| 2001 National League Championship Series | ||||||||||
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| Dates | October 16–21 | |||||||||
| MVP | Craig Counsell (Arizona) | |||||||||
| Umpires | Jerry Crawford Jeff Kellogg Angel Hernandez Mike Reilly Gerry Davis Tim McClelland | |||||||||
| Broadcast | ||||||||||
| Television | Fox (United States) MLB International (International) | |||||||||
| TV announcers | Joe Buck andTim McCarver (Games 1–2) Thom Brennaman andSteve Lyons (Games 3–5) (Fox) Gary Thorne andKen Singleton (MLB International) | |||||||||
| Radio | ESPN | |||||||||
| Radio announcers | Charley Steiner andDave Campbell | |||||||||
| NLDS |
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The2001 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a semifinal series inMajor League Baseball’s2001 postseason which saw the second-seededArizona Diamondbacks defeat the third-seededAtlanta Braves in five games to win theNational League pennant in the franchise's fourth year of existence. The Diamondbacks went on to defeat theNew York Yankees in seven games to win theWorld Series.
The Diamondbacks won their division with a 92–70 record, which was good enough for the second seed in the National League. One strength of their team was the pitching duo ofRandy Johnson andCurt Schilling, who led the team inwins above replacement.[1] The primary weapon for Arizona on offense wasLuis Gonzalez, who belted 57 home runs during the season. The Diamondbacks had outlasted the wild cardSt. Louis Cardinals in theNLDS to reach their first NLCS.
The Atlanta Braves won their tenth straight division title, but it had not been by a wide margin in 2001. They struggled to an 88–74 record, their worst since1990, and were the third seed in the National League.Greg Maddux had another big season for the Braves, winning 17 games.Chipper Jones was the leader of the Atlanta offense, batting .330 during the season to go along with his 38 home runs. After their embarrassing defeat to theSt. Louis Cardinals in the2000 NLDS, the underdog Braves blitzed the top-seededHouston Astros in the 2001 NLDS, sweeping them in three games.
Arizona won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 16 | Atlanta Braves – 0,Arizona Diamondbacks – 2 | Bank One Ballpark | 2:44 | 37,729[2] |
| 2 | October 17 | Atlanta Braves – 8, Arizona Diamondbacks – 1 | Bank One Ballpark | 2:54 | 49,334[3] |
| 3 | October 19 | Arizona Diamondbacks – 5, Atlanta Braves – 1 | Turner Field | 2:59 | 41,624[4] |
| 4 | October 20 | Arizona Diamondbacks – 11, Atlanta Braves – 4 | Turner Field | 3:47 | 42,291[5] |
| 5 | October 21 | Arizona Diamondbacks – 3, Atlanta Braves – 2 | Turner Field | 3:13 | 35,652[6] |
Tuesday, October 16, 2001 atBank One Ballpark inPhoenix, Arizona
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Randy Johnson (1–0) LP:Greg Maddux (0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2001 NLCS began with a pitching matchup of multiple-Cy Young Award winnersRandy Johnson andGreg Maddux.Reggie Sanders plated a run in the first with a single to give Arizona a 1–0 lead. The Diamondbacks went ahead 2–0 afterLuis Gonzalez drove inCraig Counsell, who doubled with two outs with a single in the fifth. Though Maddux went seven innings, Johnson pitched a complete-game three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts.
Wednesday, October 17, 2001 atBank One Ballpark inPhoenix, Arizona
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Tom Glavine (1–0) LP:Miguel Batista (0–1) Home runs: ATL:Marcus Giles (1),Javy López (1),B. J. Surhoff (1) AZ: None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Braves responded to Johnson's dominating performance with one of their own fromTom Glavine.Marcus Giles led the game off with a home run for the Braves offMiguel Batista. Glavine went seven innings, scattering five hits and giving up one run in the sixth whenReggie Sanders walked with two outs and scored two batters later onMatt Williams's single. In the top of the seventh,Andruw Jones walked two outs off of Batista beforeJavy López hit a two-run homer to make it 3–1. Atlanta scored five runs in the eighth with two outs to break the game open.Julio Franco singled andChipper Jones walked off ofMike Morgan before both scored onBrian Jordan's double.Greg Swindell relieved Morgan and allowed a two-run home run toB. J. Surhoff.Bobby Witt relieved Swindell and allowed back-to-back singles to Jones and Lopez beforeRey Sanchez's RBI single made it 8–1 Braves.Steve Karsay andJohn Smoltz pitched perfect eighth and ninth, respectively as the Braves' win tied the series 1–1 heading to Atlanta.
Friday, October 19, 2001 atTurner Field inAtlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Arizona | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Curt Schilling (1–0) LP:John Burkett (0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Curt Schilling, who earned an MVP award in the1993 NLCS against the Braves, got the start in Game 3 inAtlanta. Braves starterJohn Burkett gave up two runs in the third whenSteve Finley doubled with two on. That would be all Schilling would need, as he, much like Johnson, controlled the Braves lineup. Atlanta got a run in the fourth whenMarcus Giles hit a leadoff double and scored onChipper Jones's one-out single, but with the bases loaded with one out,Steve Reed relieved Burkett and aChipper Jones error at third base onMatt Williams's groundball allowed two runs to score.Mike Remlinger relieved Reed and allowed an RBI single to Finley. Ahead 5–1, Schilling cruised the rest of the way, tossing a complete game and striking out 12 men.
Saturday, October 20, 2001 atTurner Field inAtlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Arizona | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlanta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Brian Anderson (1–0) LP:Greg Maddux (0–2) Sv:Byung-Hyun Kim (1) Home runs: AZ:Luis Gonzalez (1) ATL:Andruw Jones (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Looking to tie the series,Bobby Cox startedGreg Maddux on short rest. For two innings, the move appeared to work. The Braves struck first off of Diamondback starterAlbie Lopez whenMarcus Giles walked to lead off the first and scored on RBI double byChipper Jones. Next inning, a lead off homer byAndruw Jones made it 2–0 Braves. However, the wheels came off for Atlanta in the third when two errors, a single, and fielder's choice allowed Arizona to load the bases with one out.Steve Finley's single scored two with Finley going to second on another error, thenMatt Williams andMark Grace hit back-to-back RBI singles to put Arizona up 4–2. ManagerBob Brenly went for the jugular in the fourth, pinch hittingDavid Dellucci for Lopez to lead off the inning. Dellucci singled, thenTony Womack singled beforeCraig Counsell hit a two-run double to left to make it 6–2.Brian Anderson, who picked up the win, pitched3+1⁄3. The Braves scored in the seventh off ofMike Morgan onBrian Jordan's RBI single with the run charged to Anderson, but in the eighth, Arizona got the run back off ofSteve Karsay when Womack singled with one out and scored on Counsell's double. The Braves loaded the bases in the bottom half on three straight leadoff singles off ofMiguel Batista, butByung-Hyun Kim in relief allowed just one run onJavy López's double play. In the ninth,Jason Marquis struck out the first two men he faced, but a walk and error was followed by Counsell's RBI single.Luis Gonzalez's three-run homer broke the game open at 11–4 Arizona, all four runs unearned. Kim pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth as the win put Arizona firmly in control of the series, ahead three games to one with a restedRandy Johnson set to pitch.
Sunday, October 21, 2001 atTurner Field inAtlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Randy Johnson (2–0) LP:Tom Glavine (1–1) Sv:Byung-Hyun Kim (2) Home runs: AZ:Erubiel Durazo (1) ATL:Julio Franco (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game 1 winnerRandy Johnson and Game 2 winnerTom Glavine faced off as Arizona looked to advance to their first everWorld Series appearance. Former BraveDanny Bautista broke a scoreless tie in the fourth by singling homeMark Grace. The Braves promptly tied the game when veteranJulio Franco led off the fourth with a home run, the first run Johnson had allowed the whole series. However, Arizona answered right back in the top of the fifth whenErubiel Durazo hit a two-out two-run blast off Glavine to make it 3–1, one run unearned. In the seventh, Franco added another RBI with a single that made it 3–2. However,Byung-Hyun Kim came into the game and kept the Braves from getting any closer. He pitched two scoreless innings and Arizona won its firstNational League pennant.
2001 NLCS(4–1):Arizona Diamondbacks overAtlanta Braves
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 40 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlanta Braves | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 35 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total attendance: 206,630 Average attendance: 41,326 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fox carried the National League Division Series over its network with its top broadcast team,Joe Buck andTim McCarver, calling the action of Game 1 and Game 2, andThom Brennaman (himself aDiamondbacks broadcaster) andSteve Lyons calling the action of Game 3, Game 4 and Game 5. Game 5 of the 2001 NLCS was played at the same time as Game 4 of the2001 ALCS and was a split national broadcast onFox andFox Sports Net.ESPN Radio provided national radio coverage for the fourth consecutive year, withCharley Steiner andDave Campbell calling the action.
Locally, the NLCS was called onKTAR-AM inPhoenix byGreg Schulte,Jeff Munn,Rod Allen andJim Traber, and onWSB-AM inAtlanta byPete Van Wieren,Skip Caray,Don Sutton, andJoe Simpson.
Arizona would continue to ride the brilliant duo ofRandy Johnson andCurt Schilling to aWorld Series victory against theYankees in a dramatic seven game series. The Diamondbacks, in their fourth season of existence, were the fastest expansion team to win a World Series, beating out the1997 Florida Marlins, who had done it in their fifth season at that time.
After dominating the National League in the 1990s (which included five consecutive victories in the NLDS to go with eight total NLCS trips and one World Series win in1995), this was the closest that Atlanta would get to going back to the World Series in theBobby Cox era. The Braves returned to the postseason in2002,2003,2004, and2005, but they did not get past the National League Division Series. By their 2004 and 2005 teams, the Braves gave significant playing time to their younger players and had moved on from star veterans such asTom Glavine,Greg Maddux,Gary Sheffield, andJavy Lopez. Atlanta would not win another playoff series until2020 and would not win another World Series until2021.
Bobby Cox retired in 2010, leading managers all-time in multiple categories, such as playoff appearances, 100-win seasons (shared at six withJohn McGraw), and ejections, and was inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Game 5 also marks the final time thatTurner Field hosted either a League Championship Series or a World Series game.
Arizona would not return an NLCS until2007, which by this time, they did not have any players from the 2001 team. They did not win another pennant until2023 when they upset the Phillies in seven games.
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