American League Division Series
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In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determine which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The ALDS consists of two best-of-five series, featuring the three division winners and a wild-card team. The Division Series were created after the 1993 season when Major League Baseball restructured each league into three divisions, but they were first played in 1995 due to the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs.
Typically, the wild-card team is assigned to play the division leader with the best winning percentage in one series, and the other two division leaders play the other series. However, if the wild-card team and the division leader with the best record are from the same division, the wild-card team plays the next winningest division leader, and the remaining two division leaders play. In any event, the two series winners move on to the best-of-seven ALCS.
Since the ALDS's inception, the only pairs of opponents to meet more than once are the Cleveland Indians vs. the Boston Red Sox (1995, 1998, and 1999), the Minnesota Twins vs. the New York Yankees (2003 & 2004), the Oakland Athletics vs. the Yankees (2000 & 2001), and the Texas Rangers vs. the Yankees (1996, 1998, and 1999).
ALDS results (1995-present)
| Year | Winner | Loser | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Cleveland Indians | Boston Red Sox | 3 | 0 |
| Seattle Mariners | New York Yankees† | 3 | 2 | |
| 1996 | New York Yankees | Texas Rangers | 3 | 1 |
| Baltimore Orioles† | Cleveland Indians | 3 | 1 | |
| 1997 | Baltimore Orioles | Seattle Mariners | 3 | 1 |
| Cleveland Indians | New York Yankees† | 3 | 2 | |
| 1998 | New York Yankees | Texas Rangers | 3 | 0 |
| Cleveland Indians | Boston Red Sox† | 3 | 2 | |
| 1999 | New York Yankees | Texas Rangers | 3 | 0 |
| Boston Red Sox† | Cleveland Indians | 3 | 2 | |
| 2000 | Seattle Mariners† | Chicago White Sox | 3 | 0 |
| New York Yankees | Oakland Athletics | 3 | 2 | |
| 2001 | New York Yankees | Oakland Athletics† | 3 | 2 |
| Seattle Mariners | Cleveland Indians | 3 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Minnesota Twins | Oakland Athletics | 3 | 2 |
| Anaheim Angels† | New York Yankees | 3 | 1 | |
| 2003 | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | 3 | 1 |
| Boston Red Sox† | Oakland Athletics | 3 | 2 | |
| 2004 | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | 3 | 1 |
| Boston Red Sox† | Anaheim Angels | 3 | 0 |
†Denotes wild-card team.