Joe Mays outdueled Kevin 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 by Adam Kennedy and David Eckstein before shortstop Cristian Guzmán's error on Darin Erstad's ground ball tied the game. The Twins would take a one-run lead when Corey 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 innings Eddie 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.
The Angels took their first lead in the series when Darin Erstad hit a home run in the first with one out off of Rick Reed. In the second, Troy Glaus hit a leadoff single, then Brad Fullmer doubled before Scott Spiezio's RBI double made it 2–0 Angels. Two outs later, with Spiezio at third and Adam Kennedy at first, Spiezio stole home while Adam 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 on David Eckstein's RBI single to make it 4–0 Angels. A two-run homer by Brad Fullmer gave the Angels a six-run lead in the sixth. In the bottom half, Cristian Guzman hit a leadoff double and scored on Corey Koskie's single. After David Ortiz struck out, Torii Hunter doubled before Doug Mientkiewicz's two-run single cut the Angels' lead in half. Neither team would score afterward off each other's bullpen and Troy Percival earned the save as the Angels tied the series heading to Anaheim.
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 when Dustan Mohr hit a leadoff single and scored on Jacque Jones's two-out double in the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth, Troy Glaus hit the go-ahead home run off of J. C. Romero to put the Angels on top 2–1. Troy Percival got the save in the ninth and Francisco Rodríguez got the win in relief of Washburn with a perfect eighth.
The game remained scoreless into the seventh inning as Brad Radke and John 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. After Garret Anderson popped out to third, Troy Glaus's RBI single made it 1–0 Angels. Radke struck out Brad Fullmer, but Scott Spiezio's RBI double made it 2–0 Angels. Next inning, Darin Erstad singled with one out off of Johan Santana, moved to second on an error, and then to third on a groundout by Alex Ochoa before scoring on Anderson's single off of J. 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 to Corey Koskie and subsequent RBI single to David Ortiz before striking out Torii Hunter to end the game and give the Angels a 3–1 series lead.
Game 1 winner Joe Mays took the mound to try to send the series back to the Metrodome. He was opposed by Kevin Appier and the Twins struck first when Corey Koskie walked with two outs in the first, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on David 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 an Adam 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 by Doug Mientkiewicz, Mohr, and Pierzynski off of Brendan Donnelly, who was relieved by Francisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez walked pinch hitter Bobby Kielty to force in Mientkiewicz, threw a wild pitch to Jacque 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 and Bengie Molina hit consecutive leadoff singles off of Johan 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 to David Eckstein, Darin Erstad, and Tim Salmon to load the bases with no outs. J. C. Romero relieved Hawkins and walked Garret Anderson to force in Eckstein. After Troy Glaus struck out, Shawn Wooten's single scored Erstad, then a wild pitch scored Alex 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 to Chone Figgins and Kennedy to re-load the bases, then hit Eckstein with a pitch to force in Spiezio before Darin Erstad's groundout scored Figgins for the last run of the inning. Ben Weber and Troy 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.
The Anaheim Angels would go on to win the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants. The Minnesota Twins, despite having lost the American League Championship Series, would go on to win the American League Central for two more consecutive years, although they would lose in the American League Division Series both years to the New York Yankees. Within six months, another Anaheim-Minnesota postseason match-up would take place. The Minnesota Wild would face off against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 Western Conference Final during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Mighty Ducks would sweep the Wild to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, before losing to the New Jersey Devils.
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 not won World Series, let alone a pennant since 2002, while the Twins did not win another postseason until 2023. In 2020, 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]
David Ortiz, or 'Big Papi' as a nickname he would later be known by, batting for the Red Sox in 2009
The Twins would infamously release David 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 would sign with the Boston Red Sox as a favor to star pitcher Pedro Martinez (Ortiz and Martinez were friends growing up in the Dominican Republic together). This seemingly insignificant signing for Boston turned into one of their best moves in franchise history. Ortiz would turn 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 the 2004 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, and 2013). He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2022. 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 fielder Torii 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 of Mike Trout.[10] Hunter returned to the Twins in 2014, which was the last season of his career. He was later inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2016.[11]
Scott Edward Spiezio is an American former professional baseball infielder. He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a three-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants, sparking the Angels to a dramatic come-from-behind victory. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals, and is the son of former major leaguer Ed Spiezio.
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series deciding the 2004 season American League champion earning the privilege to play in the 2004 World Series. A rematch of the 2003 American League Championship Series, it was played between the Boston Red Sox, who had won the AL wild card and defeated the Anaheim Angels in the American League Division Series, and the New York Yankees, who had won the AL East with the best record in the AL and defeated the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox became the first team in MLB history to come back from a 3–0 series deficit to win a best-of-seven series. Prior to the 2004 ALCS, no MLB team had so much as forced a Game 7 under those circumstances – and only one team since 2004 has been able to do so.
The 2002 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s 2002 season. The 98th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Anaheim Angels and the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants; the Angels defeated the Giants, four games to three, to win their first, and, to date, only World Series championship. The series was played from October 19–27, 2002, at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco and Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim.
Anthony John Pierzynski is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports presenter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher with the Minnesota Twins (1998–2003), San Francisco Giants (2004), Chicago White Sox (2005–2012), Texas Rangers (2013), Boston Red Sox (2014), St. Louis Cardinals (2014) and Atlanta Braves (2015–2016). Pierzynski is one of only thirteen catchers in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits in his career.
The 2004 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2004 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 5, and ended on Saturday, October 9, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:
The 2003 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2003 American League playoffs, 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:
The 2005 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2005 American League postseason, began on Tuesday, October 4, and ended on Monday, October 10, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:
The 2005 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2005 American League playoffs, which determined the 2005 American League champion, matched the Central Division champion Chicago White Sox against the West Division champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The White Sox, by virtue of having the best record in the AL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The White Sox won the series four games to one to become the American League champions, and faced the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series, in which the White Sox swept the Astros in four games to win their first World Series championship in 88 years; as a result of the 2005 All-Star Game played in Detroit, Michigan at Comerica Park on July 12, the White Sox had home-field advantage in the World Series. The series was notable both for a controversial call in Game 2 of the series, and the outstanding pitching and durability of Chicago's starting rotation, pitching four consecutive complete games; the +2⁄3 of an inning Neal Cotts pitched in the first game was the only work the White Sox bullpen saw the entire series.
The 2002 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 9 to 14 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals and the wild-card qualifying San Francisco Giants. It was a rematch of the 1987 NLCS, in which the Cardinals defeated the Giants in seven games. The Cardinals, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage.
The 2002 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2002 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 1, and ended on Sunday, 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:
The 2002 Minnesota Twins season was the 42nd season for the Minnesota Twins franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, their 21st season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the 102nd overall in the American League. After nearly folding as part of the 2001 Major League Baseball contraction plan, and coming out of a second-place finish in the AL Central with a pitching staff with only two players with an ERA under 4.00, they still won their division and made it to the ALCS with the youngest team in the league, and with a new manager, Ron Gardenhire. The Twins had a solid first half of the season (45–36), but had a better second half (49–31), which led them to being the division champions. This was the Twins' last season with David Ortiz, as he left the Twins for the Red Sox after the 2002 season.
The 2002 Anaheim Angels season was the franchise's 42nd, and it ended with the team's first American League pennant and World Series championship.
The 2000 Anaheim Angels season involved the Angels finishing third in the American League West with a record of 82 wins and 80 losses.
The 2002 season was the 120th in the history of the San Francisco Giants, the franchise's 45th season in San Francisco, and their third in Pacific Bell Park. The season ended with the Giants winning the National League pennant but losing to the Anaheim Angels in the World Series.
The 2008 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim season was the 48th season for the franchise. The regular season ended with the Angels winning their seventh American League West title and setting a franchise record for single-season wins. In the postseason, they were once again defeated by the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series, the same team that defeated them in the 2004 and 2007 ALDS, as well as the 1986 ALCS.
The 2008 American League Division Series (ALDS), the first round of the 2008 American League playoffs, consisted of two best-of-five series to determine the two participants in the 2008 American League Championship Series. They were:
The 2009 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2009 American League playoffs, was a best-of-seven-game series matching the two winners of the 2009 American League Division Series. The AL East Division champions, the New York Yankees, defeated the AL West Division champions, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, four games to two, to advance to the 2009 World Series, their first since 2003. This was the third time that these two teams faced each other in the playoffs. They met in the 2002 ALDS and 2005 ALDS with the Angels winning both series by 3–1 and 3–2.
The 2009 American League Division Series (ALDS) consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The ALDS began on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, and ended on Sunday, October 11, 2009. The matchups were:
The 2014 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2014 American League Championship Series. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers as well as the Wild Card game winning Kansas City Royals played in the two series. TBS carried all the games.
The 2002 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. The winners of the League Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
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