The 2006
American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2006
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
playoffs, began on October 10 and ended on October 14. The wild card
Detroit Tigers swept the West Division champion
Oakland Athletics 4 games to none to advance to the
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2006 season. The 102nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National Lea ...
, and became the fourth AL team to win 10 pennants, joining the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
(39), the Athletics (15), and the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
(11).
Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado (; born January 28, 1974) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball right fielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) and Detroit Tigers (2005–2011). Ordóñez is tall and weighs . Having p ...
's game-winning
walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...
in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4 sealed the pennant for the Tigers. This ALCS marked the 5th different AL pennant winner in as many years (following
2005 with the White Sox,
2004 with the Red Sox,
2003 with the Yankees, and
2002 with the Angels).
The Athletics defeated the
Minnesota Twins 3 games to none in the
AL Division Series, and the Tigers defeated the Yankees 3 games to 1. The Tigers faced the
National League champions St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
, but lost in five games. The Athletics had home-field advantage (despite the Tigers having a better regular season record) as the wild card team defers home field advantage in the LCS regardless of regular season record.
The Athletics were seeking their first AL pennant since
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, while the Tigers captured the league title for the first time since their win in the
1984 World Series
The 1984 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1984 season. The 81st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the Nationa ...
. The series was a rematch of the
1972 American League Championship Series
The 1972 American League Championship Series was held October 7–12, and matched the Oakland Athletics () and Detroit Tigers () for the right to go to the 1972 World Series.
The first two games were played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseu ...
(then a best-of-five series), in which Oakland defeated Detroit in 5 games. Detroit manager
Jim Leyland
James Richard Leyland (born December 15, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He serves as a special assistant to the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Leyland led the Florida Marlins to the ...
, who led the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fran ...
to the
1997 World Series
The 1997 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1997 season. The 93rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians and the National L ...
title, became the seventh manager in history to win pennants in both leagues. It was the second consecutive ALCS without the Yankees and Red Sox.
Summary
Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers
Game summaries
Game 1
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at
McAfee Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...
in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
Oakland was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while Detroit turned four double plays (both are LCS records). Tigers first baseman
Sean Casey left the game in the bottom of the sixth inning due to an apparent leg injury. Brandon Inge homered with two outs in the third off Barry Zito, who allowed a double and two walks to load the bases before
Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado (; born January 28, 1974) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball right fielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) and Detroit Tigers (2005–2011). Ordóñez is tall and weighs . Having p ...
's single scored another run. Next inning, Iván Rodríguez hit a leadoff home run off Zito, who then walked
Craig Monroe.
Marcus Thames then hit into a forceout, advancing to second on
D'Angelo Jiménez's error and scoring on Inge's double. Inge moved to third on
Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed the "Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...
's groundout, then scored on
Plácido Polanco
Plácido Enrique Polanco (; born October 10, 1975) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. He was a ...
's single. Oakland avoided a shutout when
Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...
doubled to lead off the eighth off
Joel Zumaya
Joel Martin Zumaya (born November 9, 1984) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers from 2006 through 2010.
Baseball career
Zumaya was drafted out of Bonita Vista High School ...
, moved to third on
Frank Thomas's groundout, and scored on
Jay Payton's groundout.
Game 2
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 at
McAfee Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...
in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
Oakland struck first in Game 2 when
Mark Kotsay doubled in the first with one out off Justin Verlander, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on
Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...
's single, but Detroit tied it when
Carlos Guillén
Carlos Alfonso Guillén (born September 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder.
Guillén was signed by the Houston Astros as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1992. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners with pitcher F ...
doubled to lead off the second off Esteban Loaiza, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on
Craig Monroe's sacrifice fly. In the third, Kotsay doubled with two outs off Verlander before Bradley homered to put Oakland up 3-1. In the fourth, Detroit loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with one out off Loaiza before Monroe's single scored a run,
Alexis Gomez's 2-run single gave Detroit the lead, and
Brandon Inge
Charles Brandon Inge ( ; born May 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and catcher and currently a volunteer assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team. He played 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, on ...
's sacrifice fly put the Tigers up 5-3. In the sixth, Monroe doubled off Loaiza with two outs before Gomez homered to put Detroit up 7-3.
Eric Chavez
Eric Cesar Chavez (born December 7, 1977) is an American professional baseball coach and former third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics (1998–2010), New York Yankees (2011–2012), and Arizona Diamondb ...
's leadoff home run off Verlander in the bottom of the inning cut the lead to 7-4. Next inning, Bradley homered with two outs off
Wilfredo Ledezma to make it 7-5 Detroit, but the Tigers got that run back in the ninth on Granderson's leadoff home run off
Huston Street
Huston Lowell Street ( ; born August 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels.
After ...
. In the bottom of the inning, Oakland got three straight two-out singles off
Todd Jones to load the bases, but
Frank Thomas flew out to center to end the game. Since the ALCS has been increased to a seven-game series, no team has come back to win the series after losing the first two games at home.
Game 3
Friday, October 13, 2006 at
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium.
History Construction
Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...
in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
Oakland infielder
Mark Kiger, who was called up from the minors for the ALCS following an injury to
Mark Ellis, entered the game in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement for second baseman
D'Angelo Jiménez, thereby becoming the first player in modern baseball history to make his major-league debut in a postseason game. Kenny Rogers also continued to dominate, not allowing the A's to score once for his second victory in the postseason.
Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed the "Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...
walked to lead off the first off Rich Harden, moved to third on Craig Monroe's single, and scored on Plácido Polanco's single. Magglio Ordóñez's sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Tigers. Monroe's leadoff home run in the fifth off Harden made it 3-0. Todd Jones picked up his second save with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Game 4
Saturday, October 14, 2006 at
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium.
History Construction
Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...
in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
In Game 4, Mark Kotsay walked with one out in the first off Jeremy Bonderman, then scored on
Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...
's double. One out later, Bradley scored on Eric Chavez's double to put Oakland up 2-0.
Jay Payton homered in the fourth to make it 3–0. In the fifth, however, Brandon Inge singled off
Dan Haren
Daniel John Haren (born September 17, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Haren played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Wa ...
, moving to second on an error. After moving to third on a groundout, Inge scored on a double by
Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed the "Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...
, who then scored on
Craig Monroe's double.
Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado (; born January 28, 1974) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball right fielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) and Detroit Tigers (2005–2011). Ordóñez is tall and weighs . Having p ...
homered in the sixth to tie the game at three. In the bottom of the ninth,
Huston Street
Huston Lowell Street ( ; born August 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels.
After ...
got two outs, then allowed back-to-back singles to Polanco and Monroe before Ordóñez launched a three-run walk-off home run to win the game and advance the Tigers to the
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2006 season. The 102nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National Lea ...
. Ordóñez's blast was the first pennant-winning home run since
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 through 2009. As a player ...
's in Game 7 of the
2003 ALCS and came on the 30th anniversary of
Chris Chambliss
Carroll Christopher Chambliss (born December 26, 1948) is an American professional baseball player and coach (baseball), coach. He played in Major League Baseball from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. He served ...
' pennant-winning walk-off in Game 5 of the
1976 ALCS.
Composite box
2006 ALCS (4–0):
Detroit Tigers over
Oakland Athletics
Aftermath
A few days after the conclusion of the series,
Billy Beane fired manager
Ken Macha. Although the A's went 368-280 in his four seasons as manager, Macha frustrated management and players throughout his tenure. Macha's fractured relationships with players such as
Nick Swisher
Nicholas Thompson Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a switch hitter who threw left-handed, and played for the Oakland Athletics, Chica ...
and
Rich Harden had been the source of Bay Area stories for several seasons.
Even prior to the 2006 season, there was controversy with Macha as he opted out of the last year of his contract and almost took the
Pittsburgh Pirates' manager job, but was later rehired by Oakland for the 2006 season. After his firing following the AL Championship Series, Macha would later serve as the Milwaukee Brewers' manager from 2009 and 2010.
After the season, ace pitcher
Barry Zito signed a record seven year free agent contract with the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
, ending his seven year run with the Athletics. Zito was the last man standing in Oakland's
Big Three rotation of Zito,
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder (born August 5, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player. A left-handed starting pitcher, Mulder pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. He is a two-time All-S ...
, and
Tim Hudson
Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hu ...
. From 2000-2004, the Big Three helped the A's win a division title in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2002,
2003 and a wild card berth in
2004. In those years, each man made an All-Star appearance multiple times and Zito won the 2002
Cy Young Award. To date, Zito was Oakland’s last Cy Young award winner.
The Tigers and Athletics would meet again in the postseason in the American League Division Series in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, with the Tigers winning both series in five games. By 2012,
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
was the only player on either team that played in the 2006 American League Championship Series. Verlander's pitching performance in 2012 and 2013 gave him 30 straight scoreless innings against the A's in the playoffs, breaking the record for scoreless innings against one team in the postseason set by
Christy Mathewson
Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Gia ...
(28).
As of 2022, the Athletics and Tigers have not won a World Series since the 1980s (
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
for Detroit and
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
for Oakland).
References
External links
2006 ALCS at Baseball Reference
{{Navboxes, list1=
{{ALCS
{{Detroit Tigers
{{Oakland Athletics
{{Major League Baseball on Fox
{{Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio
American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series
Detroit Tigers postseason
Oakland Athletics postseason
American League Championship series
American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series
2006 in Detroit
American League Championship Series
Sports competitions in Detroit
Sports competitions in Oakland, California