Tournament details | |
---|---|
Dates | October 7 – November 4, 2009 [1] |
Teams | 8 |
Final positions | |
Champions | New York Yankees (27th title) |
Runner-up | Philadelphia Phillies (7th World Series appearance) |
Tournament statistics | |
MVP | Hideki Matsui (NYY) |
The 2009 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2009 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
In the American League, the New York Yankees returned to the postseason for the fourteenth time in the past fifteen years, the Boston Red Sox made their sixth appearance in the last seven years, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim returned for the sixth time in the past eight years, and the Minnesota Twins returned for the fifth time in the past nine years. This would be the last postseason appearance for the Angels until 2014.
In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers returned for the fourth time in the past six years, the Philadelphia Phillies returned for the third straight year, the Colorado Rockies returned for the second time in three years, and the St. Louis Cardinals returned for the seventh time in the past ten years. This would be the last postseason appearance for the Rockies until 2017.
The postseason began on October 7, 2009, and ended on November 4, 2009, with the Yankees defeating the defending World Series champion Phillies in the 2009 World Series. It was the Yankees' 27th title in franchise history, and their most recent title win, as well as the most recent title win by a team from New York City.
The following teams qualified for the postseason:
Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | ||||||||||||
1 | NY Yankees | 3 | ||||||||||||
3 | Minnesota | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | NY Yankees | 4 | ||||||||||||
American League | ||||||||||||||
2 | LA Angels | 2 | ||||||||||||
2 | LA Angels | 3 | ||||||||||||
4 | Boston | 0 | ||||||||||||
AL1 | NY Yankees | 4 | ||||||||||||
NL2 | Philadelphia | 2 | ||||||||||||
1 | LA Dodgers | 3 | ||||||||||||
3 | St. Louis | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | LA Dodgers | 1 | ||||||||||||
National League | ||||||||||||||
2 | Philadelphia | 4 | ||||||||||||
2 | Philadelphia | 3 | ||||||||||||
4 | Colorado | 1 |
Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.
New York won the series, 3–0.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 7 | Minnesota Twins – 2, New York Yankees – 7 | Yankee Stadium | 3:38 | 49,464 [11] |
2 | October 9 | Minnesota Twins – 3, New York Yankees – 4 (11) | Yankee Stadium | 4:22 | 50,006 [12] |
3 | October 11 | New York Yankees – 4, Minnesota Twins – 1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 3:25 | 54,735 [13] |
This was the third postseason meeting between the Yankees and Twins. The Yankees swept the Twins to return to the ALCS for the first time since 2004.
The Yankees blew out the Twins in Game 1 in part thanks to home runs from Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui. In Game 2, the Twins took a 3-1 lead thanks to an RBI single from Nick Punto, but it wouldn’t hold as Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Mark Teixeira would win the game for the Yankees in the bottom of the eleventh with a walk-off home run to give them a 2–0 series lead headed to Minneapolis. In Game 3, the Twins again struck first with an RBI single from Joe Mauer in the bottom of the sixth, but it was quickly erased as A-Rod and Jorge Posada both hit solo home runs in the top of the seventh to put the Yankees in the lead for good. The Yankees added two more runs in the top of the ninth from Posada and Robinson Cano as they won 4-1 to complete the sweep. Game 3 was the last Twins game ever played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
The two teams would meet again in the ALDS in 2010 and 2019, with the Yankees sweeping both times, and the 2017 AL Wild Card Game, also won by the Yankees.
Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 8 | Boston Red Sox – 0, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 5 | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | 3:09 | 45,070 [14] |
2 | October 9 | Boston Red Sox – 1, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 4 | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | 3:11 | 45,223 [15] |
3 | October 11 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 7, Boston Red Sox – 6 | Fenway Park | 3:49 | 38,704 [16] |
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Angels and Red Sox. After four failed attempts, the Angels finally broke through and swept the Red Sox to return to the ALCS for the third time this decade.
John Lackey pitched 7+1⁄3 innings of shutout baseball as the Angels shut out the Red Sox in Game 1. Jered Weaver outdueled Josh Beckett in Game 2 as the Angels took a 2–0 series lead headed to Fenway Park. In Game 3, the Red Sox took a 5-1 lead after four innings, but the Angels then rallied with a 6-1 run across the final four innings of the game to win 7-6 and complete the sweep, exacting long-awaited revenge on the team that eliminated them three straight times.
The Red Sox would not return to the postseason again until 2013, where they would go on to win the World Series. To date, this is the last time the Angels won a playoff series.
Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 7 | St. Louis Cardinals – 3, Los Angeles Dodgers – 5 | Dodger Stadium | 3:54 | 56,000 [17] |
2 | October 8 | St. Louis Cardinals – 2, Los Angeles Dodgers – 3 | Dodger Stadium | 3:07 | 51,819 [18] |
3 | October 10 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 5, St. Louis Cardinals – 1 | Busch Stadium | 3:02 | 47,296 [19] |
This was the third postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Dodgers, with the Cardinals previously winning both prior meetings in the 1985 NLCS and 2004 NLDS respectively. The Dodgers swept the Cardinals to advance to the NLCS for the second year in a row.
The Dodgers would take Game 1 at home. Game 1 set a postseason record for runners left on base combined between the two teams with 30. Game 2 marked Clayton Kershaw’s postseason debut, and while he wouldn’t get the win (that would go to George Sherrill, the Dodgers won 3-2 to take a 2–0 series lead headed to St. Louis. Vicente Padilla pitched seven innings of shutout baseball as the Dodgers won 5-1 to complete the sweep.
Both teams would meet again in the 2013 NLCS, the NLDS in 2014, and the Wild Card Game in 2021, with the Cardinals winning the former two and the Dodgers winning the latter.
Philadelphia won the series, 3–1.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 7 | Colorado Rockies – 1, Philadelphia Phillies – 5 | Citizens Bank Park | 2:48 | 46,452 [20] |
2 | October 8 | Colorado Rockies – 5, Philadelphia Phillies – 4 | Citizens Bank Park | 3:41 | 46,528 [21] |
3 | October 11 | Philadelphia Phillies – 6, Colorado Rockies – 5 | Coors Field | 4:06 | 50,109 [22] |
4 | October 12 | Philadelphia Phillies – 5, Colorado Rockies – 4 | Coors Field | 3:41 | 49,940 [23] |
This was the second postseason meeting between the Rockies and Phillies. They last met in the NLDS two years prior, which was won by the Rockies before falling in the World Series. The Phillies defeated the Rockies in four games to advance to the NLCS for the second year in a row.
Cliff Lee pitched a complete game for the Phillies as they took Game 1 by a 5-1 score. In Game 2, the Rockies jumped out to a big lead in part thanks to a two-run home run from Yorvit Torrealba and a sacrifice fly from Dexter Fowler, and their bullpen held off a late rally by the Phillies to even the series headed to Denver. Game 3 was an offensive shootout between both teams, which was won by the Phillies thanks to a sacrifice fly from Ryan Howard in the top of the ninth. In Game 4, the Rockies led 3-2 and were two outs away from evening the series, but the Phillies rallied with three unanswered runs, capped off by a bloop RBI single from Jayson Werth, to take the lead for good. This was the only LDS series that didn’t end in a sweep, and was the first time in postseason history that all four division series were won on the road.
The Rockies would not return to the postseason again until 2017.
New York won the series, 4–2.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 16 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 1, New York Yankees – 4 | Yankee Stadium | 3:18 | 49,688 [24] |
2 | October 17 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 3, New York Yankees – 4 (13) | Yankee Stadium | 5:10 | 49,922 [25] |
3 | October 19 | New York Yankees – 4, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 5 (11) | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | 4:21 | 44,911 [26] |
4 | October 20 | New York Yankees – 10, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 1 | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | 3:38 | 45,160 [27] |
5 | October 22 | New York Yankees – 6, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 7 | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | 3:34 | 45,113 [28] |
6 | October 25† | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 2, New York Yankees – 5 | Yankee Stadium | 3:40 | 50,173 [29] |
† Game 6 was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, October 24, but was postponed because of rain.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Angels and Yankees, they had previously met in the ALDS in 2002 and 2005, both being won by the Angels. The Yankees defeated the Angels in six games to return to the World Series for the first time since 2003, effectively preventing an all-Los Angeles World Series from occurring.
CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera kept the Angels’ offense at bay in a 5-1 Yankees victory in Game 1. Game 2 went into extra innings thanks to a bases-loaded wild pitch by Yankees’ starter A. J. Burnett in the top of the fifth. The Angels took their first lead in the top of the eleventh, but Alex Rodriguez extended the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning. The Yankees would win in the bottom of the thirteenth thanks to Jerry Hairston Jr. storming home from second base. In Game 3, despite A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, and Jorge Posada all homering for the Yankees, the Angels eked out a win after eleven innings thanks to an RBI double from backup catcher Jeff Mathis. In Game 4, the Yankees blew out the Angels to take a 3–1 series lead. In Game 5, the Angels took a 4-0 lead early, but it would be erased from a six-run seventh from the Yankees’ offense. However, the Angels retook the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, and Brian Fuentes got the save to send the series back to the Bronx. Returning Yankee-legend Andy Pettitte and Rivera limited the damage done by the Angels’ bats as they guided New York to a 5-2 win and the pennant.
The Yankees would win their next AL pennant in 2024 over the now-Cleveland Guardians in five games. The Angels would not return to the postseason again until 2014. To date, this remains the last postseason appearance outside of the divisional round for the Angels.
Philadelphia won the series, 4–1.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 15 | Philadelphia Phillies – 8, Los Angeles Dodgers – 6 | Dodger Stadium | 4:02 | 56,000 [30] |
2 | October 16 | Philadelphia Phillies – 1, Los Angeles Dodgers – 2 | Dodger Stadium | 3:05 | 56,000 [31] |
3 | October 18 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 0, Philadelphia Phillies – 11 | Citizens Bank Park | 3:12 | 45,721 [32] |
4 | October 19 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 4, Philadelphia Phillies – 5 | Citizens Bank Park | 3:44 | 46,157 [33] |
5 | October 21 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 4, Philadelphia Phillies – 10 | Citizens Bank Park | 3:40 | 46,214 [34] |
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Phillies. The Phillies once again defeated the Dodgers in five games to return to the World Series for the second year in a row, effectively preventing an all-Los Angeles World Series from occurring.
Both teams split the first two games at Dodger Stadium. When the series shifted to Philadelphia, the Phillies blew out the Dodgers in Game 3, Phillies' Jimmy Rollins hit a two-out walk-off two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 to take a 3–1 series lead, and then blew out the Dodgers again in Game 5 to secure the pennant.
The Phillies would win their next NL pennant in 2022 over the San Diego Padres in five games. The Dodgers returned to the NLCS in 2013 and 2016, but lost both to the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs respectively. The Dodgers would eventually win the pennant in 2017 over the aforementioned Cubs in five games.
New York (AL) won the series, 4–2.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 28 | Philadelphia Phillies – 6, New York Yankees – 1 | Yankee Stadium | 3:27 | 50,207 [35] |
2 | October 29 | Philadelphia Phillies – 1, New York Yankees − 3 | Yankee Stadium | 3:25 | 50,181 [36] |
3 | October 31 | New York Yankees – 8, Philadelphia Phillies – 5 | Citizens Bank Park | 3:25 | 46,061 [37] |
4 | November 1 | New York Yankees – 7, Philadelphia Phillies – 4 | Citizens Bank Park | 3:25 | 46,145 [38] |
5 | November 2 | New York Yankees – 6, Philadelphia Phillies – 8 | Citizens Bank Park | 3:26 | 46,178 [39] |
6 | November 4 | Philadelphia Phillies – 3, New York Yankees – 7 | Yankee Stadium | 3:52 | 50,315 [40] |
This was the fourth New York–Pennsylvania matchup in the World Series (1927, 1950, 1960). This was also the second World Series matchup between the Yankees and Phillies. They previously met in the World Series in 1950, which the Yankees won in a sweep. The Yankees prevailed in six games, denying the Phillies back-to-back titles. It was the first championship for the Yankees since 2000.
The Phillies stole Game 1 at Yankee Stadium thanks to a complete game performance from Cliff Lee. Lee made MLB history in several ways:
In Game 2, the Yankees evened the series off a solid pitching performance from A. J. Burnett. When the series moved to Philadelphia for Game 3, the Phillies jumped out to an early 3–0 lead, but the Yankees would score six runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to take the lead for good and take a 2–1 series lead. In Game 4, with the game tied at four runs each going into the ninth, the Yankees scored three unanswered runs in the top of the inning to prevail and take a 3–1 series lead. The Phillies held off a late rally by the Yankees in Game 5 to send the series back to the Bronx. In Game 6, the Yankees clinched the title with a 7–3 victory, and the Yankees' starting pitcher for Game 6, Andy Pettitte, added to his record of most postseason wins with his eighteenth victory.
With the win, the Yankees improved their World Series record against Pennsylvania teams to 3–1. To date, this is the last World Series win by the Yankees franchise. In addition, this is also the last World Series win by a team from New York City as the Mets lost in 2015. During the next decade, the Yankees failed to win a single American League pennant, and would not return to the World Series again until 2024, where they lost to their old National League rival in the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
The next year, the Phillies were knocked out in the NLCS by the San Francisco Giants. They would return to the World Series in 2022 but were defeated by the Houston Astros in six games.
This was the third postseason under a seven-year U.S. rights agreement with Fox and TBS. TBS primarily aired all Division Series games, with sister network TNT used as an overflow channel. TBS also had the National League Championship Series. Fox televised the American League Championship Series and the World Series.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2009 throughout the world.
The 2009 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2009 season. As the 105th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National League (NL) and defending World Series champions, and the New York Yankees, champions of the American League (AL). The Yankees defeated the Phillies, 4 games to 2, winning their 27th World Series championship.
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 2009 National League Division Series (NLDS) consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The NLDS began on Wednesday, October 7 and ended on Monday, October 12. TBS televised all games in the United States. The matchups were:
The 2017 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2017 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. This was the first edition of the postseason in which home field advantage in the World Series was awarded to the team with the better regular season record, rather than the winner of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The 2017 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees for the American League pennant and the right to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series. The Astros defeated the Yankees in seven games after falling behind three games to two. The home team won every game in the series.
The 2018 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams of the 2018 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the Wild Card Game winner—played in two series. These matchups were:
The 2018 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2018 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2015 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2015 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2004 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2004 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.
The 2007 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2007 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2008 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2008 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2010 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2010 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2011 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2011 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. This was the last postseason to feature the 8-team format, as next season a new League Wild Card Game was introduced as the new opening round of the postseason, as well as the last time that two teams from the same division could not face each other in the opening round.
The 2012 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2012 season. The winners of the Division Series moved on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. A new Wild Card Game was introduced as the opening round of the postseason, which features the #4 and #5 seeds of each league, and the winner faced the team with the best record in the Division Series, marking the first expansion of the postseason since 1995. As a result of this new format, two teams from the same division can now meet in the Division Series. In the past, if the team with the best record in their league and the wild card resided in the same division, the wild card would instead be assigned to face the second-seeded division champion while the team with the best record in their league to face the third-seeded division champion. This meant that the only way two teams in the same division could meet in the postseason would be the League Championship Series, provided both teams won their respective Division Series.
The 2014 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2014 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2019 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2019 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2020 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2020 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league played only a 60-game season, and an expanded 16-team postseason tournament began on September 29, with games of all but the first round being played at neutral sites. A new best-of-three Wild Card series was added as the opening round of this postseason due to the shortened season caused by the pandemic; it would become a permanent addition to the postseason format starting in 2022.
The 2022 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2022 season. This was the first edition of the postseason since 2012 to have a new format, as it has been expanded to include six teams per league. The top two division winners of the American and National leagues receive first-round byes into the Division Series, and the worst-division winner is the third seed in their respective league. The three Wild Card teams are the fourth, fifth, and sixth seeds. The third seed hosts the sixth seed, and the fourth seed does the same with the fifth seed in the best-of-three Wild Card series. The postseason started on Friday, October 7, two days after the end of the regular season.