2021 American League Division Series
The 2021 American League Division Series is the two best-of-five-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine the participating teams of the 2021 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners, seeded first through third, and a fourth team—determined by the AL Wild Card Game—will play in two series. These matchups are:
- (1) Tampa Bay Rays (AL East champions) vs. (4) Boston Red Sox (Wild Card Game winner)
- (2) Houston Astros (AL West champions) vs. (3) Chicago White Sox (AL Central champions)
The higher seeded team of each series will host Games 1, 2, and (if necessary) 5, while the lower seeded team will host Game 3 and (if necessary) 4.[1][2]
Contents
Background
Lua error in Module:Details at line 30: attempt to call field '_formatLink' (a nil value). Seeds one through three are determined by regular season winning percentages among division-winning teams (with any ties broken by head-to-head records). The final team is the winner of the American League Wild Card Game, played between the league's fourth and fifth seeded teams.
The Tampa Bay Rays clinched the American League East on September 26,[3] and secured the top-seed in the AL postseason with a 100–62 record. It was Tampa's first 100-win season in franchise history. The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Game, 6–2, to advance to the ALDS.[4] This is the third postseason matchup between the Red Sox and Rays. The previous meetings were the 2008 American League Championship Series (won by the Rays 4–3) and the 2013 American League Division Series (won by the Red Sox 3–1). The Rays won the season series with the Red Sox, 11–8.
The Houston Astros clinched the American League West on September 30,[5] and secured the second-seed in the AL postseason with a 95–67 record. The Chicago White Sox clinched the American League Central on September 23,[6] and secured the third-seed in the AL postseason with a 93–69 record. Houston won the season series over Chicago, five games to two. This is the first ever League Division Series that features a World Series re-match; the White Sox swept the Astros in the 2005 World Series, when Houston was a member of the National League.
The Rays are making their third straight postseason appearance, the Astros are making their fifth straight appearance and sixth in seven seasons, and this is the White Sox' second straight appearance. This is the Red Sox' first postseason since winning the 2018 World Series.
Matchups
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox
Boston leads the series, 2–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 7 | Boston Red Sox – 0, Tampa Bay Rays – 5 | Tropicana Field | 3:06 | 27,419 |
| 2 | October 8 | Boston Red Sox – 14, Tampa Bay Rays – 6 | Tropicana Field | 3:56 | 37,616 |
| 3 | October 10 | Tampa Bay Rays – 4, Boston Red Sox – 6 (13) | Fenway Park | 5:14 | 37,224 |
| 4 | October 11 | Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park | - | - |
| 5 | October 13 |
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays | Tropicana Field | - | - |
Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox
Houston leads the series, 2–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 7 | Chicago White Sox – 1, Houston Astros – 6 | Minute Maid Park | 3:34 | 40,497 |
| 2 | October 8 | Chicago White Sox – 4, Houston Astros – 9 | Minute Maid Park | 3:52 | 41,315 |
| 3 | October 10 | Houston Astros – 6, Chicago White Sox – 12 | Guaranteed Rate Field | 4:27 | 40,288 |
| 4 | October 12 | Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox | Guaranteed Rate Field | - | - |
| 5 | October 13 |
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros | Minute Maid Park | - | - |
If necessary
Tampa Bay vs. Boston
The Rays won the season series with the Red Sox, 11–8.[7] This is the third postseason meeting between the franchises. Their previous postseason meetings were in the 2008 ALCS, won by the Rays in seven games,[8] and in the 2013 ALDS, won by the Red Sox in four games.[9]
Game 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Tampa Bay | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 5 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||
| WP: Shane McClanahan (1–0) LP: Eduardo Rodríguez (0–1) Home runs: BOS: None TB: Nelson Cruz (1), Randy Arozarena (1) Attendance: 27,419 Boxscore |
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Tampa Bay won the opening game of the series, 5–0. Boston starting pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in 1 2⁄3 innings. Tampa Bay's other three runs were charged to Nick Pivetta, who pitched 4 2⁄3 innings of relief. Randy Arozarena of the Rays walked against Pivetta in the seventh inning, advanced to third base on a double by Wander Franco, and then stole home against Josh Taylor, who had relieved Pivetta.[10] Tampa Bay starter Shane McClanahan earned the win, pitching five innings while allowing five hits, no walks, and striking out three batters. Arozarena and Nelson Cruz both homered for Tampa Bay; Cruz's home run was given after it ricocheted off one of the catwalks along the stadium roof. The Red Sox outhit the Rays, 9–6, but went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.[11]
Game 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 20 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Tampa Bay | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||
| WP: Tanner Houck (1–0) LP: Collin McHugh (0–1) Home runs: BOS: Xander Bogaerts (1), Alex Verdugo (1), Kiké Hernández (1), J.D. Martinez (1), Rafael Devers (1) TB: Jordan Luplow (1), Ji-Man Choi (1) Attendance: 37,616 Boxscore |
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Boston evened the series at 1–1 with a 14–6 win in Game 2. After the Red Sox scored twice in the top of the first inning, the Rays scored five runs off of Chris Sale in the bottom of the inning, including a grand slam by Jordan Luplow.[12] The Boston bullpen, led by five innings from Tanner Houck, allowed just one more run by Tampa Bay—a home run by Ji-man Choi—for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Red Sox scored 12 more runs and had five batters with three or more hits. Kiké Hernández had five hits including a home run and three doubles. Xander Bogaerts, Alex Verdugo, J. D. Martinez, and Rafael Devers also homered. Houck got the win in relief for Boston, while Tampa Bay reliever Collin McHugh, who allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in 1 2⁄3 innings, took the loss.[13]
Game 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | R | H | E | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | |||||||
| Boston | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 1 | |||||||
| WP: Nick Pivetta (1–0) LP: Luis Patiño (0–1) Home runs: TB: Austin Meadows (1), Wander Franco (1) BOS: Kyle Schwarber (1), Kiké Hernández (2), Christian Vázquez (1) Attendance: 37,224 Boxscore |
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Boston took a 2–1 lead in the best-of-five series with a 6–4 win in a 13-inning contest – only the second postseason extra-inning game the Rays had ever played.[14] The Rays scored twice in the top of the first inning, via a two-run homer by Austin Meadows. The Red Sox got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a Kyle Schwarber solo homer. Boston went ahead, 3–2, on four consecutive singles that scored two runs in the bottom of the third, and extended the lead to 4–2 via a fifth-inning solo home run by Kiké Hernández.[15] In the top of the eighth, Wander Franco homered and Randy Arozarena hit an RBI double, both off of Hansel Robles, as the Rays tied the game, 4–4. After a scoreless ninth inning, the game went to extra innings. Nick Pivetta, expected to be Boston's starting pitcher in Game 4, came on in relief and held the Rays scoreless in the top of the 10th, while the Rays' David Robertson held Boston scoreless in the bottom of the inning. Both Pivetta and Robertson stayed in the game and pitched a scoreless 11th inning. Pivetta again held the Rays scoreless in the top of the 12th, while Luis Patiño held the Red Sox scoreless in the bottom of the inning. Pivetta pitched a fourth scoreless inning, the 13th, which included a ground rule double by Kevin Kiermaier—the batted ball bounced off of the right field wall, the ground, and then off of Hunter Renfroe into the bullpen—which otherwise would have resulted in a Rays run, as Yandy Díaz was running from first base when the ball was hit.[16][17] Christian Vázquez ended the game with a two-run walk-off home run off of Patiño in the bottom of the 13th.[18]
Game 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Boston | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Starting pitchers: TB: Collin McHugh (0-1) BOS: Eduardo Rodríguez (0–1) |
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Composite line score
2021 ALDS (2–1): Boston Red Sox leads Tampa Bay Rays
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | R | H | E | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 44 | 1 | |||||||
| Tampa Bay Rays | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 24 | 1 | |||||||
| Total attendance: 102,259 Average attendance: 34,086 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Houston vs. Chicago
The Astros won the season series with the White Sox, 5–2.[7] This is the second postseason meeting between the franchises. Their previous postseason meeting was in the 2005 World Series, when the Astros were members of the National League, won by the White Sox in four games.[19]
This is the second time for a prior World Series matchup to occur in either a Wild Card Game, Division Series or League Championship Series. The first such instance was in the 2011 National League Championship Series in which the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 4–2, in a rematch of the 1982 World Series. This is the first time the White Sox have appeared in the postseason in consecutive seasons, while this is the fifth straight postseason appearance for the Astros.
Tony La Russa (aged 77) and Dusty Baker (aged 72) are currently baseball's oldest managers and have known each other for 50 years. Tony La Russa is tied with Joe Torre for second all-time among managers with fifteen playoff appearances, while Dusty Baker is next on the list with eleven.[20] The only time Baker and La Russa team's faced each other in the postseason was in the 2002 National League Championship Series, when Baker's Giants defeated La Russa's Cardinals in five games. Despite their lone postseason match-up, Baker and La Russa share a long history with each other.[21][22] As Tony La Russa was winding down his MLB career, he spent a season in Atlanta where a young Dusty Baker was just starting his career. The two men also spent a season together in Oakland in 1986 when Baker was ending his career as La Russa was on his second managerial job. As managers, Baker and La Russa both competed in the NL Central from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2011. In 2014, when each manager was out of the game for a time, they made peace with each other upon conversations spent with Dave Stewart, who worked for both managers as a player, manager, and general manager.[23]
Game 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Houston | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 10 | 1 | |||||||||||
| WP: Lance McCullers Jr. (1–0) LP: Lance Lynn (0–1) Home runs: CWS: None HOU: Yordan Álvarez (1) Attendance: 40,497 Boxscore |
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Amidst a plethora of fastballs from Lance Lynn (who threw the highest rate of them since pitches have been tracked in 2008) against a team that batted the best against the pitch, the Astros rocked five runs off Lynn before he left in the fourth inning, starting on an RBI single from rookie Jake Meyers. Alex Bregman drove in what turned out to be the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice that scored Jose Altuve, who slid just by the catcher's foot and tag. Lance McCullers Jr. pitched his first game of the 2021 season without a walk, going 62⁄3 innings with four hits and zero runs (becoming the first Astro with six scoreless innings and no walks since Brandon Backe in 2005). Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-3 while driving in two runs, which included a home run.[24][25][26]
Game 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Houston | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | X | 9 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||||
| WP: Ryne Stanek (1–0) LP: Aaron Bummer (0–1) Home runs: CWS: None HOU: Kyle Tucker (1) Attendance: 41,315 Boxscore |
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Framber Valdez was matched against Lucas Giolito. Each pitcher would not last the fifth inning. The Astros rallied for five runs in the seventh inning when eight batters went to the plate, with Yordan Alvarez hitting a liner past second base to break the 4–4 tie. With two outs, Carlos Correa then lined a ball past right fielder Leury Garcia for a two-run double and Kyle Tucker capped the game with a home run.
With the Astros win, it marked the fifth consecutive Division Series in which they won the first two games, a feat matched by no team in the past 25 years.[27] Dubiously, the White Sox became the first team in MLB history with at least 15 hits with none for extra bases in the first two games of a postseason, having accrued 18 singles.[28]
Game 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Chicago | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 12 | 16 | 0 | |||||||||||
| WP: Michael Kopech (1–0) LP: Yimi García (0–1) Home runs: HOU: Kyle Tucker (2) CWS: Yasmani Grandal (1), Leury Garcia (1) Attendance: 40,288 Boxscore |
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Game 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Chicago | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Starting pitchers: HOU: CWS: Carlos Rodón (0–0) |
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Composite line score
2021 ALDS (2–1): Houston Astros leads Chicago White Sox
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 34 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Houston Astros | 0 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 26 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Total attendance: 122,100 Average attendance: 40,700 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
References
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- ↑ https://www.mlb.com/news/tony-la-russa-dusty-baker-rivalry-spans-decades
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/astros-vs-white-sox-score-houston-cruises-to-alds-game-1-victory-behind-lance-mccullers-jr-yordan-alvarez/live/amp/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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