1998 American League Championship Series

The 1998 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 1998 American League playoffs, was played between the East Division champion New York Yankees and the Central Division champion Cleveland Indians.

The Yankees defeated the Indians four games to two and went on to sweep the National League champion San Diego Padres in the 1998 World Series. New York, who won 114 games during the regular season, recorded their only two losses of the 1998 postseason in this series.

Background

Cleveland advanced to the ALCS by ousting the Wild Card Boston Red Sox three games to one in the AL Division Series, while New York swept the West Division champion Texas Rangers three games to none.

Summary

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians

New York won the series, 4–2.

Game summaries

Game 1

Tuesday, October 6, 1998, at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York

Cleveland came in as heavy underdogs, but also were the defending American League Champions. In Game 1, the Yankees got off to a good start, by hitting four straight singles in the bottom of the first to score two runs. This paved the way for three more runs as a wild pitch and two more hits knocked starter Jaret Wright out of the game in the first. Chad Ogea came on in relief. Eventual ALCS MVP David Wells cruised through  8 ¹⁄₃ innings. A two-run homer by Manny Ramírez would knock home the only runs of the game for Cleveland in the ninth.

Game 2

Wednesday, October 7, 1998, at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York

In Game 2, twenty-game winner David Cone went for the Yankees, who looked like they would go to Cleveland up two games in the series. However, David Justice hit a solo home run in the fourth, putting the Yankees behind for the first time in the postseason. A Scott Brosius double tied the game in the seventh, but the Yankees would squander the chance to score him. They would also squander many chances in the game to score, as the game moved to extra innings. Jim Thome led off the top of the twelfth with a single. Enrique Wilson was then called on the pinch run. Travis Fryman then laid a sacrifice bunt down, and, as Jeff Nelson went to throw it to first, he hit Fryman and the ball rolled past Chuck Knoblauch covering. Knoblauch tried to argue the call as the ball continued to roll. Wilson and Fryman continued to run and Wilson would score as the ball was still not dead. An error by Tino Martinez put Fryman at third. The Indians now had the lead back and would score two more and tie the series at a game apiece.

Game 3

Friday, October 9, 1998, at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio

At Jacobs Field for Game 3, the Yankees were rendered helpless by a barrage of Indian home runs and the dazzling pitching of young flamethrower Bartolo Colón. After the Yankees took the lead in the first on a Bernie Williams RBI-single, the Indians took control of the game. Jim Thome led off the bottom of the second with a home run, then Enrique Wilson drove in a run to make it 2–1 Cleveland. Three more home runs in the fifth with two outs, including the second of the game by Thome, made it 6–1 Indians. The strong pitching of Colon silenced the Yankees' bats the rest of the way as the New York batters were held hitless from the fifth inning onwards. Colon would finish with a four-hit complete game victory, and the Indians took a 2–1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

Game 4

Saturday, October 10, 1998, at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio

The Yankees looked to Orlando "El Duque" Hernández for a clutch pitching performance. Hernandez had come to the Yankees shrouded in mystery, having defected from Cuba just ten months earlier. He was making his postseason debut with this start against former Yankee Dwight Gooden. Paul O'Neill gave Hernandez a run to work with by hitting a solo home run off Gooden in the top of the first. Hernandez responded by giving his team seven shutout innings. The Yankees added two more in the fourth and one more in the ninth to win Game 4 4–0.

Game 5

Sunday, October 11, 1998, at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio

Instead of pitching Jaret Wright in Game 5, Mike Hargrove looked to Chad Ogea, who had pitched well in the 1997 World Series, to give his team a three games to two lead in the series. The Yankees once again took the early lead with a three-run first inning, but the Indians would respond. A leadoff homer by Kenny Lofton and a sacrifice fly by Manny Ramírez made it a one-run game. Paul O'Neill singled home a run in the second to make it 4–2 Yankees. Chili Davis homered in the fourth to put the Yankees ahead by three, but Jim Thome hit his third homer of the series in the bottom of the sixth to make it a two-run game. Wells and the Yankees' bullpen held off any further Indians scoring, and the Yankees were one win away from the World Series.

Game 6

Tuesday, October 13, 1998, at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York

The Yankees built a 6–0 lead behind David Cone in Game 6, but the Indians refused to go quietly. A bases-loaded walk and a grand slam by Jim Thome made it 6–5 in the fifth. However, the Yankees would score three more on a Derek Jeter triple and a Bernie Williams single to make it 9–5. Mariano Rivera sealed a World Series berth in the ninth with Omar Vizquel grounding out to end the ALCS, sending the Yankees to their second World Series in three seasons.

Composite box

1998 ALCS (4–2): New York Yankees over Cleveland Indians

Notes

External links

• 1998 ALCS at Baseball-Reference

Links to related articles

American League Championship Series 1969–1970s 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s–1990s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s–2010s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 AL pennant winners MVPs Broadcasters New York Yankees Formerly the New York Highlanders – Based in The Bronx, New York Franchise History Seasons Records No-hitters Awards Players Managers Coaches Owners and executives Broadcasters Opening Day starting pitchers Team captains Members of the Hall of Fame First-round picks YES Network Ballparks Hilltop Park Polo Grounds Yankee Stadium (opened 1923) (Events) Shea Stadium Yankee Stadium (opened 2009) Spring training: Whittington Park West End Park Barrs Field Bader Field Al Lang Stadium Fort Lauderdale Stadium George M. Steinbrenner Field Lore Curse of the Bambino Johnny Sylvester Murderers' Row Babe Ruth's called shot Ed Lucas Don Larsen's perfect game M&M Boys Harmonica Incident 1978 AL East tie-breaker game Pine Tar Incident Jeffrey Maier The Yankee Years The Core Four David Wells' perfect game David Cone's perfect game Culture Monument Park New York Yankees Museum New York Yankees appearance policy Old-Timers' Day Bleacher Creatures Yankees Universe Eddie Layton Jim Hall Logos, uniforms and dress code "Holy Cow!" Robert Merrill John Sterling Ronan Tynan "Here Come the Yankees" "New York, New York" "God Bless America" The Pride of the Yankees The Babe Ruth Story Damn Yankees musical film The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant Safe at Home! 61* The Bronx is Burning Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning The Bronx Is Burning The Bronx Zoo The Scout Bronx Bombers The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty Everyone's Hero Gene Monahan Dandy Freddy Sez George Costanza Paul Olden Yankee Stadium Legacy Yankees HOPE Week Rivalries Boston Red Sox New York Mets Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants Subway Series Monument Park honorees Mel Allen Ed Barrow Yogi Berra Bill Dickey Joe DiMaggio Whitey Ford Lou Gehrig Lefty Gomez Goose Gossage Ron Guidry Elston Howard Miller Huggins Reggie Jackson Derek Jeter Mickey Mantle Roger Maris Billy Martin Tino Martinez Don Mattingly Joe McCarthy Thurman Munson Paul O'Neill Andy Pettitte Jorge Posada Willie Randolph Allie Reynolds Phil Rizzuto Red Ruffing Jacob Ruppert Babe Ruth Bob Sheppard George Steinbrenner Casey Stengel Mel Stottlemyre Joe Torre Bernie Williams Key personnel Owners: Yankee Global Enterprises Hal Steinbrenner Hank Steinbrenner General Manager: Brian Cashman Manager: Joe Girardi Championships (27) 1923 1927 1928 1932 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1943 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1956 1958 1961 1962 1977 1978 1996 1998 1999 2000 2009 American League Pennants (40) 1921 1922 1923 1926 1927 1928 1932 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1942 1943 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1955 1956 1957 1958 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1976 1977 1978 1981 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2009 Division titles (18) 1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2009 2011 2012 Wild Card titles (5) 1995 1997 2007 2010 2015 Minors AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders AA Trenton Thunder A Adv. Tampa Yankees A Charleston RiverDogs Short A Staten Island Yankees Rookie Adv. Pulaski Yankees Rookie GCL Yankees West GCL Yankees East DSL Yankees1 DSL Yankees2 Seasons (115) 1900s 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Book:New York Yankees New York Yankees 1998 World Series champions 2 Derek Jeter 11 Chuck Knoblauch 14 Hideki Irabu 18 Scott Brosius (World Series MVP) 19 Luis Sojo 20 Jorge Posada 21 Paul O'Neill 22 Homer Bush 24 Tino Martinez 25 Joe Girardi 26 Orlando Hernández 27 Graeme Lloyd 28 Chad Curtis 29 Mike Stanton 31 Tim Raines 33 David Wells (ALCS MVP) 36 David Cone 38 Ricky Ledée 39 Darryl Strawberry 40 Darren Holmes 42 Mariano Rivera 43 Jeff Nelson 45 Chili Davis 46 Andy Pettitte 47 Shane Spencer 51 Bernie Williams 55 Ramiro Mendoza Manager 6 Joe Torre Third Base Coach 30 Willie Randolph Pitching Coach 34 Mel Stottlemyre Bullpen Coach 40 Tony Cloninger Hitting Coach 49 Chris Chambliss Bench Coach 50 Don Zimmer First Base Coach 53 José Cardenal Assistant Coach 57 Gary Tuck Regular season American League Division Series American League Championship Series Cleveland Indians Founded in 1894 Formerly the Grand Rapids Rustlers, Cleveland Lake Shores, Cleveland Bluebirds, Cleveland Broncos, and Cleveland Naps Based in Cleveland, Ohio Franchise History Seasons Records Players Owners and executives Managers Opening Day starting pitchers No-hitters Award winners First-round draft picks Ballparks League Park Cleveland Stadium Progressive Field Spring training: Henley Field Terry Park Ballfield Clearwater Athletic Field Hi Corbett Field Chain of Lakes Park Goodyear Ballpark Culture and lore 1910 Chalmers Award 1948 AL tie-breaker game 1994 corked bat incident 2013 AL Wild Card Game Addie Joss' perfect game Chief Wahoo "Cleveland Rocks" Cleveland sports curse Curse of Rocky Colavito Herb Score John Adams Len Barker's perfect game Major League Major League II Moneyball Name and logo controversy Slider Ten Cent Beer Night The Bug Game The Catch The Kid from Cleveland Rivalries Cincinnati Reds Key personnel Owner: Larry Dolan Chairman/CEO: Paul Dolan President: Chris Antonetti General manager: Mike Chernoff Manager: Terry Francona Postseason appearances (12) 1920 1948 1954 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2007 2013 2016 Division championships (8) 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2007 2016 American League pennants (6) 1920 1948 1954 1995 1997 2016 World Series championships (2) 1920 1948 Hall of Fame inductees Averill Boudreau Coveleski Doby Feller Flick Joss Lajoie Lemon Sewell Speaker Wynn Minors AAA: Columbus Clippers AA: Akron RubberDucks Adv. A: Lynchburg Hillcats A: Lake County Captains Short A: Mahoning Valley Scrappers Rookie: Arizona League Indians Dominican Summer League Indians Media Broadcasters Radio network Flagships: WTAM WMMS Television: SportsTime Ohio Seasons (124) 1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Major League Baseball on NBC Related programs Baseball Night in America (1994–1995) Major League Baseball: An Inside Look (1979–1989) Major League Baseball Game of the Week (1957–1964; 1966–1989) Major League Baseball on NBC Radio (1927–1938; 1957–1975) Monday Night Baseball (1967–1975) Misc. programs Gillette Cavalcade of Sports USA Thursday Game of the Week (1979–1983) Related articles The Baseball Network World Series television ratings Television contracts NBC's owned & operated TV stations W2XBS (later WNBT) (New York Yankees, 1939–1945) WCAU 10 (Philadelphia Phillies, 2014–present) KCST 39 (later KNSD) (San Diego Padres, 1971–1972; 1984–1986) KNTV 11 (San Francisco Giants, 2008–present) Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (San Francisco Giants) California (Oakland Athletics) Chicago (Chicago Cubs & White Sox) Philadelphia (Philadelphia Phillies) New York (New York Mets) Sponsors Ford Gillette National Bohemian Commentators The Baseball Network All-Star Game ALCS ALDS NLCS NLDS World Series Key figures Mel Allen Jim Britt Jack Buck Skip Caray Bob Carpenter Bob Costas Dick Enberg Bill Enis Joe Garagiola Curt Gowdy Greg Gumbel Merle Harmon Ernie Harwell Charlie Jones George Kell Jon Miller Monte Moore Bob Neal Lindsey Nelson Bill O'Donnell Jay Randolph Ted Robinson Vin Scully Jim Simpson Chuck Thompson Gary Thorne Pete van Wieren Bob Wolff Jim Woods Color commentators Sal Bando Bucky Dent Larry Dierker Don Drysdale Leo Durocher Joe Garagiola Ken Harrelson Fred Haney Tommy Hutton Jim Kaat Sandy Koufax Tony Kubek Ron Luciano John Lowenstein Mickey Mantle Tim McCarver Joe Morgan Bobby Murcer Wes Parker Pee Wee Reese Al Rosen Tom Seaver Mike Shannon Joe Torre Bob Uecker Bill Veeck Maury Wills Guest commentators Rick Dempsey Barry Larkin Ronald Reagan Mike Schmidt Don Sutton Bobby Valentine Hosts Mike Adamle Marv Albert Len Berman Jimmy Cefalo Gayle Gardner Bryant Gumbel Bill Macatee Keith Olbermann Ahmad Rashād Hannah Storm Field reporters Johnny Bench Jim Gray Jimmy Roberts Craig Sager Bob Wischusen Lore Regular season games #715 (1974) "The Sandberg Game" (1984) Tie-breaker games 1951 National League tie-breaker series (Games 2-3) 1962 National League tie-breaker series LCS games "Go crazy folks!" (1985) Jeffrey Maier (1996) "Grand Slam Single" (1999) World Series games Subway Series "The Catch (1954)" Don Larsen's Perfect Game (1956) "Shoe polish incident" (1969) "Fisk Waves it Fair" (1975) Michael Sergio (1986) "It gets through Buckner!" (1986) Kirk Gibson's home run (1988) All-Century Team (1999) Music "Broken Wings" "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" "Don't Look in My Eyes" "Fame" "Limelight" "One Moment in Time" "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" Instrumentals The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. "Chase" "Don't Turn Away" "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" The Untouchables World Series 1947 (Games 1 & 5) 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1995 (Games 2–3, & 6) 1997 1999 AL Championship 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1995 (Games 3–6) 1996 1998 2000 NL Championship 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1995 (Games 3–4) 1997 1999 AL Division Series 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 NL Division Series 1981 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 All-Star Game 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959: First–Second 1960: First–Second 1961: First–Second 1962: First–Second 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1994 1996 1998 2000 Seasons Pre-Game of the Week 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Game of the Week era 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 (All-Star Game and World Series only) 1966 (exclusive coverage begins) 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 The Baseball Network era 1994 1995 No regular season coverage 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio Play-by-play Charley Steiner (1998–2001) Jon Miller (1998–2010) Dan Shulman (2002–2007) Gary Thorne (2008–2009) Jon Sciambi (2010–present) Analysts Kevin Kennedy (1998) Dave Campbell (1999–2010) Chris Singleton (2011–present) Studio hosts Joe D'Ambrosio (1998–2007) Marc Kestecher (2008–present) AL Championship Series 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 NL Championship Series 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 AL Division Series 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 NL Division Series 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 AL Wild Card Game 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 NL Wild Card Game 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 All-Star Game 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 World Series 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Related programs ESPN Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Game of the Week Sunday Night Baseball Commentators All-Star Game ALCS ALDS NLCS NLDS World Series Lore 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase Death of Osama bin Laden Grand Slam Single Tie-breaker games 1998 NL Wild Card Playoff 1999 NL Wild Card Playoff 2007 NL Wild Card Playoff 2008 AL Central Playoff 2009 AL Central Playoff 2013 AL Wild Card tie-breaker Divisional Series games The Flip Play "The Bug Game" Roy Halladay's postseason no-hitter "The Illegal Slide Game" "The 53-Minute 7th Inning" World Series games The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty Game 6 of the 2011 World Series Walk-off Obstruction Chicago Cubs Steve Bartman (2003) Curse of the Billy Goat New York Yankees Yankees–Red Sox rivalry Curse of the Bambino Final game at Yankee Stadium (2008) Related articles Major League Baseball on the radio Home Run Derby