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2009 Major League Baseball postseason

Tournament details
Dates	October 7 – November 4, 2009
Teams	8
Final positions
Champions	New York Yankees (27th title)
Runner-up	Philadelphia Phillies (7th World Series appearance)
Tournament statistics
MVP	Hideki Matsui (NYY)
← 20082010 →

The 2009 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2009 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.

In the American League, the New York Yankees returned to the postseason for the fourteenth time in the past fifteen years, the Boston Red Sox made their sixth appearance in the last seven years, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim returned for the sixth time in the past eight years, and the Minnesota Twins returned for the fifth time in the past nine years. This would be the last postseason appearance for the Angels until 2014.

In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers returned for the fourth time in the past six years, the Philadelphia Phillies returned for the third straight year, the Colorado Rockies returned for the second time in three years, and the St. Louis Cardinals returned for the seventh time in the past ten years. This would be the last postseason appearance for the Rockies until 2017.

The postseason began on October 7, 2009, and ended on November 4, 2009, with the Yankees defeating the defending World Series champion Phillies in the 2009 World Series. It was the Yankees' 27th title in franchise history, and their most recent title win, as well as the most recent title win by a team from New York City.

Playoff seeds

The following teams qualified for the postseason:

American League

1. New York Yankees – 103–59, AL East champions
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 97–65, AL West champions
3. Minnesota Twins – 87–76, AL Central champions
4. Boston Red Sox – 95–67

National League

1. Los Angeles Dodgers – 95–67, NL West champions
2. Philadelphia Phillies – 93–69, NL East champions
3. St. Louis Cardinals – 91–71, NL Central champions
4. Colorado Rockies – 92–70

Playoff bracket

*Denotes walk-off

Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.

American League Division Series

(1) New York Yankees vs. (3) Minnesota Twins

New York won the series, 3–0.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Yankees and Twins. The Yankees swept the Twins to return to the ALCS for the first time since 2004.

The Yankees blew out the Twins in Game 1 in part thanks to home runs from Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui. In Game 2, the Twins took a 3-1 lead thanks to an RBI single from Nick Punto, but it wouldn’t hold as Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Mark Teixeira would win the game for the Yankees in the bottom of the eleventh with a walk-off home run to give them a 2–0 series lead headed to Minneapolis. In Game 3, the Twins again struck first with an RBI single from Joe Mauer in the bottom of the sixth, but it was quickly erased as A-Rod and Jorge Posada both hit solo home runs in the top of the seventh to put the Yankees in the lead for good. The Yankees added two more runs in the top of the ninth from Posada and Robinson Cano as they won 4-1 to complete the sweep. Game 3 was the last Twins game ever played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

The two teams would meet again in the ALDS in 2010 and 2019, with the Yankees sweeping both times, and the 2017 AL Wild Card Game, also won by the Yankees.

(2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. (4) Boston Red Sox

Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.

This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Angels and Red Sox. After four failed attempts, the Angels finally broke through and swept the Red Sox to return to the ALCS for the third time this decade.

John Lackey pitched 7+1⁄3 innings of shutout baseball as the Angels shut out the Red Sox in Game 1. Jered Weaver outdueled Josh Beckett in Game 2 as the Angels took a 2–0 series lead headed to Fenway Park. In Game 3, the Red Sox took a 5-1 lead after four innings, but the Angels then rallied with a 6-1 run across the final four innings of the game to win 7-6 and complete the sweep, exacting long-awaited revenge on the team that eliminated them three straight times.

The Red Sox would not return to the postseason again until 2013, where they would go on to win the World Series. To date, this is the last time the Angels won a playoff series.

National League Division Series

(1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (3) St. Louis Cardinals

Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Dodgers, with the Cardinals previously winning both prior meetings in the 1985 NLCS and 2004 NLDS respectively. The Dodgers swept the Cardinals to advance to the NLCS for the second year in a row.

The Dodgers would take Game 1 at home. Game 1 set a postseason record for runners left on base combined between the two teams with 30. Game 2 marked Clayton Kershaw’s postseason debut, and while he wouldn’t get the win (that would go to George Sherrill, the Dodgers won 3-2 to take a 2–0 series lead headed to St. Louis. Vicente Padilla pitched seven innings of shutout baseball as the Dodgers won 5-1 to complete the sweep.

Both teams would meet again in the 2013 NLCS, the NLDS in 2014, and the Wild Card Game in 2021, with the Cardinals winning the former two and the Dodgers winning the latter.

(2) Philadelphia Phillies vs. (4) Colorado Rockies

Philadelphia won the series, 3–1.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Rockies and Phillies. They last met in the NLDS two years prior, which was won by the Rockies before falling in the World Series. The Phillies defeated the Rockies in four games to advance to the NLCS for the second year in a row.

Cliff Lee pitched a complete game for the Phillies as they took Game 1 by a 5-1 score. In Game 2, the Rockies jumped out to a big lead in part thanks to a two-run home run from Yorvit Torrealba and a sacrifice fly from Dexter Fowler, and their bullpen held off a late rally by the Phillies to even the series headed to Denver. Game 3 was an offensive shootout between both teams, which was won by the Phillies thanks to a sacrifice fly from Ryan Howard in the top of the ninth. In Game 4, the Rockies led 3-2 and were two outs away from evening the series, but the Phillies rallied with three unanswered runs, capped off by a bloop RBI single from Jayson Werth, to take the lead for good. This was the only LDS series that didn’t end in a sweep, and was the first time in postseason history that all four division series were won on the road.

The Rockies would not return to the postseason again until 2017.

American League Championship Series

(1) New York Yankees vs. (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

New York won the series, 4–2.

† Game 6 was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, October 24, but was postponed because of rain.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Angels and Yankees, they had previously met in the ALDS in 2002 and 2005, both being won by the Angels. The Yankees defeated the Angels in six games to return to the World Series for the first time since 2003, effectively preventing an all-Los Angeles World Series from occurring.

CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera kept the Angels’ offense at bay in a 5-1 Yankees victory in Game 1. Game 2 went into extra innings thanks to a bases-loaded wild pitch by Yankees’ starter A. J. Burnett in the top of the fifth. The Angels took their first lead in the top of the eleventh, but Alex Rodriguez extended the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning. The Yankees would win in the bottom of the thirteenth thanks to Jerry Hairston Jr. storming home from second base. In Game 3, despite A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, and Jorge Posada all homering for the Yankees, the Angels eked out a win after eleven innings thanks to an RBI double from backup catcher Jeff Mathis. In Game 4, the Yankees blew out the Angels to take a 3–1 series lead. In Game 5, the Angels took a 4-0 lead early, but it would be erased from a six-run seventh from the Yankees’ offense. However, the Angels retook the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, and Brian Fuentes got the save to send the series back to the Bronx. Returning Yankee-legend Andy Pettitte and Rivera limited the damage done by the Angels’ bats as they guided New York to a 5-2 win and the pennant.

The Yankees would win their next AL pennant in 2024 over the now-Cleveland Guardians in five games. The Angels would not return to the postseason again until 2014. To date, this remains the last postseason appearance outside of the divisional round for the Angels.

National League Championship Series

(1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (2) Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia won the series, 4–1.

This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Phillies. The Phillies once again defeated the Dodgers in five games to return to the World Series for the second year in a row, effectively preventing an all-Los Angeles World Series from occurring.

Both teams split the first two games at Dodger Stadium. When the series shifted to Philadelphia, the Phillies blew out the Dodgers in Game 3, Phillies' Jimmy Rollins hit a two-out walk-off two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 to take a 3–1 series lead, and then blew out the Dodgers again in Game 5 to secure the pennant.

The Phillies would win their next NL pennant in 2022 over the San Diego Padres in five games. The Dodgers returned to the NLCS in 2013 and 2016, but lost both to the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs respectively. The Dodgers would eventually win the pennant in 2017 over the aforementioned Cubs in five games.

2009 World Series

(AL1) New York Yankees vs. (NL2) Philadelphia Phillies

New York (AL) won the series, 4–2.

This was the fourth New York–Pennsylvania matchup in the World Series (1927, 1950, 1960). This was also the second World Series matchup between the Yankees and Phillies. They previously met in the World Series in 1950, which the Yankees won in a sweep. The Yankees prevailed in six games, denying the Phillies back-to-back titles. It was the first championship for the Yankees since 2000.

The Phillies stole Game 1 at Yankee Stadium thanks to a complete game performance from Cliff Lee. Lee made MLB history in several ways:

• This was the fourth postseason start of his career. In all four starts, he went at least seven innings and gave up no more than one earned run. The only other starting pitcher to accomplish such a feat was Christy Mathewson.
• He became the first left-handed starting pitcher to defeat the Yankees in the Bronx since Sandy Koufax in 1963.
• He was the first starting pitcher to throw a complete game without giving up an earned run against the Yankees in Game 1 of a postseason series.
• He was the first pitcher ever to strike out at least ten, walk no one, and give up no earned runs in a World Series start.

In Game 2, the Yankees evened the series off a solid pitching performance from A. J. Burnett. When the series moved to Philadelphia for Game 3, the Phillies jumped out to an early 3–0 lead, but the Yankees would score six runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to take the lead for good and take a 2–1 series lead. In Game 4, with the game tied at four runs each going into the ninth, the Yankees scored three unanswered runs in the top of the inning to prevail and take a 3–1 series lead. The Phillies held off a late rally by the Yankees in Game 5 to send the series back to the Bronx. In Game 6, the Yankees clinched the title with a 7–3 victory, and the Yankees' starting pitcher for Game 6, Andy Pettitte, added to his record of most postseason wins with his eighteenth victory.

With the win, the Yankees improved their World Series record against the Pennsylvania-based teams to 3–1. As of 2024, this is the last World Series win by the Yankees franchise. In addition, this is also the last World Series win by a team from New York City as the Mets lost in 2015. During the next decade, the Yankees failed to win a single American League pennant, and would not return to the World Series again until 2024, where they lost to their old National League rival in the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

The next year, the Phillies were knocked out in the NLCS by the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. They would return to the World Series in 2022 but were defeated by the Houston Astros in six games.

Broadcasting

This was the third postseason under a seven-year U.S. rights agreement with Fox and TBS. TBS primarily aired all Division Series games, with sister network TNT used as an overflow channel. TBS also had the National League Championship Series. Fox televised the American League Championship Series and the World Series.

References

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External links

• League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings – 2009

• 2009 Major League Baseball season
• Major League Baseball postseason