2002 American League Championship Series

33rd edition of Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series

The 2002 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a matchup between the Wild Card Anaheim Angels and the Central Division Champion Minnesota Twins. The Angels advanced to the Series after dethroning the reigning four time AL Champion New York Yankees in the 2002 American League Division Series three games to one. The Twins made their way into the Series after beating the Athletics three games to two. The Angels won the Series four games to one and went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants in the 2002 World Series to win their first World Series championship.

Tuesday, October 8, 2002 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Joe Mays outdueled Kevin Appier as the Twins won Game 1. A. J. Pierzynski hit a sacrifice fly with runners on first and third to put the Twins out in front in the second, but in the third, the Angels got back to back two out singles by Adam Kennedy and David Eckstein before shortstop Cristian Guzmán's error on Darin Erstad's ground ball tied the game. The Twins would take a one run lead when Corey Koskie doubled in a run in the fifth. Though three Angel relievers kept the Twins scoreless for the rest of the game, Mays pitched eight innings Eddie Guardado got the save as the Twins took a 1–0 series lead. Until 2023, this was the last postseason game the Twins won at home.

Wednesday, October 9, 2002 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Angels took their first lead in the series when Darin Erstad hit a home run in the first with one out off of Rick Reed. In the second, Troy Glaus hit a leadoff single, then Brad Fullmer doubled before Scott Spiezio's RBI double made it 2–0 Angels. Two outs later, with Spiezio at third and Adam Kennedy at first, Spiezio stole home while Adam Kennedy tried to steal second. He was caught up in the rundown and knocked the ball away from Pierzynski, although no one called interference. Adam Kennedy went to third and would score on David Eckstein's RBI single to make it 4–0 Angels. A two run homer by Brad Fullmer gave the Angels a six run lead in the sixth. In the bottom half, Cristian Guzman hit a leadoff double and scored on Corey Koskie's single. After David Ortiz struck out, Torii Hunter doubled before Doug Mientkiewicz's two run single cut the Angels' lead in half. Neither team would score afterward off each other's bullpen and Troy Percival earned the save as the Angels tied the series heading to Anaheim.

The Anaheim Angels would go on to win the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants. The Minnesota Twins, despite having lost the American League Championship Series, would go on to win the American League Central for two more consecutive years, although they would lose in the American League Division Series both years to the New York Yankees. Within six months, another Anaheim Minnesota postseason match up would take place. The Minnesota Wild would face off against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 Western Conference Final during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Mighty Ducks would sweep the Wild to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, before losing to the New Jersey Devils. While the Angels and Twins experienced regular season success in the following years, 2002 would mark a high point for both franchises. To date, the Angels have not won World Series, let alone a pennant since 2002, while the Twins did not win another postseason until 2023. In 2020, the Twins set a mark of postseason futility when they lost their 18th straight postseason game, setting a record for major professional sports in North America. The Twins would infamously release David Ortiz during the off season as a cost cutting move on December 16, 2002, after being unable to swing a trade for him. Within a month after his release, Ortiz would sign with the Boston Red Sox as a favor to star pitcher Pedro Martinez (Ortiz and Martinez were friends growing up in the Dominican Republic together). This seemingly insignificant signing for Boston turned into one of their best moves in franchise history. Ortiz would turn into a hitting superstar for the Red Sox, becoming a 10 time All Star and 7 time silver slugger at DH. In 2004, Ortiz helped the Red Sox break their 86 year drought, providing clutch hits in the 2004 AL Championship Series against the Yankees. Overall, Ortiz hit in the middle of the line up for three of Boston's World Series winners (2004, 2007, and 2013). He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2022. In 2003, Ortiz was only due for a roughly $1 million raise, and the player who replaced Ortiz on the Twins' roster, Jose Morban, would never play in a game for the team. Recently, some Twins fans have considered the team cursed due to the decision to release Ortiz in 2002. After leaving Minnesota in 2007, center fielder Torii Hunter signed a five year free agent contract with the Angels, where he continued his gold glove work in center field until moving to right field due to age and the emergence of Mike Trout. Hunter returned to the Twins in 2014, which was the last season of his career. He was later inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2016.