1997 American League Division Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Baltimore Orioles (3) Davey Johnson 98–64, .605, GA: 2 Seattle Mariners (1) Lou Piniella 90–72, .556, GA: 6
Dates	October 1 – 5
Television	NBC (Game 1) ESPN (Games 2, 4) Fox (Game 3)
TV announcers	Bob Costas,Joe Morgan, andBob Uecker (Game 1) Jon Miller andJoe Morgan (Games 2, 4) Thom Brennaman andBob Brenly (Game 3)
Radio	CBS
Radio announcers	John Rooney andAl Downing
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Cleveland Indians (3) Mike Hargrove 86–75, .534, GA: 6 New York Yankees (2) Joe Torre 96–66, .593, GB: 2
Dates	September 30 – October 6
Television	Fox (Games 1–2, 4–5) NBC (Game 3)
TV announcers	Joe Buck,Tim McCarver, andBob Brenly (Games 1–2, 4–5) Bob Costas,Joe Morgan, andBob Uecker (Game 3)
Radio	CBS
Radio announcers	Ernie Harwell andJeff Torborg
Umpires	Tim McClelland,Dale Ford,Ken Kaiser,Greg Kosc,Dave Phillips,Rocky Roe (Orioles–Mariners, Games 1–2; Indians–Yankees, Games 3–5) Tim Tschida,Dan Morrison,Rick Reed,Dale Scott,Rich Garcia,Derryl Cousins (Indians–Yankees, Games 1–2; Orioles–Mariners, Games 3–4)
← 1996 ALDS 1998 →

The1997American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of theAmerican League side inMajor League Baseball’s (MLB)1997 postseason, began on Tuesday, September 30, and ended on Monday, October 6, 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)Baltimore Orioles (Eastern Division champion, 98–64) vs. (3)Seattle Mariners (Western Division champion, 90–72): Orioles win series, 3–1.
• (2)Cleveland Indians (Central Division champion, 86–75) vs. (4)New York Yankees (Wild Card, 96–66): Indians win series, 3–2.^[1]

The Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians went on to meet in theAL Championship Series (ALCS). The Indians became the American League champion, and lost to theNational League championFlorida Marlins in the1997 World Series.

Baltimore won the series, 3–1.

Cleveland won the series, 3–2.

Kingdome inSeattle, Washington

The Orioles had gone wire-to-wire and the Mariners had won the AL West for the second time in the decade. In Game 1, both teams had their best on the mound:Mike Mussina for the Orioles andRandy Johnson for the Mariners. The game was scoreless untilMike Bordick hit an RBI double after a walk for the Orioles in the third, butEdgar Martínez's home run tied the game in the fourth. In the fifth, after two walks,Brady Anderson's RBI single put the Orioles up 2–1. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up,Eric Davis's two-run single made it 4–1 Orioles. Davis was caught stealing second for the second out, butGerónimo Berroa's home run extended the lead to 5–1. Next inning,Chris Hoiles's lead off home run offMike Timlin made it 6–1 Orioles.Rafael Palmeiro then doubled and one out later, scored onMike Bordick's double. After a ground out and intentional walk,Paul Spoljaric relieved Timlin and allowed a two-run double toB. J. Surhoff's. The Mariners got their final two runs on home runs byJay Buhner andAlex Rodriguez in the seventh off Mussina and ninth offArmando Benitez, respectively.

Kingdome inSeattle, Washington

Scott Erickson facedJamie Moyer in Game 2 and the situation cried for a Mariner victory. In the bottom of the first, the Mariners got two runs after a leadoff single and subsequent double on RBI groundouts byKen Griffey andEdgar Martinez, butHarold Baines homered to make it a one-run game in the second and in the fifth, after Moyer got two quick outs, he surrendered a walk and a single. Moyer then left the game with a strained flexor in his left elbow.Roberto Alomar would double in two runs offPaul Spoljaric to give the Orioles a 3–2 lead. In the seventh,Brady Anderson's two-run home run after a walk offBobby Ayala gave the Orioles a commanding 5–2 lead. The Mariners got a run in the bottom of the inning whenPaul Sorrento drew a leadoff walk offScott Erickson, moved to second on a passed ball and scored onRob Ducey's RBI single, but the Orioles widened the gap in the eighth off Ayala. After loading the bases on a single, double and intentional walk,Lenny Webster walked to force in a run beforeMike Bordick's two-run single made it 8–3.Norm Charlton relieved Ayala and allowed an RBI double toBrady Anderson. The Orioles cruised to their second straight 9–3 win and were up 2–0 in the series heading to Baltimore. This would be the final postseason game played at the Kingdome.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards inBaltimore, Maryland

In a must-win game for the Mariners,Jeff Fassero took the mound againstJimmy Key, who was looking to end the series. In the third,Roberto Kelly hit an RBI double after aRich Amaral single for the Mariners. In the fifth,Ken Griffey Jr. drove in a run with a base hit to make it 2–0 Mariners. The score remained 2–0 and Fassero had shut the Orioles out through eight innings. In the ninth,Jay Buhner andPaul Sorrento hit one-out back-to-back home runs offTerry Matthews to give the Mariners a 4–0 lead. These would turn out to be the deciding runs as the Orioles rallied in the bottom half. AfterJeff Fassero walkedGeronimo Berroa to lead it off,Rafael Palmeiro singled offHeathcliff Slocumb, who got two outs beforeJeffrey Hammonds's two-run double put the tying run at the plate in the person ofHarold Baines, but Baines popped out to ensure a Game 4.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards inBaltimore, Maryland

Randy Johnson andMike Mussina faced off again in game 4. In the bottom of the first, Johnson gave up a one-out home run toJeff Reboulet, a double toGeronimo Berroa, and an RBI single toCal Ripken Jr., butEdgar Martínez's home run in the second made it a one-run game.Gerónimo Berroa's home run in the fifth gave the Orioles a two-run edge. Mussina and Johnson dueled on even terms until Mussina was pulled in the eighth in favor ofArmando Benítez. The Orioles' bullpen managed to hang onto a 3–1 clinching victory that put the Orioles back in the ALCS for the second straight year.

1997 ALDS(3–1):Baltimore Orioles overSeattle Mariners

Yankee Stadium (I) inBronx, New York

Game 1 saw a matchup ofOrel Hershiser andDavid Cone. In the top of the first,Bip Roberts drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored onManny Ramirez's single. Ramirez moved to second on another single, then to third on a forceout before scoring on wild pitch. AfterMatt Williams was hit by a pitch,Sandy Alomar Jr.'s three-run homer, the first of his nineteen RBIs in the 1997 postseason, capped the scoring at 5–0. The Yankees loaded the bases in the second on a single and two walks with no outs, but scored just one run onWade Boggs's forceout. The Indians got that run back in the fourth whenMarquis Grissom tripled and scored on Roberts's single.Tino Martinez's home run in the bottom half cut the lead to 6–2, then next inning, after a leadoff single and double,Tim Raines's sacrifice fly made it 6–3 Indians. In the sixth, the Yankees completed a five-run comeback. Boggs singled with one out, moved to third on a groundout and scored onRey Sanchez's single, thenTim Raines,Derek Jeter, andPaul O'Neill hit three straight home runs to give the Yankees an 8–6 edge. It was a lead the Yankee bullpen would not squander.Mariano Rivera got the save in the ninth. Having seen a five-run lead disappear, the Indians appeared demoralized.

Yankee Stadium (I) inBronx, New York

The seemingly overmatchedJaret Wright facedAndy Pettitte in Game 2. After three straight one-out walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, the Yankees jumped out to a 3–0 first inning lead on a two-run double byTino Martinez and a sacrifice fly byCharlie Hayes. In the top of the fifth with two on, three straight RBI singles byDavid Justice,Sandy Alomar, andJim Thome tied the game, thenTony Fernandez's two-run double put the Indians up 5–3. Next inning,Matt Williams's two-run home run extended the lead to 7–3 The Yankees would get two runs againstJosé Mesa onMike Stanley's bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the eighth andDerek Jeter's home run in the ninth, but the Indians' lead stood and the series was tied at a game apiece.

Jacobs Field inCleveland, Ohio

David Wells facedCharles Nagy in Game 3. An error by Nagy gave Wells a 1–0 lead in the first onPaul O'Neill's RBI single with two on, but the Indians would tie the game in the second onTony Fernandez's forceout with two on.Derek Jeter gave the Yankees the lead in the third when he walked, stole second, and scored onTino Martinez's RBI hit. In the fourth, the Yankees loaded the bases on three walks off Nagy beforePaul O'Neill hit a grand slam offChad Ogea that gave them a commanding 6–1 lead and silenced the Jacobs Field crowd. Rain was a constant throughout the game and the rain fell on the Indians' parade as the Yankees took a 2–1 series lead.

Jacobs Field inCleveland, Ohio

Game 4 proved memorable as two veteran starters,Dwight Gooden andOrel Hershiser, battled back and forth. The Yankees jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first whenDerek Jeter hit a one-out double and scored on an RBI double byPaul O'Neill, then after a groundout and hit-by-pitch,Cecil Fielder hit an RBI single. This was all they could muster off Hershiser, whose postseason legend continued to improve. A home run in the second byDavid Justice cut that 2–0 in half and gave the Indians cause for hope. However, Gooden and the Yankees bullpen kept the Indians scoreless until the bottom of the eighth. With two outs andMariano Rivera on the mound, the Indians looked finished. Having posted 43 saves during the regular season, Rivera appeared to be the executioner. However,Sandy Alomar Jr. homered to tie the game and that homer gave birth to his postseason legacy in 1997. This would be Rivera's only blown save in the playoffs until2001. In the ninth,Marquis Grissom singled to lead off the inning offRamiro Mendoza. A bunt moved him to second andOmar Vizquel hit a single that rolled pastDerek Jeter to the outfield grass. That allowed Grissom to score the game-winning run.

Jacobs Field inCleveland, Ohio

With the momentum on their side, the Indians looked to finish off the defending champs.Andy Pettitte andJaret Wright once again faced off. The Indians would take a 3–0 lead in the third after two one-out singles were followed by a two-out two-run double byManny Ramírez and RBI single byMatt Williams. ThenSandy Alomar doubled to lead off the fourth, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a fly byTony Fernández to make it 4–0 Indians. However, the Yankees gave the Indians cause to pause in the fifth when errors by Alomar and Ramirez allowed two-runs to score onBernie Williams's single. ThenMike Stanley hit a leadoff double in the sixth and scored onWade Boggs's pinch hit RBI single to make it a one-run game. The score remained 4–3 and the Yankees blew multiple chances to take the lead. The Indians also had their share of chances to put the series away. The frustration mounted in the ninth whenPaul O'Neill's two-out double gaveBernie Williams a chance to hit the go-ahead home run offJosé Mesa, but Mesa got Williams to fly out on a fairly deep fly ball toBrian Giles to end the series and ensure a new World Champion in 1997.

1997 ALDS(3–2):Cleveland Indians overNew York Yankees

• BAL vs. SEA at Baseball-Reference
• CLE vs. NYY at Baseball-Reference

• American League Division Series
• 1997 Major League Baseball season
• Cleveland Guardians postseason
• Baltimore Orioles postseason
• New York Yankees postseason
• Seattle Mariners postseason
• 1997 in sports in Ohio
• 1997 in sports in Maryland
• 1997 in sports in New York City
• 1997 in sports in Washington (state)
• 1990s in Baltimore
• 1990s in Cleveland
• 1997 in Seattle
• October 1997 sports events in the United States
• 1990s in the Bronx

• Articles with short description
• Short description with empty Wikidata description
• Use mdy dates from November 2013