| 2011 American League Division Series | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Teams | |||||||||||||
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| Dates | September 30 – October 6 | ||||||||||||
| Television | TBS TNT (Game 2) | ||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Brian Anderson, Ron Darling and John Smoltz | ||||||||||||
| Radio | ESPN | ||||||||||||
| Radio announcers | Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser | ||||||||||||
| Umpires | Gerry Davis (crew chief), Tony Randazzo, Eric Cooper, Dan Iassogna, Ted Barrett and Bill Welke | ||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||
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| Dates | September 30 – October 4 | ||||||||||||
| Television | TBS TNT (Game 2) | ||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez | ||||||||||||
| Radio | ESPN | ||||||||||||
| Radio announcers | Gary Cohen and Aaron Boone | ||||||||||||
| Umpires | Dale Scott (crew chief), Mark Carlson, Kerwin Danley, Greg Gibson, Brian Gorman, Marvin Hudson | ||||||||||||
The 2011 American League Division Series (abbreviated ALDS) were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a fourth team—a wild 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 on TNT due to schedule conflicts with other ALDS games or the NLDS.[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 the 2010 ALDS. The Tigers and Yankees previously met in the 2006 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 the 2011 World Series to the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals.
- ^ Reynolds, Mike (September 29, 2011). "TBS Sets Schedule For First Four Days Of MLB Postseason Coverage". Multichannel News. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
- ^ Duncan, Travis (July 27, 2011). "MLB to move up 2011 World Series". Digital Sports Daily. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
- ^ Newman, Mark (August 10, 2011). "MLB announces 2011 postseason schedule". MLB.com. Retrieved October 1, 2011.