray Durham
Ray Durham
Ray Durham , nicknamed The Sugarman, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman.A two-time All-Star, Durham in his prime was one of the premier offensive catalysts in all of baseball, providing prototypical lead-off hitting with power...
stunned the Twin fans inside the Metrodome by leading off the game with an inside-the-park home run, the first in Division Series history. Scott Hatteberg
Scott Hatteberg
Scott Allen Hatteberg is a former American Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher.- Early life :...
hit a home run to right field moments later to stake 23-game winner Barry Zito
Barry Zito
Barry Zito is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, where he won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and made three All-Star teams....
to 2–0 lead. Minnesota tied the game at three in the fifth, but the A's powered their way to a win with help from a Jermaine Dye
Jermaine Dye
Jermaine Trevell Dye is a retired American Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. Dye played with the Atlanta Braves , Kansas City Royals , Oakland Athletics , and the Chicago White Sox . Dye won the World Series MVP with the White Sox in 2005...
home run and a two-run seventh. It was just the second postseason loss at the HHH Metrodome for the Twins (11–1 home record coming into the game), the last coming in 1991 to Toronto in the ALCS.
Game 4, October 5
Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
Minnesota staved off elimination by pounding Oakland 11–2, despite trailing 2–0 early. The Twins tied the game in the third and had a seven-run fourth inning, making it 9–2, and that was all starter Eric Milton
Eric Milton
Eric Robert Milton is a former American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball...
needed, forcing a decisive Game 5 in Oakland.
Game 5, October 6
Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Minnesota got off to a 2–1 lead, and it was a pitchers' duel until the ninth. Twins starter Brad Radke
Brad Radke
Brad William Radke is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in the Twins organization during the late 90's...
had a gutty performance, going innings and giving up only one run on six hits. Minnesota added three runs in the top of the ninth making it 5–1, but Oakland rallied against Twin closer Eddie Guardado
Eddie Guardado
Edward Adrian Guardado is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Throughout his career, Guardado had played with the Minnesota Twins , Seattle Mariners , Cincinnati Reds , and the Rangers .His common nickname is "Everyday Eddie", a testament to his durable arm during his first stint with the...
in the bottom of the ninth. A's second baseman Mark Ellis
Mark Ellis (baseball)
Mark William Ellis is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He has played for the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies.-Early career:...
hit a three-run home run to left to make it a 5–4 game. Oakland had one on and two outs when Ray Durham fouled out to second to end the series.
Minnesota's victory secured its place in the American League Championship Series.
Composite box
2002 ALDS (3–2): Minnesota TwinsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
over Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....