| 2002 American League Championship Series | ||||||||||
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| Dates | October 8–13 | |||||||||
| MVP | Adam Kennedy (Anaheim) | |||||||||
| Umpires | Ed Montague Mike Everitt Brian Gorman Larry Young Dana DeMuth Ed Rapuano | |||||||||
| Broadcast | ||||||||||
| Television | Fox (United States) MLB International (International) | |||||||||
| TV announcers | Thom Brennaman andSteve Lyons (Fox) Gary Thorne andKen Singleton (MLB International) | |||||||||
| Radio | ESPN (National) KLAC (ANA) | |||||||||
| Radio announcers | Jon Miller andJoe Morgan (ESPN Radio) Rory Markas andTerry Smith (KLAC) | |||||||||
| ALDS |
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The2002American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a semifinal matchup inMajor League Baseball's2002 postseason between the Wild CardAnaheim Angels and the Central Division Champion and third-seededMinnesota Twins. The Angels advanced to the Series after dethroning the reigning four-time AL ChampionNew York Yankees in the2002 American League Division Series three games to one. The Twins made their way into the Series after beating the Athletics three games to two. The Angels won the Series four games to one and went on to defeat theSan Francisco Giants in the2002 World Series to win their first World Series championship.
Anaheim won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 8 | Anaheim Angels – 1,Minnesota Twins – 2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 2:58 | 55,562[1] |
| 2 | October 9 | Anaheim Angels – 6, Minnesota Twins – 3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 3:13 | 55,990[2] |
| 3 | October 11 | Minnesota Twins – 1,Anaheim Angels – 2 | Edison International Field of Anaheim | 3:13 | 44,234[3] |
| 4 | October 12 | Minnesota Twins – 1,Anaheim Angels – 7 | Edison International Field of Anaheim | 2:49 | 44,830[4] |
| 5 | October 13 | Minnesota Twins – 5,Anaheim Angels – 13 | Edison International Field of Anaheim | 3:30 | 44,835[5] |
Tuesday, October 8, 2002 atHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome inMinneapolis, Minnesota
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Joe Mays (1–0) LP:Kevin Appier (0–1) Sv:Eddie Guardado (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joe Mays outdueledKevin Appier as the Twins won Game 1.A. J. Pierzynski hit a sacrifice fly with runners on first and third to put the Twins out in front in the second, but in the third, the Angels got back-to-back two-out singles byAdam Kennedy andDavid Eckstein before shortstopCristian Guzmán's error onDarin Erstad's ground ball tied the game. The Twins would take a one-run lead whenCorey Koskie doubled in a run in the fifth. Though three Angel relievers kept the Twins scoreless for the rest of the game, Mays pitched eight inningsEddie Guardado got the save as the Twins took a 1–0 series lead. Until 2023, this was the last postseason game the Twins won at home.
Wednesday, October 9, 2002 atHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome inMinneapolis, Minnesota
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Ramón Ortiz (1–0) LP:Rick Reed (0–1) Sv:Troy Percival (1) Home runs: ANA:Darin Erstad (1),Brad Fullmer (1) MIN: None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Angels took their first lead in the series whenDarin Erstad hit a home run in the first with one out off ofRick Reed. In the second,Troy Glaus hit a leadoff single, thenBrad Fullmer doubled beforeScott Spiezio's RBI double made it 2–0 Angels. Two outs later, with Spiezio at third andAdam Kennedy at first, Spiezio stole home whileAdam Kennedy tried to steal second. He was caught up in the rundown and knocked the ball away from Pierzynski, although no one called interference. Adam Kennedy went to third and would score onDavid Eckstein's RBI single to make it 4–0 Angels. A two-run homer byBrad Fullmer gave the Angels a six-run lead in the sixth. In the bottom half,Cristian Guzman hit a leadoff double and scored onCorey Koskie's single. AfterDavid Ortiz struck out,Torii Hunter doubled beforeDoug Mientkiewicz's two-run single cut the Angels' lead in half. Neither team would score afterward off each other's bullpen andTroy Percival earned the save as the Angels tied the series heading to Anaheim.
Friday, October 11, 2002 atEdison International Field of Anaheim inAnaheim, California
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Anaheim | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 2 | 7 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Francisco Rodríguez (1–0) LP:J. C. Romero (0–1) Sv:Troy Percival (2) Home runs: MIN: None ANA:Garret Anderson (1),Troy Glaus (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Garret Anderson started the scoring by hitting a lead-off home run in the bottom of the second. Twins 'Eric Milton and Angels'Jarrod Washburn dueled for seven innings. The Twins tied the game in the seventh whenDustan Mohr hit a leadoff single and scored onJacque Jones's two-out double in the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth,Troy Glaus hit the go-ahead home run off ofJ. C. Romero to put the Angels on top 2–1.Troy Percival got the save in the ninth andFrancisco Rodríguez got the win in relief of Washburn with a perfect eighth.
Saturday, October 12, 2002 atEdison International Field of Anaheim inAnaheim, California
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Anaheim | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | X | 7 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:John Lackey (1–0) LP:Brad Radke (0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The game remained scoreless into the seventh inning asBrad Radke andJohn Lackey waged a classic pitcher's duel, but the Angels would strike in the bottom of the seventh. A single, stolen base in combination with an error, and walk put runners on first and third with no outs. AfterGarret Anderson popped out to third,Troy Glaus's RBI single made it 1–0 Angels. Radke struck outBrad Fullmer, butScott Spiezio's RBI double made it 2–0 Angels. Next inning,Darin Erstad singled with one out off ofJohan Santana, moved to second on an error, and then to third on a groundout byAlex Ochoa before scoring on Anderson's single off ofJ. C. Romero.Mike Jackson relieved Romero and allowed a single to Glaus before Fullmer's two-run double made it 5–0 Angels. After Spiezio was intentionally walked,Bengie Molina's two-run triple made it 7–0 Angels.Ben Weber in the ninth allowed a two-out double toCorey Koskie and subsequent RBI single toDavid Ortiz before striking outTorii Hunter to end the game and give the Angels a 3–1 series lead.
Sunday, October 13, 2002 atEdison International Field of Anaheim inAnaheim, California
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Anaheim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | X | 13 | 18 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Francisco Rodríguez (2–0) LP:Johan Santana (0–1) Home runs: MIN: None ANA:Adam Kennedy 3 (3),Scott Spiezio (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game 1 winnerJoe Mays took the mound to try to send the series back to the Metrodome. He was opposed byKevin Appier and the Twins struck first whenCorey Koskie walked with two outs in the first, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored onDavid Ortiz's double. The next inning,Dustan Mohr doubled with one out and scored on A. J. Pierzynski's single with Pierzynski being tagged out at second, but the lead would be cut in half on anAdam Kennedy home run in the third. In the fifth a leadoff homer by Scott Spiezio and the second home run of the day by Kennedy two batters later made it 3–2 Angels. In the seventh, the Twins loaded the bases on three straight one-out singles byDoug Mientkiewicz, Mohr, and Pierzynski off ofBrendan Donnelly, who was relieved byFrancisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez walked pinch hitterBobby Kielty to force in Mientkiewicz, threw a wild pitch toJacque Jones to score Mohr, and allowed Jones to hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Pierzynski to put the Twins ahead 5–3. In the bottom of the inning,Scott Spezio andBengie Molina hit consecutive leadoff singles off ofJohan Santana before Kennedy's third home run of the game put the Angels back in front 6–5.LaTroy Hawkins relieved Santana and allowed three straight singles toDavid Eckstein,Darin Erstad, andTim Salmon to load the bases with no outs.J. C. Romero relieved Hawkins and walkedGarret Anderson to force in Eckstein. AfterTroy Glaus struck out,Shawn Wooten's single scored Erstad, then a wild pitch scoredAlex Ochoa (who was pinch-running for Salmon) before Spezio's second single of the inning scored Wooten to make it 11–5 Angels.Bob Wells relieved Romero and allowed two straight singles toChone Figgins and Kennedy to re-load the bases, then hit Eckstein with a pitch to force in Spiezio beforeDarin Erstad's groundout scored Figgins for the last run of the inning.Ben Weber andTroy Percival pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth, respectively as the Angels' 13–5 win earned them the American League pennant, their first in franchise history.
2002 ALCS(4–1):Anaheim Angels overMinnesota Twins
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Angels | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 49 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota Twins | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 37 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total attendance: 245,451 Average attendance: 49,090 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Anaheim Angels would go on to win the2002 World Series against theSan Francisco Giants. TheMinnesota Twins, despite having lost the American League Championship Series, would go on to win theAmerican League Central for two more consecutive years, although they would lose in the American League Division Series both years to theNew York Yankees. Within six months, another Anaheim-Minnesota postseason match-up would take place. TheMinnesota Wild would face off against theMighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 Western Conference Final during theStanley Cup Playoffs. The Mighty Ducks would sweep the Wild to advance to theStanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, before losing to theNew Jersey Devils.
This turned out to be the onlyAL Championship Series between 1998 through 2004 to not feature theYankees.
While the Angels and Twins experienced regular-season success in the following years, 2002 would mark a high point for both franchises. To date, the Angels have only won two postseason series since 2002, while the Twins did not win another postseason until2023. In2020, the Twins set a mark of postseason futility when they lost their 18th straight postseason game, setting a record for major professional sports in North America.[6]
The Twins would infamously releaseDavid Ortiz during the off-season as a cost-cutting move on December 16, 2002, after being unable to swing a trade for him.[7] Within a month after his release, Ortiz signed with the Boston Red Sox as a favor to star pitcherPedro Martinez (Ortiz and Martinez were friends growing up in theDominican Republic together). This seemingly insignificant signing for Boston turned into one of their best moves in franchise history. Ortiz turned into a hitting superstar for the Red Sox, becoming a 10-time All-Star and 7-time silver slugger at DH. In 2004, Ortiz helped the Red Sox break their 86 year drought, providing clutch hits in the2004 AL Championship Series against the Yankees. Overall, Ortiz hit in the middle of the line-up for three of Boston's World Series winners (2004,2007, and2013). He was elected to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2022. Before releasing him in 2003, Ortiz was only due for a roughly $1 million raise, and the player who replaced Ortiz on the Twins' roster,Jose Morban, would never play in a game for the team. Recently, some Twins fans have considered the team cursed due to the decision to release Ortiz in 2002.[8][9]
After leaving Minnesota in 2007, center fielderTorii Hunter signed a five-year free agent contract with the Angels, where he continued his gold glove work in center field until moving to right field due to age and the emergence ofMike Trout.[10] Hunter returned to the Twins in2014, which was the last season of his career. He was later inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2016.[11]