The 2011 American League Division Series (abbreviated ALDS) were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a fourth team—a wild card—played in two series. TBS televised all games but the Game 2's of both series in the United States. The Game 2's of both series were aired on

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

due to schedule conflicts with other ALDS games or the NLDS. The regular season finished on September 28, with the ALDS beginning September 30. Game 5 of the Yankees–Tigers series was played on October 6. Under MLB's playoff format, no two teams from the same division were matched up in the Division Series, regardless of whether their records would normally indicate such a matchup.

Home field advantage In team sports, the term home advantage – also called home ground, home field, home-field advantage, home court, home-court advantage, defender's advantage or home-ice advantage – describes the benefit that the home team is said to ga ...

went to the team with the better regular-season record with the exception of the wild card team, which defers home field advantage regardless of record. The matchups for the 2011 ALDS were: * (1)

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

(East Division champions, 97–65) vs. (3) Detroit Tigers (Central Division champions, 95–67): Tigers won the series, 3–2. * (2) Texas Rangers (West Division champions, 96–66) vs. (4)

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

(Wild Card qualifier, 91–71): Rangers won the series, 3–1. This was the second consecutive playoff meeting between the Rangers and Rays; the Rangers won 3–2 in the 2010 ALDS. The Tigers and Yankees previously met in the

2006 ALDS The 2006 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2006 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Saturday, October 7, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a " wild card" team� ...

, in which the Tigers won 3–1, the last time they reached the postseason. The Rangers would go on to defeat the Tigers in the ALCS, then lose the

2011 World Series The 2011 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the Natio ...

to the National League champion

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

Participants

*On September 16, the Detroit Tigers clinched the AL Central title, becoming the first team of the season to qualify for the ALDS. It was the Tigers' first AL Central title since they joined the division in 1998, the team's first division title overall since

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, and first playoff appearance since winning the 2006 American League pennant as the Wild Card team. *On September 21, the

clinched the AL East title, their Major League record 17th overall. *On September 23, after the

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

lost to the Athletics, the Texas Rangers clinched the

AL West The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams cur ...

for the second straight year. *On September 28, after making up a 9-game deficit in the final month of the season and going into the season's last day tied with the

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

for the last playoff berth, the

clinched the AL Wild Card by defeating the Yankees in extra innings while the Red Sox lost to the

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

Matchups

New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

Game suspended in the bottom of the second inning due to rain; official MLB records and statistics all carry the original game date.

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

New York vs. Detroit

Game 1

8:37 p.m. ( EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York In front of a Yankee Stadium record setting crowd of 50,940,

Justin Verlander Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...

, 24-game winner,

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

winner, and Cy Young Award frontrunner, started Game 1 for the Tigers against Yankees' ace CC Sabathia. The Tigers started the scoring on

Delmon Young Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League. He played in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Ray ...

's two-out solo home run in the top of the first inning. The Yankees managed to tie the game in the bottom half without a hit. Leadoff batter Derek Jeter reached first base on a wild pitch third strike. Jeter moved to third on

Curtis Granderson Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed the "Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...

's walk and Robinson Canó's groundout and then scored on

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

's RBI groundout. The game was delayed by rain in the middle of the second inning and later suspended and resumed at 8:37 p.m. on October 1, pushing Game 2 back to October 2. The suspension significantly altered both teams' pitching rotations for the series.

Doug Fister Douglas Wildes Fister (born February 4, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Texas ...

and Iván Nova, both of whom were originally scheduled to start Game 2, entered as relief pitchers when Game 1 was resumed. Jorge Posada led off the continuation of the game with a single and then Russell Martin doubled, but Posada was tagged out trying to go home on a Brett Gardner grounder. The Tigers threatened in the fifth inning, putting men on first and second. However, Granderson made a strong throw to Jeter, who relayed to Martin at home to tag out Alex Avila trying to score the go-ahead run. Granderson hit a double in the bottom of the inning and Canó drove him in with an RBI double that was reviewed by

instant replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live. The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...

after the ball hit the top of the wall near the boundary line. In the next inning, the Yankees scored six runs and, after Fister was relieved, a Canó

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

, extending the Yankees lead to 8–1. Later, Canó knocked in his sixth RBI on an eighth-inning double to score Jeter, tying a Yankees postseason record for RBIs in a game by a single player. The Tigers threatened in the top of ninth when Delmon Young's single,

Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-t ...

's walk, and Víctor Martínez' single loaded the bases. Nova was relieved by Luis Ayala, who surrendered an RBI groundout by Avila, an RBI single by Ryan Raburn, and a single by Jhonny Peralta to load the bases again. The Yankees turned to their closer, all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera, in a non-save situation, who struck out

Wilson Betemit Wilson Betemit (pronounced BAY-ta-mee) (born November 2, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He is 6'2" and weighs 220 pounds. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, New ...

to end the game.

Game 2

3:07 p.m. ( EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and L ...

threw no-hit innings before allowing a single to Robinson Canó. Scherzer got help from the Tigers' offense early, as Magglio Ordóñez singled with one out in the first inning, then

hit an opposite-field home run one out later to put the Tigers in front 2–0. In the sixth, Austin Jackson reached on Derek Jeter's throwing error to first, then Ordóñez singled. After

struck out, back-to-back RBI singles from both Cabrera and Víctor Martínez made it 4-0 Tigers and knocked

Freddy García Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...

out of the game. The Yankees got on the board in the eighth on

's leadoff home run off of

Joaquín Benoit Joaquín Antonio Benoit Peña (born July 26, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Toronto ...

, but in the ninth, Luis Ayala hit

Brandon Inge Charles Brandon Inge ( ; born May 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and catcher and currently a volunteer assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team. He played 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, on ...

with a pitch. Inge moved to second on a groundout and scored on Don Kelly's single to give the Tigers the run back. In the bottom of the inning,

Nick Swisher Nicholas Thompson Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a switch hitter who threw left-handed, and played for the Oakland Athletics, Chica ...

hit a leadoff home run off

José Valverde José Rafael Valverde (born March 24, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He is nicknamed ...

, who then allowed a triple to Jorge Posada and walked Russell Martin before Andruw Jones's sacrifice fly cut the Tigers' lead to 5–3. Jeter struck out and Granderson walked before Valverde retired Robinson Canó on a groundout, sending the teams to Detroit with the series tied at a game apiece.

Game 3

8:37 p.m. ( EDT) at

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

In a rematch of the Game 1 starters, the Yankees struck first off of

when Derek Jeter singled to lead off the first and scored on

's triple. After Robinson Cano struck out, Granderson scored on

's single to make it 2–0 Yankees. In the bottom of the third, Ramon Santiago's RBI single with two on off of C.C. Sabathia scored

from second. A single loaded the bases before

grounded into a double play, but Austin Jackson scored to tie the game. Inge hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored again on an RBI double by Santiago in the fifth inning, giving the Tigers the lead. Don Kelly hit a leadoff single and scored on an RBI double by Jhonny Peralta in the sixth to increase Detroit's lead. After Alex Avila's sacrifice bunt, Sabathia was relieved by Rafael Soriano. In the seventh, after getting two outs, Verlander walked Jorge Posada and hit Russell Martin with a pitch before both men scored on a Brett Gardner RBI double, tying the game. In the bottom of the inning,

's home run off of Soriano put the Tigers back in front 5–4.

recorded his 50th consecutive save in as many tries—including regular season—for the Tigers win, striking out Jeter with runners on first and second, both having reached on walks, to end the game.

Game 4

8:37 p.m. ( EDT) at

With their backs against the wall, the Yankees relied on A. J. Burnett to even the series. Burnett, who was assigned to the bullpen in the Division Series due to inconsistency, re-took the starting role thanks to the suspension in Game 1. Burnett was almost to be relieved by

Cory Wade Cory Nathaniel Wade (born May 28, 1983) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Amateur career Wade attended Broad Ripple High School. W ...

in the bottom of the first inning after issuing a two-out walk to Víctor Martínez that loaded the bases, but

's run-saving catch helped Burnett escape the jam unharmed. Derek Jeter's two-run double in the third put the Yankees on board, but Martínez's solo homer in the bottom of the fourth cut the Yankees' lead to one. Granderson's RBI double and

's sacrifice fly in the fifth increased the lead to three. Burnett was relieved after Don Kelly's two-out single in the bottom of the sixth, and he gave the Yankees what they were hoping for—tossing innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, and four walks while striking out three. Later, Granderson's second run-saving catch of the day ended the sixth inning for Burnett and the Yankees. The Yankees' offense erupted in the top of the eighth. Three struggling Yankees hitters—Rodriguez,

Mark Teixeira Mark Charles Teixeira ( ; born April 11, 1980), nicknamed "Tex", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anahei ...

, and

—hit consecutive singles to start the eighth inning. A

balk In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball R ...

by the Tigers' reliever

Al Alburquerque Alberto Jose Alburquerque (; born June 10, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los An ...

and an RBI single by pinch-hitter Jesús Montero brought in two more runs for the Yankees. Russell Martin was walked to load the bases again, followed by Brett Gardner's RBI single for another run. The next two batters— Derek Jeter and Granderson—both struck out, but Montero scored on a wild pitch by Tigers' reliever Daniel Schlereth during Granderson's at-bat. Robinson Canó singled in two more runs to increase the lead to 10–1. The six-run rally was more than enough for the Yankees, as the Yankees' relievers— Rafael Soriano, Phil Hughes, and Boone Logan—held the Tigers hitless in the remaining innings while striking out six.

Game 5

8:07 p.m. ( EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York Game 5 was a rematch of the two pitchers of record in Game 1— Iván Nova and

. Despite the fans setting another Yankee Stadium record with 50,960 in attendance, the Tigers eliminated the Yankees with a 3–2 win. Back–to–back homers by Don Kelly and

in the first inning put Detroit on top. Young's homer was his third, a Tigers record in a playoff series. Nova did not last long, as he was pulled after the second inning with forearm tightness. The Tigers made it 3–0 in the top of the fifth when Víctor Martínez singled off CC Sabathia to drive in Austin Jackson. In the bottom of the fifth the Yankees finally scored on a Robinson Canó solo homer, and got another run in the seventh when

walked with the bases loaded to score Derek Jeter. However,

managed to strike out

with the bases still loaded, ending the threat.

closed the door when he struck out

in the ninth, earning his 51st straight save of the combined 2011 season and postseason. The Tigers became only the third team to beat the Yankees in consecutive post-season series meetings; previously the 1921– 22 New York Giants and the 2002 and 2005 Angels were able to beat the Yankees in consecutive playoff series meetings. This was also the first time since 2007 the Yankees were eliminated at home. CC Sabathia appeared in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

for the first time in his career when he relieved Boone Logan in the fifth, in which he surrendered the winning run. Mariano Rivera made what would be his final postseason appearance, pitching a scoreless ninth.

Composite box

2011 ALDS (3–2): Detroit Tigers over

Texas vs. Tampa Bay

Game 1

5:07 p.m. ( EDT) at

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Te ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Rookie Matt Moore started Game 1 for the Rays, his second Major League start and fourth appearance since his September 12 promotion from Triple-A. Moore gave the Rays seven shutout innings—allowing two hits and two walks while striking out six. After pitching a perfect first,

C. J. Wilson Christopher John Wilson (born November 18, 1980) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional baseball pitcher. Wilson pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2005 to 2011 and the Los Angeles Angel ...

hit

Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...

with a pitch leading off the second, then

Johnny Damon Johnny David Damon (born November 5, 1973) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2012. During his MLB career, Damon played for the Kansas City Royals (1995–2000), Oakland A ...

's home run put Tampa up 2−0.

Kelly Shoppach Kelly Brian Shoppach (pronounced SHOP-ick; born April 29, 1980) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Seattle Mariner ...

then singled, moved to second on a ground out, and scored on Matt Joyce's single. Shoppach's three-run home run after two singles next inning made it 6−0 Tampa. In the fifth,

Adrián Beltré Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman. During his career, Beltré played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball. ...

's throwing error to first allowed Damon to reach base, then Shoppach's second home run of the game made it 8−0 Tampa. They added one more run in the ninth on Damon's single with runners on second and third off of Mike Gonzalez. Wade Davis retired the Rangers in order in the bottom half to preserve the shutout.

Game 2

7:07 p.m. ( EDT) at

The Rays struck first on

's bases-loaded walk in the first inning and Matt Joyce's two-run home run in the fourth. However, Rays starter James Shields ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. After

Elvis Andrus Elvis Augusto Andrus Torres (born August 26, 1988) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox. Ente ...

' hit-by-pitch and consecutive singles by

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

and Michael Young loaded the bases, Shields again hit

and surrendered a two-run single to

Mike Napoli Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

. The next two batters, Nelson Cruz and David Murphy, both struck out, but Murphy reached first base on an uncaught third strike thanks to a wild pitch earlier to advance the runners. Beltré also scored on that play.

Mitch Moreland Mitchell Austin Moreland (born September 6, 1985), nicknamed "2-Bags", is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres ...

followed up with an RBI groundout to score Napoli. The five-run fourth gave the Rangers a 5–3 lead over the Rays. Rangers starter Derek Holland put another zero on the scoreboard before handing the game to the bullpen. The Rangers continued to score on

Ian Kinsler Ian Michael Kinsler ( he, איאן קינסלר; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for ...

's two-run double in the sixth. Evan Longoria came up with a three-run homer in the seventh to bring the Rays within a run. Moreland answered with a solo homer in the eighth to increase the lead to two.

Neftalí Feliz Neftalí Feliz Antonio (; born May 2, 1988) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh ...

pitched a scoreless ninth to record the save. As of the 2020 postseason, this is the only ALDS game the Rangers have won at home, and with the Rangers moving to Globe Life Field in 2020, the only ALDS game the Rangers won at Globe Life Park.

Game 3

5:07 p.m. ( EDT) at

Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (commonly known as the Trop) is a multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team's inaugural sea ...

in St. Petersburg, Florida A Desmond Jennings home run in the fourth gave the Rays an early lead. David Price, winless against the Rangers in his Major League career, held Texas without a run for six innings before giving up a

two-run homer after

singled.

later hit a two-RBI single off reliever J. P. Howell to put Texas ahead 4–1. Later, in the bottom half,

Sean Rodriguez Sean John Rodriguez (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball utility player who is currently a player development instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los ...

hit an RBI groundout to score

and cut Texas's lead to two. In the bottom of the eighth, Jennings cut the deficit to one on his second solo home run of the game; however, the Rays' comeback attempt was put to rest on a double play grounder by

in the ninth.

Game 4

2:07 p.m. ( EDT) at

in St. Petersburg, Florida The Rangers struck first with an

home run off Rays' starter

Jeremy Hellickson Jeremy Robert Hellickson (born April 8, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Na ...

in the first inning. Three homers by

off Hellickson in the second and fourth, and off Matt Moore in the seventh gave Texas the much-needed cushion. The Rays tried to come back when Matt Joyce doubled in the second and scored

in a plate collision with

. Later Rodriguez also scored in the fourth and ninth off

Casey Kotchman Casey John Kotchman (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Marin ...

RBI singles, but the game ended after Joyce popped out in foul territory to Beltré and Desmond Jennings grounded into a force out. Beltré became the sixth player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a single postseason game, joining

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

(

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...

and 1928 World Series),

Bob Robertson Robert Eugene Robertson (born October 2, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman between and , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won five Natio ...

( 1971 NLCS), Reggie Jackson (

1977 World Series The 1977 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1977 season. The 74th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Natio ...

George Brett George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player who played all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are second-mo ...

( 1978 ALCS), and

Adam Kennedy Adam Thomas Kennedy (born January 10, 1976) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington National ...

(

2002 ALCS The 2002 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a matchup between the Wild Card Anaheim Angels and the Central Division Champion Minnesota Twins. The Angels advanced to the Series after dethroning the reigning four-time AL Champion New Yo ...

). With the win, the Rangers advanced to their second straight ALCS. This also marked the Rangers' fifth straight postseason win at Tropicana Field.

Composite box

2011 ALDS (3–1): Texas Rangers over

Notes

References

External links