2011 American League Championship Series | |||||||||||||
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Teams | |||||||||||||
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Dates | October 8–15 | ||||||||||||
MVP | Nelson Cruz (Texas) | ||||||||||||
Umpires | Tim Welke (crew chief), Larry Vanover, Jim Wolf, Fieldin Culbreth, Jeff Nelson, Tom Hallion | ||||||||||||
ALDS |
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Broadcast | |||||||||||||
Television | Fox | ||||||||||||
TV announcers | Joe Buck, Terry Francona (Games 1–2), and Tim McCarver (Games 3–6) | ||||||||||||
Radio | ESPN | ||||||||||||
Radio announcers | Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser | ||||||||||||
Team (Wins) | Manager | Season | |
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Texas Rangers (4) | Ron Washington | 96–66, .593, GA: 10 | |
Detroit Tigers (2) | Jim Leyland | 95–67, .586, GA: 15 |
The 2011 American League Championship Series (abbreviated ALCS) was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the winners of the 2011 American League Division Series, the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers, against each other for the American League championship and the right to be the league's representative in the 2011 World Series. The series was the 42nd in league history.
While the 2010 American League Championship series began on October 15, the 2011 series began on October 8 to accommodate the World Series, which is scheduled to begin on October 19.Fox televised all games in the United States. Games 1, 2, and 6 were played at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, while the other games were played at Comerica Park in Detroit.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rangers and the Tigers. The Tigers appeared in the ALCS (and the postseason overall) for the first time since 2006, while the Rangers were playing in their second consecutive appearance.
Texas won the series, 4–2.
†: postponed from October 9 due to rain
Saturday, October 8, 2011 – 8:05 pm (EDT) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas
The Tigers loaded the bases in the first inning with one out, but C. J. Wilson escaped the jam when Magglio Ordóñez grounded into a double play. The Rangers scored two runs in the second on a triple from David Murphy and a single from Ian Kinsler. Nelson Cruz added a solo home run in the fourth. After a 41-minute rain delay, Austin Jackson doubled in the Tigers first run. Then after two walks loaded the bases, a wild pitch brought home Jackson to make the score 3–2 Rangers. After a second rain delay, Michael Gonzalez relieved Wilson and got Alex Avila to ground out to second with the bases loaded. Rick Porcello pitched two innings of relief of Verlander and the bullpens took over from there. After the Rangers bullpen threw 3 1⁄3 innings of scoreless relief, Neftalí Feliz came on to get the save. After allowing a lead off single, Feliz struck out the next three batters to save it for the Rangers.