2011 American League Division Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Detroit Tigers (3) Jim Leyland 95–67, .586, GA: 15 New York Yankees (2) Joe Girardi 97–65, .599, GA: 6
Dates	September 30 – October 6
Television	TBS TNT (Game 2)
TV announcers	Brian Anderson,Ron Darling andJohn Smoltz
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Dan Shulman andOrel Hershiser
Umpires	Gerry Davis (crew chief),Tony Randazzo,Eric Cooper,Dan Iassogna,Ted Barrett andBill Welke
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Texas Rangers (3) Ron Washington 96–66, .593, GA: 10 Tampa Bay Rays (1) Joe Maddon 91–71, .562, GB: 6
Dates	September 30 – October 4
Television	TBS TNT (Game 2)
TV announcers	Don Orsillo andBuck Martinez
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Gary Cohen andAaron Boone
Umpires	Dale Scott (crew chief),Mark Carlson,Kerwin Danley,Greg Gibson,Brian Gorman,Marvin Hudson
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The2011American League Division Series (abbreviatedALDS) were twobest-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round ofMajor League Baseball’s (MLB)2011 postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the2011 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a fourth team—awild 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 onTNT due to schedule conflicts with other ALDS games or theNLDS.^[1] The regular season finished on September 28, with the ALDS beginning September 30.^[2] Game 5 of the Yankees–Tigers series was played on October 6.^[3]

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 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 (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 (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 the2010 ALDS. The Tigers and Yankees previously met in the2006 ALDS, 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 the2011 World Series to the National League championSt. Louis Cardinals.

• On September 16, theDetroit Tigers clinched theAL 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 since1987, and first playoff appearance since winning the2006 American League pennant as the Wild Card team.^[4]
• On September 21, theNew York Yankees clinched theAL East title, their Major League record 17th overall.^[5]
• On September 23, after theAngels lost to theAthletics, theTexas Rangers clinched theAL West for the second straight year.^[6]
• 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 theRed Sox for the last playoff berth, theTampa Bay Rays clinched the AL Wild Card by defeating the Yankees in extra innings while the Red Sox lost to theOrioles.^[7]

Detroit won the series, 3–2.

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

Texas won the series, 3–1.

In front of a Yankee Stadium record setting crowd of 50,940,Justin Verlander, 24-game winner,Triple Crown winner, andCy Young Award frontrunner, started Game 1 for the Tigers against Yankees' aceCC Sabathia. The Tigers started the scoring onDelmon Young'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 batterDerek Jeter reached first base on awild pitch third strike. Jeter moved to third onCurtis Granderson's walk andRobinson Canó's groundout and then scored onAlex Rodriguez's RBI groundout. The game was delayed by rain in the middle of the second inning and latersuspended^[a] 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 andIván 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 thenRussell Martin doubled, but Posada was tagged out trying to go home on aBrett 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 outAlex 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 byinstant replay 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 Canógrand slam, 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's walk, andVíctor Martínez' single loaded the bases. Nova was relieved byLuis Ayala, who surrendered an RBI groundout by Avila, an RBI single byRyan Raburn, and a single byJhonny Peralta to load the bases again. The Yankees turned to their closer, all-time saves leaderMariano Rivera, in a non-save situation, who struck outWilson Betemit to end the game.

Max Scherzer threw5+1⁄3 no-hit innings before allowing a single toRobinson Canó. Scherzer got help from the Tigers' offense early, asMagglio Ordóñez singled with one out in the first inning, thenMiguel Cabrera hit an opposite-field home run one out later to put the Tigers in front 2–0. In the sixth,Austin Jackson reached onDerek Jeter's throwing error to first, then Ordóñez singled. AfterDelmon Young struck out, back-to-back RBI singles from both Cabrera andVíctor Martínez made it 4-0 Tigers and knockedFreddy García out of the game. The Yankees got on the board in the eighth onCurtis Granderson's leadoff home run off ofJoaquín Benoit, but in the ninth,Luis Ayala hitBrandon Inge with a pitch. Inge moved to second on a groundout and scored onDon Kelly's single to give the Tigers the run back. In the bottom of the inning,Nick Swisher hit a leadoff home run offJosé Valverde, who then allowed a triple toJorge Posada and walkedRussell Martin beforeAndruw Jones's sacrifice fly cut the Tigers' lead to 5–3. Jeter struck out and Granderson walked before Valverde retiredRobinson Canó on a groundout, sending the teams to Detroit with the series tied at a game apiece.

In a rematch of the Game 1 starters, the Yankees struck first off ofJustin Verlander whenDerek Jeter singled to lead off the first and scored onCurtis Granderson's triple. AfterRobinson Cano struck out, Granderson scored onAlex Rodriguez's single to make it 2–0 Yankees. In the bottom of the third,Ramon Santiago's RBI single with two on off ofC.C. Sabathia scoredBrandon Inge from second. A single loaded the bases beforeMiguel Cabrera grounded into a double play, butAustin 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 byJhonny Peralta in the sixth to increase Detroit's lead. AfterAlex Avila's sacrifice bunt, Sabathia was relieved byRafael Soriano. In the seventh, after getting two outs, Verlander walkedJorge Posada and hitRussell Martin with a pitch before both men scored on aBrett Gardner RBI double, tying the game. In the bottom of the inning,Delmon Young's home run off of Soriano put the Tigers back in front 5–4.José Valverde 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.

With their backs against the wall, the Yankees relied onA. 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 byCory Wade in the bottom of the first inning after issuing a two-out walk toVíctor Martínez that loaded the bases, butCurtis Granderson'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 andAlex Rodriguez's sacrifice fly in the fifth increased the lead to three. Burnett was relieved afterDon Kelly's two-out single in the bottom of the sixth, and he gave the Yankees what they were hoping for—tossing5+2⁄3 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, andNick Swisher—hit consecutive singles to start the eighth inning. Abalk by the Tigers' relieverAl Alburquerque and an RBI single by pinch-hitterJesús Montero brought in two more runs for the Yankees.Russell Martin was walked to load the bases again, followed byBrett 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' relieverDaniel 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, andBoone Logan—held the Tigers hitless in the remaining3+1⁄3 innings while striking out six.

Game 5 was a rematch of the two pitchers of record in Game 1—Iván Nova andDoug Fister. 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 byDon Kelly andDelmon Young 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 whenVíctor Martínez singled offCC Sabathia to drive inAustin Jackson. In the bottom of the fifth the Yankees finally scored on aRobinson Canó solo homer, and got another run in the seventh whenMark Teixeira walked with the bases loaded to scoreDerek Jeter. However,Joaquín Benoit managed to strike outNick Swisher with the bases still loaded, ending the threat.José Valverde closed the door when he struck outAlex Rodriguez 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 the1921–22 New York Giants and the2002 and2005 Angels were able to beat the Yankees in consecutive playoff series meetings. This was also the first time since2007 the Yankees were eliminated at home.

CC Sabathia appeared inrelief for the first time in his career when he relievedBoone Logan in the fifth, in which he surrendered the winning run.^[17] Mariano Rivera made what would be his final postseason appearance, pitching a scoreless ninth.^[18]

2011 ALDS(3–2):Detroit Tigers overNew York Yankees

RookieMatt Moore started Game 1 for the Rays, his second Major League start and fourth appearance since his September 12 promotion from Triple-A.^[19] 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 hitBen Zobrist with a pitch leading off the second, thenJohnny Damon's home run put Tampa up 2−0.Kelly Shoppach then singled, moved to second on a ground out, and scored onMatt Joyce's single. Shoppach's three-run home run after two singles next inning made it 6−0 Tampa. In the fifth,Adrián Beltré'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 ofMike Gonzalez.Wade Davis retired the Rangers in order in the bottom half to preserve the shutout.

The Rays struck first onKelly Shoppach's bases-loaded walk in the first inning andMatt Joyce's two-run home run in the fourth. However, Rays starterJames Shields ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. AfterElvis Andrus'hit-by-pitch and consecutive singles byJosh Hamilton andMichael Young loaded the bases, Shields again hitAdrián Beltré and surrendered a two-run single toMike Napoli. The next two batters,Nelson Cruz andDavid Murphy, both struck out, but Murphy reached first base on anuncaught third strike thanks to awild pitch earlier to advance the runners. Beltré also scored on that play.Mitch Moreland followed up with an RBI groundout to score Napoli. The five-run fourth gave the Rangers a 5–3 lead over the Rays.

Rangers starterDerek Holland put another zero on the scoreboard before handing the game to the bullpen. The Rangers continued to score onIan Kinsler'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 pitched a scoreless ninth to record the save. Until 2023, this was the only ALDS game the Rangers have won at home, and with the Rangers moving toGlobe Life Field in 2020, the only ALDS game the Rangers won at Globe Life Park.

ADesmond 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 aMike Napoli two-run homer afterAdrián Beltré singled.Josh Hamilton later hit a two-RBI single off relieverJ. P. Howell to put Texas ahead 4–1. Later, in the bottom half,Sean Rodriguez hit an RBI groundout to scoreJohnny Damon 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 byKelly Shoppach in the ninth.

The Rangers struck first with anIan Kinsler home run off Rays' starterJeremy Hellickson in the first inning. Three homers byAdrián Beltré off Hellickson in the second and fourth, and offMatt Moore in the seventh gave Texas the much-needed cushion. The Rays tried to come back whenMatt Joyce doubled in the second and scoredSean Rodriguez in a plate collision withMike Napoli. Later Rodriguez also scored in the fourth and ninth offCasey Kotchman RBI singles, but the game ended after Joyce popped out in foul territory to Beltré andDesmond Jennings grounded into a force out. Beltré became the sixth player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a single postseason game, joiningBabe Ruth (1926 and1928 World Series),Bob Robertson (1971 NLCS),Reggie Jackson (1977 World Series),George Brett (1978 ALCS), andAdam Kennedy (2002 ALCS).

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

2011 ALDS(3–1):Texas Rangers overTampa Bay Rays

• NYY vs. DET at Baseball-Reference
• TBR* vs. TEX at Baseball-Reference

• 2011 Major League Baseball season
• American League Division Series
• New York Yankees postseason
• Texas Rangers postseason
• Detroit Tigers postseason
• Tampa Bay Rays postseason
• Baseball competitions in Arlington, Texas
• Baseball competitions in Detroit
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• Baseball competitions in St. Petersburg, Florida
• 2011 in sports in Florida
• 2011 in sports in Michigan
• 2011 in sports in New York City
• 2011 in sports in Texas
• 21st century in Arlington, Texas
• 2011 in Detroit
• 21st century in St. Petersburg, Florida
• October 2011 sports events in the United States
• 2010s in the Bronx

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