The 2000 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2000 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Sunday, October 8, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were: *(1) Chicago White Sox (Central Division champion, 95–67) vs. (4) Seattle Mariners (Wild Card, 91–71): Mariners win series, 3–0. *(2)

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

(Western Division champion, 91–70) vs. (3) New York Yankees (Eastern Division champion, 87–74): Yankees win series, 3–2.The higher seed (in parentheses) had the home field advantage (Games 1, 2 and 5 at home), which was determined by playing record. The team with the best record was assigned to play the wild card team, unless they were in the same division. The Athletics were not required to make up their one remaining game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in order to win the Western Division title over Seattle; as both teams had qualified for the postseason, Oakland was awarded the division title in the event of a tie on the basis of a 9–4 advantage in head-to-head play. The defending World Series champion Yankees defeated the Mariners in the AL Championship Series. They went on to win the

2000 World Series The 2000 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2000 Major League Baseball season, 2000 season. The 96th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between crosstown opponents, th ...

against the National League champion New York Mets in five games, for their third consecutive World title, and fourth in five years.

Matchups

Chicago White Sox vs. Seattle Mariners

Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees

Chicago vs. Seattle

For the third time in the last six seasons, the Seattle Mariners were in the postseason. The Chicago White Sox returned to the postseason for the first time since 1993. This series ended with a game-winning

bunt Bunt may refer to: * Bunt (community), an elite social group from Karnataka, India * Bunt (baseball), a batting technique in baseball * Bunt (sail), a part of a ship's sail * Bunt Island, island in Antarctica * The Bunt, nickname of the Bunting ...

Carlos Guillén Carlos Alfonso Guillén (born September 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. Guillén was signed by the Houston Astros as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1992. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners with pitcher F ...

in Game 3 to deliver Seattle to their first ALCS in six years.

Game 1

Comiskey Park (II) in Chicago Freddy García faced Jim Parque in the series opener in Chicago. Parque struggled early and often, allowing a single to Rickey Henderson and hitting Mike Cameron with a pitch to open the game. An RBI single by Alex Rodriguez that moved Cameron to third and a forceout by

John Olerud John Garrett Olerud, Jr. (; born August 5, 1968), nicknamed "Johnny O", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays te ...

put the Mariners up 2–0. Joe Oliver's leadoff homer made it 3–0 in the second. However, in the bottom half, Paul Konerko drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on a triple by Chris Singleton, who then scored on a wild pitch by García to make it a one-run game. In the bottom of the third, the Mariners' lead evaporated when Ray Durham homered to tie it, then José Valentín walked before Magglio Ordóñez tripled in the go-ahead run for Chicago. The game remained 4–3 until the top of the seventh, when Cameron hit a two-out bases-loaded single off

Chad Bradford Chadwick Lee Bradford (born September 14, 1974) is an American former professional relief pitcher. He was well known for his extreme submarine-style pitching, and his success in Major League Baseball (MLB) despite his unconventional delivery and ...

, who had just relieved Bob Howry. That hit to right almost gave the Mariners the lead, but David Bell was thrown out at home by Ordóñez to end the inning. Seattle threatened again in the eighth and Chicago in the ninth, but both came up empty and the game moved to extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Cameron led off with a single to left off closer Keith Foulke, then Rodriguez flew out high to left. After an unconventional conference with manager Lou Piniella and a pitchout, Cameron stole second on a 2–0 changeup, then

Edgar Martínez Edgar Martínez (born January 2, 1963), nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a designated hitter and third baseman for the Seattle Mariners from 19 ...

lined the next pitch over the left field wall. On the very next pitch, Olerud homered to center, and the Mariners led by three. Closer Kazuhiro Sasaki gave up a leadoff double off Bell's glove, then got a ground ball to second and struck out two for the save.

Game 2

Comiskey Park (II) in Chicago The White Sox struck first with back-to-back leadoff doubles by Ray Durham and José Valentín off Paul Abbott, but the Mariners loaded the bases in the second off

Mike Sirotka Michael Robert Sirotka (born May 13, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He is an alumnus of Louisiana State University. Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 15th round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft, Sirotka ...

on a double, walk, and hit-by-pitch when David Bell's single and Dan Wilson's sacrifice fly scored a run each, putting them up 2−1. The White Sox tied the game in the third on Carlos Lee's sacrifice fly, but Seattle regained the lead on

Jay Buhner Jay Campbell Buhner (born August 13, 1964), nicknamed "Bone", is an American former professional baseball right fielder. At and , he was among the most recognizable players of his day, noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine t ...

's home run in the fourth. Next inning, Rickey Henderson drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third, and scored on Alex Rodriguez's groundout to make it 4−2 Mariners. In the ninth, they extended the lead to 5−2 on Mike Cameron's RBI single off

Mark Buehrle Mark Alan Buehrle (; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World S ...

that scored

Mark McLemore Mark Tremell McLemore (born October 4, 1964) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and utility player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Early years McLemore grew up in Southeast San Diego, where he went to Samuel F. B. Morse ...

from third, the run charged to

Bill Simas William Anthony Simas (born November 28, 1971) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Chicago White Sox from 1995-2000. He is currently the pitching coach for the AAA Round Rock Express. Career Simas played amateur ball at ...

. Seattle closer Kazuhiro Sasaki struck out all three batters he faced in the bottom of the inning as the Mariners went up 2−0 and the series headed to Seattle.

Game 3

Safeco Field in Seattle In Game 3, the first postseason game at Safeco Field,

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...

faced

Aaron Sele Aaron Helmer Sele (born June 25, 1970) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is currently a special assignment scout for the Chicago Cubs. Early years His family moved to Poulsbo, Washington, a town on the Kitsap ...

in the clincher. Facing elimination, the White Sox took an early 1–0 lead in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by

Herbert Perry Herbert Edward Perry Jr. (born September 15, 1969) is an American former college and professional baseball player who was an infielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or parts of nine season during the 1990s and 2000s. Perry played coll ...

to score Harold Baines, who had doubled and went to third on a fly out to right. In the bottom of the fourth, the Mariners tied the game on an RBI single by

Stan Javier Stanley Julián Antonio Javier ah-ve-ERR(born January 9, 1964) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1984 to 2001. A switch-hitter with good production from both sides of the pla ...

. A pitcher's duel took place and both teams struggled to score in the afternoon autumn sun, with only seven hits total in the first eight innings, tied at one run each. Lefthander Arthur Rhodes relieved Sele in the eighth and threw one pitch, which resulted in an inning-ending double play by second baseman

. Rhodes struck out the first two batters in the top of the ninth and José Paniagua came in to face Frank Thomas, who was hitless in the series. After three balls, the count was worked to full but ended in a walk, then Magglio Ordóñez struck out. In the bottom of the ninth,

hit a hard line drive back at lefthander

Kelly Wunsch Kelly Douglas Wunsch (born July 12, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2000 to 2005. Amateur career A native of Houston, Texas, Wunsch attended Texas ...

and off his stomach, toward the third base line; his rushed errant throw allowed Olerud to move to second. Keith Foulke relieved Wunsch and Rickey Henderson entered as a pinch runner; Javier's sacrifice bunt toward third moved Henderson to third. David Bell walked on four pitches and then pinch hitter

swung and fouled off the first pitch. He then drove in the series-winning run with a walk-off drag bunt past a diving Thomas.

Composite box

2000 ALDS (3–0): Seattle Mariners over Chicago White Sox

Oakland vs. New York

Game 1

Network Associates Coliseum Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...

in Oakland, California Opening on the road in Oakland, New York's

Jorge Posada Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta (born August 17, 1970) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Posada recorded a .273 batting average, 275 home runs, and ...

singled with two outs in the second innings off Gil Heredia, then back-to-back RBI doubles by Luis Sojo and Scott Brosius put the Yankees up 2−0. Roger Clemens allowed a single to Eric Chavez to open the inning and allowed a subsequent walk to Jeremy Giambi. Ramón Hernández's RBI single cut the Yankees' lead to 2−1, then one out later,

Randy Velarde Randy Lee Velarde (born November 24, 1962) is an American former baseball infielder and utility player who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played the majority of his career for the New York Yankees, and also played for the ...

's RBI single tied the game before a wild pitch to Jason Giambi put the A's up 3−2. Bernie Williams doubled to lead off the top of the sixth inning, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on Tino Martinez's sacrifice fly to tie the game, but in the bottom of the inning, Chavez and Giambi hit back-to-back two-out singles before Hernandez's double scored Chavez with Giambi thrown out at home to end the inning with the A's up 4−3. They got an insurance run in the eighth off Mike Stanton when

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...

hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Chavez's single. Jason Isringhausen retired the Yankees in order in the ninth as the A's 5−3 win put them up 1−0 in the series.

Game 2

in Oakland, California In Game 2, Andy Pettitte pitched shutout innings, allowing five hits and one walk. Mariano Rivera pitched shutout innings for the save. Oakland's Kevin Appier pitched five shutout innings before allowing runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth before Glenallen Hill's single scored a run, then Luis Sojo's double scored two more to put the Yankees up 3−0. They made it 4−0 in the ninth on

Clay Bellinger Clayton Daniel Bellinger (born November 18, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball player. He played in MLB for the New York Yankees and the Anaheim Angels, winning the World Series twice as a member of the Yankees. His son, Cody, was the 2019 ...

's RBI double with runners on first and third off

Jeff Tam Jeffrey Eugene Tam (born August 19, 1970) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1998 to 2003 for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Oakland Athleti ...

. The series was tied 1−1 and headed to New York.

Game 3

Yankee Stadium (I) in

Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...

In Game 3 in New York, the A's got runners on first and second on two walks off Orlando Hernandez in the second inning when Jeremy Giambi's RBI single put them up 1−0, but, in the bottom of the inning, the Yankees got runners on first and third with no outs off Tim Hudson when Glenallen Hill's fielder's choice tied the game. One out later, Scott Brosius walked to load the bases before

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

's RBI single put the Yankees up 2−1. In the fourth, Luis Sojo drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on an error, and scored on Jeter's forceout. Terrence Long's home run in the fifth cut the Yankees' lead to one. New York extended their lead to 4−2 in the eighth on Sojo's single that scored Tino Martinez from second with Sojo tagged out at second to end the inning. Hudson pitched a complete game in a losing effort as Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth for the save, and the Yankees were one win away from the ALCS.

Game 4

Yankee Stadium (I) in

In Game 4, Oakland, in a must-win situation, struck first when after two walks, Olmedo Saenz's three-run home run off Roger Clemens gave them a 3−0 first-inning lead. In the sixth, Clemens allowed a leadoff single to Eric Chavez and subsequent double to

before both men scored on

Ben Grieve Ben Grieve (born May 4, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He batted left and threw right. In his nine-season career, he played with the Oakland Athletics (–), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (–), Milwaukee Brewers (), and Chic ...

's single. Mike Stanton relieved Clemens and allowed a single to Jeremy Giambi before Grieve scored on Ramón Hernández's forceout to put the A's up 6−0. The Yankees scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the inning on

's double with two on off

Barry Zito Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball ...

. Tejada drew a leadoff walk off

Randy Choate Randol Doyle Choate (born September 5, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. The New York Yankees selected him in the 1997 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft from Florida State University. Choate made his MLB debut for the Ya ...

in the eighth and stole second. After Ben Grieve struck out,

Ryan Christenson Ryan Alan Christenson (born March 28, 1974) is an American professional baseball former outfielder, minor league manager, and current bench coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played six seasons in MLB with the Athl ...

's RBI single off

Dwight Gooden Dwight Eugene Gooden (born November 16, 1964), nicknamed "Dr. K" and "Doc", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Gooden pitched from 1984 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2000 for the N ...

made it 7−1 Oakland. They loaded the bases in the ninth with no outs on a double, walk, and hit-by-pitch.

Adam Piatt Adam David Piatt (born February 8, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played for the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2003. Career Piatt played baseball at Bisho ...

relieved Gooden and allowed a two-run double to Chavez, RBI groundout to Tejada, and RBI single to Bo Porter. Doug Jones pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth as the Athletics' 11−1 blowout win forced a Game 5 back in Oakland.

Game 5

in Oakland, California In Game 5 in Oakland, the Yankees loaded the bases in the top of the first inning on a walk and two singles when Bernie Williams's sacrifice fly put them up 1−0.

David Justice David Christopher Justice (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1989–1996), Cleveland Indians (1997–2000), New York Yanke ...

walked to reload the bases before Tino Martinez cleared them with a double. After

singled, Oakland starter Gil Heredia was relieved by

, who allowed a sacrifice fly to Luis Sojo, then Scott Brosius singled before

Chuck Knoblauch Edward Charles Knoblauch (; born July 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 through 2002, for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Kansas City Royals. He played ...

's RBI single made it 6−0. The A's loaded the bases in the second on two singles and a walk off Andy Pettitte when

's two-run single made it 6−2. Next inning,

singled with one out and scored on Eric Chavez's double, but New York got that run back on Justice's home run in the fourth off Kevin Appier---the Yankees' only home run in this series. In the bottom of the inning, the A's loaded the bases on two singles and a walk when back-to-back sacrifice flies by Jason Giambi and

Olmedo Saenz Olmedo may refer to: Places *Olmedo, Sardinia, a town near Sassari *Olmedo, Valladolid, a town in the province of Valladolid, Spain ** The First Battle of Olmedo, which took place in the aforementioned town in 1445 ** The Second Battle of Olmedo, ...

made it 7−5. After allowing a single to Tejada, Pettitte was relieved by Mike Stanton, who pitched two shutout innings in relief to get the win. Neither team scored for the rest of the game as the Yankees' win advanced them to the ALCS. During the Yankees' run of three consecutive World Series titles from 1998-2000, this was the only time they faced elimination in the postseason.

Composite box

2000 ALDS (3–2): New York Yankees over

References

External links