2011 Major League Baseball season
| 2011 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 31, 2011 – October 28, 2011 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP |
NL: Ryan Braun (MIL) AL: Justin Verlander (DET) |
| League postseason | |
| AL champions | Texas Rangers |
| AL runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | Milwaukee Brewers |
| World Series | |
| Champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Runners-up | Texas Rangers |
The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since 1976, and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since 1990. The 82nd edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 12 with the National League defeating the American League for the second straight year, by a score of 5–1. As has been the case since 2003, the league winning that game has home field advantage in the World Series. Accordingly, the 2011 World Series began on October 19, and ended on October 28, with the St. Louis Cardinals winning in seven games over the Texas Rangers.
Only two teams were unable to complete the entire 162-game regular season schedule, as the make-up game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 8 was cancelled due to rain and not made up, owing to scheduling constraints and the game being inconsequential to the playoffs.
Green backgrounds indicate teams that made the postseason. Numbers in parentheses indicate seedings for the postseason, determined by won-lost records.
On the last day of the 2011 regular season, the post-season fate of four teams fighting for two playoff spots across both leagues was decided. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated their National League Central division rival Houston Astros to win the National League wild card berth after the Atlanta Braves lost to their National League East division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated their American League East division rivals the New York Yankees with dramatic home runs in the 9th inning by Dan Johnson and later in extra innings by Evan Longoria to win the American League wild card berth after the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Boston Red Sox, both also rivals in the American League East, on a walk-off single. This has been cited as the "most thrilling 129 minutes in baseball history."
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