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2001 New York Yankees

2001 Sports: In The Aftermath Of 9/11

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This article offers a snapshot of 2001 sports, a year that saw thrilling World Series and Super Bowl finishes, drama in the Final Four and Stanley Cup Finals and greatness in college football and the NBA.

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The year 2001 in the United States was marred by the most tragic event in the history of our nation, the terrorist attacks of September 11. It was perhaps appropriate that the two best moments of what was a good year in 2001 sports, had some sort of linkage to that awful day.
In the aftermath of the devastation of New York, the Yankees became a focal point, something the city could share light-hearted enjoyment together with amidst the suffering. The Yanks would win their fourth straight pennant, including taking out the 116-win Seattle Mariners in a 2001 American League Championship Series that wasn’t the showdown everyone expected.
A bid for a fourth straight World Series title came up just short against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the Yanks and Diamondbacks gave the public an outstanding Series that wasn’t settled until the ninth inning of the seventh game. Sports had served its most important role in New York, in bringing a community together in a healthy way.
We shouldn’t overlook the Arizona Diamondbacks here–their World Series title was one part of a great sports year, that included the University of Arizona basketball team making the final of the NCAA Tournament. Click here to read all about the dynamics in the desert that sports year, including a game-by-game look at the 2001 World Series.
The Super Bowl was no less dramatic. The St. Louis Rams were the heavy favorite. They were led by MVP quarterback Kurt Warner, and running back Marshall Faulk, one of the best all-purpose backs to ever play the game. The offense, designed by head coach Mike Martz was dubbed “The Greatest Show On Turf” and they rolled to a 14-2 record, a blowout playoff win over the Green Bay Packers and a tough NFC Championship Game win over the up-and-coming Philadelphia Eagles of Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.
St. Louis came to the Super Bowl a 14-point favorite, set to win its second title in three years and lay claim to a mini-dynasty. The opponent was the unheralded New England Patriots, with its still relatively unaccomplished coach in Bill Belichick and an unproven quarterback in Tom Brady.
New England won a 20-17 thriller and in this year of the worst attack ever on the American homeland, perhaps it was appropriate that the sports calendar with a championship won by a team named “Patriots.” Click here to read about the 2001 New England Patriots.

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Springtime brought plenty of excitement in the world of college basketball and hockey. The Duke Blue Devils won their third national championship in 11 years, giving head coach Mike Krzyzewski a unique place in history. Read more about the 2001 Duke Blue Devils.
And the Stanley Cup playoffs provided some tremendous drama. A true showdown between the two best teams is rare in this upset-laden sport. So rare in fact, that it’s only happened one time in the last 24 years. 2001 was the year, and it was two accomplished franchises looking to carve out a place in history, as the Colorado Avalanche faced the New Jersey Devils. Even better, the series went the full seven games before the Avalanche finally won. Read more about the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals.

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The NBA Finals and the college football season made history in their own way. It wasn’t about a dramatic finish in the race for the championship. Each sport made history on the other end of the spectrum–through one team showing historic greatness.
Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers steamrolled through the NBA playoffs, losing just one game. In college football, the 2001 Miami Hurricanes had a roster that reads like a Who’s Who of the NFL Hall of Fame–or at least the Pro Bowl. The Hurricanes blasted through to a national title and a decisive rout in the championship game.
Each sport found its excitement, drama and controversy in the race to go opposite the powerhouse. The 2001 NBA playoffs produced seven-game series in both Eastern Conference semi-finals and the Eastern Conference Finals, and had two notable controversies develop, as Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers ultimately played their way into the Finals opposite Shaq and Kobe.
College football’s race for #2 at the end of the regular season was nothing short of wild. Nebraska seemed to be on a collision course with Miami, but then the Cornhuskers were humiliated by Colorado, 62-36 on Thanksgiving weekend. Nebraska was then in the Big 12, and the conference was split into divisions. The result gave Colorado the North Division title at Nebraska’s expense.
What happened then was that four successive teams–Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee and Texas–all failed in chances to win and secure the #2 spot. Colorado had lost twice and the BCS system ranked Nebraska ahead of both them and Oregon and let the Cornhuskers circle around and back their way into a date with Miami. Fortunately, the Hurricanes crushed them and brought some measure of justice.
Another milestone was reached in 2001, and in normal circumstances, it would have led this discussion. Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs for the San Francisco Giants and broke the single-season record that had been set by Mark McGwire just three years earlier. Of course what we suspected then, and know now regarding PED use has led both achievements to be forever asterisked.

The Game-By-Game Narrative Of The 2001 ALCS

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When the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners got together on October 17 to begin the 2001 American League Championship Series it was more than just a rematch of the previous year’s ALCS—the first time such had occurred since 1976-78—it was also a showdown of two teams that had broken the 100-win mark. The Yankees, with three consecutive World Series title already in hand, won 102 and blew open the AL East. The Mariners were even better, racking up a regular season record 116 wins and blowing open the AL West.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 


The two teams seemed destined for this final showdown, but the opening round of the playoffs nearly tripped them both up. New York lost the first two games of its best-of-five series with Oakland, before rallying to win three straight. Seattle went to the brink of elimination, falling behind Cleveland 2-1 after three games, before restoring order and winning the final two. The ALCS showdown was set.

Seattle had bolstered their lineup prior to the season with two key acquisitions. They signed second baseman Bret Boone in free agency, and he responded with 37 home runs, 141 RBIs, a .331 batting average and a third-place finish in the MVP voting. The winner of the MVP? It was Seattle’s other new pickup, outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, brought over from Japan. Ichiro hit .350 and got a stellar major league career in the United States underway. They joined a lineup that already had productive designated hitter Edgar Martinez, first baseman John Olerud, who posted a .401 on-base percentage and centerfielder Mike Cameron who hit 25 home runs.

New York’s offseason investment was in pitching, as they added Baltimore ace Mike Mussina and they “only” ranked fifth in the American League in runs scored, with the offense generally considered a weak point, at least by comparison to their previous championship teams. They still had Derek Jeter and his .377 on-base percentage to set the table, and Bernie Williams, with his .522 slugging percentage to clean the table up. Not to mention Tino Martinez, who hit 34 home runs and other stalwarts of the dynasty like third baseman Scott Brosius and rightfielder Paul O’Neill.

Pitching was a big strength for both teams. Seattle trotted out a young Freddy Garcia, who won 18 games at age 24, and Jamie Moyer, positively spry at age 38, who won 20. Aaron Sele posted 15 wins. All three starters had ERAs of 3.60 or lower, a real achievement in the era of steroid-driven offensive numbers.

On New York’s side, the rotation was built around Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens. The trio combined to win 52 games, all had ERA in the high 3s and Clemens won the Cy Young Award.

When you went to the bullpen, Seattle turned to Kazuhiro Sasaki, who saved 45 games. And New York had the already-inestimable Mariano Rivera, who racked up 50 saves. Each team had a deep relief corps in front. New York’s bullpen was a big reason they were wearing all those Series rings. Seattle strengthened theirs by going to the source, and nabbing Jeff Nelson away from the Bronx in the offseason.

There was every reason to expect an epic battle, and it had the further dramatic background of the 9/11 attacks that had taken place on New York City little more than a month earlier. The Yankees, for one year, weren’t the team so many of us loved to hate. They were a team that was now carrying the banner for a city that needed some hope and this backdrop followed them throughout their postseason run.

New York would wait for the series to come its way. Seattle hosted the opening two games on a Wednesday and Thursday night, and they were a city looking for its pro sports championship since the Sonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) won the NBA crown in 1979, and the first-ever appearance in a World Series.

It was Pettite-Sele in Game 1 and the Yankees struck first in the second inning. Leftfielder Chuck Knoblauch, who aided Jeter in the setup duties at the top of the order, knocked in a run, though a Jeter pop-out left runners on second and third. The Yankees added two more in the fourth when Jorge Posada doubled and O’Neill homered. Seattle made its move in the fifth, when a Mike Cameron double put men on second and third with no outs.

A groundball out by John Olerud picked up one run and advanced Cameron to third. But Pettite struck out Jay Buhner and Martinez in succession to preserve a 3-1 lead. Martinez missed his chance at redemption in the ninth, when he came to the plate as the tying run in a 4-2 game. He bounced out to Rivera.

Garcia would take the ball for Game 2, while Mussina, in his first year as a Yankee, would try and give his team command of the series.  Edgar Martinez’ night started off as rough as the previous one had ended—he came up in the first inning with two on and one out and grounded into a double play. New York got its own opportunity an inning later when Scott Brosius doubled in a run with two outs and Knoblauch hit a two-run single. Seattle closed to within 3-2 in the fourth, but the scoring chances mostly ended for both teams after that and Rivera recorded a five-out save.

Seattle manager Lou Pinella had a unique relationship with the Yankees. He’d been a key player on their championship teams of 1977-78, a manager for the team and had what was generally seen as a good relationship with George Steinbrenner. Perhaps the strain led Pinella to pop off in the postgame press conference and issue a guarantee—that his team had not played its last home game. That would necessitate winning two of the three middle games in Yankee Stadium.

The Mariners went to work on making good on their manager’s guarantee. Trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning of Game 3, Boone tied it with a two-out, two-run single. Then Olerud led off the sixth with a home run, leading the roof to fall in on the Yankee pitching staff. Seattle scored seven times in the sixth and won the game 14-3.

Game 4 had underappreciated Paul Abbot pitching for Seattle against the more renowned Roger Clemens. Both starters worked five innings, in and out of minor trouble throughout, but never giving up a run. The bullpens took over and the scoreless game went to the eighth. Boone homered and put Seattle six outs from backing up their manager’s guarantee. But with one out, Bernie Williams hit a home run of his own in the bottom of the inning. In the ninth, Rivera set down Seattle in order and kept the 1-1 tie. Sasaki couldn’t do the same for Seattle—after a one-out single from Brosius, Alfonso Soriano hit a walkoff home run into right-center and the Yanks were on the game of a pennant.

It was a Pettite-Sele rematch for Game 5, but in reality this was no match. In the bottom of the third, New York got a key two-out double from David Justice and an early knockout blow when Williams hit a two-run shot, his third home run of the series. New York’s lead grew to 9-0 after six, and they won their fourth straight pennant in a 12-3 rout.

Pettite was named series MVP for his two wins. Williams had the three home runs, all key ones in the later games, but he only had one other hit for the entire series. Knoblauch had helped set the table, with five this in the first two games, but tailed off back home. Pettite had pitched extremely well in setting the tone in Game 1 and finishing it off in Game 5.

New York would not win a fourth straight World Series. They lost a historic battle to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Seattle hasn’t been back to the postseason since, much less found that elusive World Series trip. Their city still looks for another championship of any kind, with the Seahawks losing the 2005 Super Bowl, and the Sonics eventually leaving town.

The 2001 American League Championship Series might not have delivered the dramatic  finish that seemed so possible when it began. Because of that its lost its place in sports history. We shouldn’t forget that three of Seattle’s losses were heartbreakers, they were oh-so-close to tying the series up and if nothing else, a battle between 100-win teams is always one worthy of being remembered.