The 2001 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a rematch of the 2000 ALCS between the New York Yankees, who had come off a dramatic comeback against the Oakland Athletics in the Division Series after being down two games to zero, and the Seattle Mariners, who won an American League record 116 regular season games and had won their Division Series against the Cleveland Indians in five games. The series had additional poignancy, coming immediately after downtown New York City was devastated by the events of September 11, 2001. (The series was played in late October due to Major League Baseball temporarily shutting down in the wake of the attacks).
Though the Mariners had home field advantage, unlike the 2000 ALCS where the Yankees had home field advantage, the Yankees proved overpowering as they won the first two games in Seattle. The Mariners' manager, former Yankee player and manager Lou Piniella, guaranteed after Game 2 that the Mariners would win at least two of the next three games in New York to return the series to Seattle. However, he turned out to be wrong as the Yankees closed out the series in New York, beating the Mariners four games to one. The series ended with a 12–3 Yankees victory in Game 5.
Read more about 2001 American League Championship Series: Composite Box, Aftermath
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