2004 American League Division Series

Anaheim Angels vs. Boston Red Sox

Game 1, October 5

Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York
Pitching dominated in Game 1 as Mike Mussina faced Johan Santana. The Twins got on the board first when Shannon Stewart singled home Michael Cuddyer. Then in the sixth, Jacque Jones hit a solo home run to make it 2–0. The Yankees got nine hits and numerous walks but never capitalized on Johan Santana, Juan Rincon, or closer Joe Nathan as the Yankees hit into five double plays.

Game 2, October 6

Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York
Brad Radke faced Jon Lieber in a must-win game for the Yankees. It was arguably the best game of the series. In the top of the first, Justin Morneau doubled in Torii Hunter to give the Twins a 1–0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Derek Jeter led off the game with a game-tying home run to make it a 1–1 game. A single by Cuddyer and a sac fly by Henry Blanco made it 3–1 Twins. But Gary Sheffield would tie the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third. Alex Rodriguez gave the Yankees the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run. He would also add in another run by singling home Miguel Cairo to make it 5–3 Yankees. A passed third strike allowed the Twins to tie the game. Torii Hunter would single to put runners on first and second. Mariano Rivera came in but the Twins were still able to tie the game. A single by Morneau and a ground-rule double by Corey Koskie would be the tying-run scorers. However, the ground-rule double cost the Twins a run and would never be able to score that run as Jason Kubel and Cristian Guzman went down. The game went into extra innings and in the top of the twelfth, Torii Hunter hit the go-ahead solo home run. The Twins were on the verge of putting the Yankees down two games to none. But Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire made the already questionable move of leaving closer Joe Nathan in for a third inning of work. Nathan got the first out, but then walked Miguel Cairo and Derek Jeter on four pitches each. Nathan clearly had nothing left, but was still left in the game to pitch to Alex Rodriguez, who hit a ground-rule double that tied the game. Then, after Gary Sheffield was intentionally walked, Hideki Matsui hit the game-winning sacrifice fly that scored Derek Jeter.

Game 3, October 8

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

Yankees starter Kevin Brown faced Twins hurler Carlos Silva in the crucial Game 3. The Twins grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first when Jacque Jones hit his second home run of the series. But it would be the last time the Twins would lead in this game. With two outs in the second, five straight singles gave the Yankees a three-run rally to put themselves ahead 3–1. Then, as the night wore on, the Yanks would blow the game wide open in the sixth. Bernie Williams hit a two-run homer after Matsui singled to lead off the inning. Then Derek Jeter added a two-run single to make it 7–1 Yankees. Brown hurled six innings, giving up only one run to the Twins. Matsui would homer in the seventh inning to make it 8–1 going into the ninth. The Twins, however, would not go quietly. Two consecutive hit-by-pitches to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning by Felix Heredia gave the Twins some life. Then, Tanyon Sturtze came on in relief and gave up two consecutive hits to make it 8–2. An RBI groundout and a sac fly made it 8–4, but the game was too far out of reach as the Yanks won.

Game 4, October 9

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

Javier Vazquez went against Johan Santana, who pitched so well in Game 1. The Twins were on the board first with a sacrifice fly by Torii Hunter. But the Yankees would tie it on an RBI single by Hideki Matsui in the third. Another sac fly untied the score and gave the Twins the lead back in the fourth. Henry Blanco led the bottom of the fifth off with a home run to make it 3–1 Twins. A two-run double by Lew Ford extended the Twins' lead to 5–1 later in the inning. However, the Twins would squander the lead in the top of the eighth with Juan Rincon pitching in relief. Bernie Williams would single home Gary Sheffield after a single and wild pitch. With Matsui and Williams on base and one out, Rubén Sierra hit the game-tying three-run home run to make it tied at five. Joe Nathan would come on in relief and get the next two outs. But, once again, the Twins blew the lead and a sense of déjà vu hung in the air. When the game moved to extra innings, Mariano Rivera came on and shut the Twins down. But the series would end when Alex Rodriguez doubled, stole third, and scored on Kyle Lohse's wild pitch in the top of the eleventh. Rivera would get the win as he retired the Twins 1–2–3 to end the series in the bottom of the eleventh.

Composite box

2004 ALDS (3–1): New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

over Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

Game 1, October 5

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...

in Anaheim, California

Anaheim, California

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...

Game 1 pitched Curt Schilling against Jarrod Washburn. The Red Sox struck first when David Ortiz singled home Manny Ramírez. In the fourth, the Red Sox put the game away. After Ortiz walked to open the inning, Kevin Millar homered to make it 3–0. Then the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out. Johnny Damon would reach on an error by Chone Figgins that scored two unearned runs to make it 5–0. After Mark Bellhorn struck out, Manny Ramírez hit a three-run home run to make it 8–0. The Angels would score three and never come close as the Red Sox won. This was the game where Schilling injured his ankle.

Game 2, October 6

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

in Anaheim, California

Anaheim, California

Pedro Martínez faced Bartolo Colón. A bases-loaded walk for the Red Sox in the second put them ahead 1–0. But the Angels would tie it in the bottom half with an RBI single by Dallas McPherson. The Angels would take their only lead in the series when Vladimir Guerrero, the eventual MVP, singled home Jose Molina and David Eckstein. The Red Sox immediately responded when Jason Varitek hit a two-out, two-run homer to tie the game in the sixth. The Sox would take the lead on a sacrifice fly by Manny Ramírez in the seventh. The Red Sox finished off the Angels in the ninth, an inning capped off with a bases-loaded double by Orlando Cabrera.

Game 3, October 8

Fenway Park

Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...

in Boston, Massachusetts
Kelvim Escobar and Bronson Arroyo faced off in the clincher. The Red Sox once again struck first with a single and a groundout that made it 2–0 in the third. The Angels cut the lead in half when Troy Glaus hit a solo home run in the fourth. Numerous errors by the Angels' defense opened the door for a three-run rally in the bottom of the inning to make it 5–1. Manny Ramírez would single home another run in the fifth to make it 6–1 Red Sox. It appeared as if the Angels were down and out. The Angels would load the bases thanks to two walks and a single. After Chone Figgins struck out, Darin Erstad walked to force in a run that made it 6–2. With two outs and the bases loaded, Mike Timlin then threw to Vladimir Guerrero and paid. Guerrero hit a grand slam to right that evened the score at 6–6 and stunned the Fenway crowd. The game went to extra innings and, in the bottom of the tenth, Johnny Damon led off with a single. After Pokey Reese forced him and Ramirez struck out, David Ortiz hit a series-winning walk-off home run off Jarrod Washburn, in relief of Francisco Rodríguez, over the Green Monster.

Composite box

2004 ALDS (3–0): Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

over Anaheim Angels

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

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