2001 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 2001 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 2001 in baseball.

The 2001 Major League Baseball season finished with the Arizona Diamondbacks defeating the New York Yankees in seven games for the World Series championship. The September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. pushed the end of the regular season from September 30 to October 7. Because of the attacks, the World Series was not completed until November 4. The 2001 World Series was the first World Series to end in November.

2001 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 1 – November 4, 2001
Number of games	162
Number of teams	30
TV partner(s)	Fox/FX/Fox Family, ESPN
Draft
Top draft pick	Joe Mauer
Picked by	Minnesota Twins
Regular Season
Season MVP	AL: Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) NL: Barry Bonds (SF)
Postseason
AL champions	New York Yankees
AL runners-up	Seattle Mariners
NL champions	Arizona Diamondbacks
NL runners-up	Atlanta Braves
World Series
Venue	Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Arizona Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Champions	Arizona Diamondbacks
Runners-up	New York Yankees
World Series MVP	Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling (AZ)

Angels

     Athletics

Mariners

Rangers

White Sox

Indians

Tigers      

Royals

Twins

Orioles

Red
Sox

Yankees

Devil Rays

Blue
Jays

Locations of AL teams for the 2000–2004 MLB seasons
West   Central   East

Diamondbacks

Rockies

Dodgers

Padres

  Giants

Cubs

Reds

Astros

Brewers

Pirates  

Cardinals

Braves

Marlins

Expos

Mets

     Phillies

Locations of NL teams for the 2001–2002 NL seasons
West   Central   East

MLB used an unbalanced schedule for the first time since 1992 in the National League and 1978 in the American League. In all divisions except the NL Central and AL West each team played each of the other four teams in the same division 19 times. In the NL Central division foes met 16 or 17 times per season and in the AL West there were 19 or 20 games between each division foe.

This season was memorable for the Seattle Mariners tying the Major League regular season record of 116 wins, Barry Bonds breaking Mark McGwire's single-season home run record, and baseball's patriotic return after a week's worth of games being postponed due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Standings

American League

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AL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(2) New York Yankees	95	65	.594	—	51‍–‍28	44‍–‍37
Boston Red Sox	82	79	.509	13½	41‍–‍40	41‍–‍39
Toronto Blue Jays	80	82	.494	16	40‍–‍42	40‍–‍40
Baltimore Orioles	63	98	.391	32½	30‍–‍50	33‍–‍48
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	62	100	.383	34	37‍–‍44	25‍–‍56

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• e

AL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(3) Cleveland Indians	91	71	.562	—	44‍–‍36	47‍–‍35
Minnesota Twins	85	77	.525	6	47‍–‍34	38‍–‍43
Chicago White Sox	83	79	.512	8	46‍–‍35	37‍–‍44
Detroit Tigers	66	96	.407	25	37‍–‍44	29‍–‍52
Kansas City Royals	65	97	.401	26	35‍–‍46	30‍–‍51

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AL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(1) Seattle Mariners	116	46	.716	—	57‍–‍24	59‍–‍22
(4) Oakland Athletics	102	60	.630	14	53‍–‍28	49‍–‍32
Anaheim Angels	75	87	.463	41	39‍–‍42	36‍–‍45
Texas Rangers	73	89	.451	43	41‍–‍41	32‍–‍48

National League

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NL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(3) Atlanta Braves	88	74	.543	—	40‍–‍41	48‍–‍33
Philadelphia Phillies	86	76	.531	2	47‍–‍34	39‍–‍42
New York Mets	82	80	.506	6	44‍–‍37	38‍–‍43
Florida Marlins	76	86	.469	12	46‍–‍34	30‍–‍52
Montreal Expos	68	94	.420	20	34‍–‍47	34‍–‍47

• v
• t
• e

NL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(1) Houston Astros	93	69	.574	—	44‍–‍37	49‍–‍32
(4) St. Louis Cardinals	93	69	.574	—	54‍–‍28	39‍–‍41
Chicago Cubs	88	74	.543	5	48‍–‍33	40‍–‍41
Milwaukee Brewers	68	94	.420	25	36‍–‍45	32‍–‍49
Cincinnati Reds	66	96	.407	27	27‍–‍54	39‍–‍42
Pittsburgh Pirates	62	100	.383	31	38‍–‍43	24‍–‍57

• v
• t
• e

NL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(2) Arizona Diamondbacks	92	70	.568	—	48‍–‍33	44‍–‍37
San Francisco Giants	90	72	.556	2	49‍–‍32	41‍–‍40
Los Angeles Dodgers	86	76	.531	6	44‍–‍37	42‍–‍39
San Diego Padres	79	83	.488	13	35‍–‍46	44‍–‍37
Colorado Rockies	73	89	.451	19	41‍–‍40	32‍–‍49

Postseason

Main article: 2001 Major League Baseball postseason

Bracket

	Division Series (ALDS, NLDS)					League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS)					World Series
	1	Seattle	3
	3	Cleveland	2
						1	Seattle	1
	American League
						2	NY Yankees	4
	2	NY Yankees	3
	4	Oakland	2
											AL2	NY Yankees	3
											NL2	Arizona	4
	1	Houston	0
	3	Atlanta	3
						3	Atlanta	1
	National League
						2	Arizona	4
	2	Arizona	3
	4	St. Louis	2

Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.

MLB statistical leaders

The Anaheim Angels hosting the season's eventual American League Champions New York Yankees in August 2001 at Edison International Field of Anaheim.

Statistic	American League		National League
AVG	Ichiro Suzuki SEA	.350	Larry Walker COL	.350
HR	Alex Rodriguez TEX	52	Barry Bonds1 SF	73
RBI	Bret Boone SEA	141	Sammy Sosa CHC	160
Wins	Mark Mulder OAK	21	Matt Morris STL Curt Schilling AZ	22
ERA	Freddy García SEA	3.05	Randy Johnson AZ	2.49
SO	Hideo Nomo BOS	220	Randy Johnson AZ	372
SV	Mariano Rivera NYY	50	Robb Nen SF	45
SB	Ichiro Suzuki SEA	56	Juan Pierre COL Jimmy Rollins PHI	46

¹ All-time single-season home runs record

Managers

American League

Team	Manager	Comments
Anaheim Angels	Mike Scioscia
Baltimore Orioles	Mike Hargrove
Boston Red Sox	Jimy Williams	Replaced during the season by Joe Kerrigan
Chicago White Sox	Jerry Manuel
Cleveland Indians	Charlie Manuel
Detroit Tigers	Phil Garner
Kansas City Royals	Tony Muser
Minnesota Twins	Tom Kelly
New York Yankees	Joe Torre	Won the American League pennant
Oakland Athletics	Art Howe
Seattle Mariners±	Lou Piniella
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	Larry Rothschild	Replaced during the season by Hal McRae
Texas Rangers	Johnny Oates	Replaced during the season by Jerry Narron
Toronto Blue Jays	Buck Martinez

National League

Team	Manager	Comments
Arizona Diamondbacks	Bob Brenly	Won the World Series
Atlanta Braves	Bobby Cox
Chicago Cubs	Don Baylor
Cincinnati Reds	Bob Boone
Colorado Rockies	Buddy Bell
Florida Marlins	John Boles Jr.	Replaced during the season by Tony Pérez
Houston Astros	Larry Dierker
Los Angeles Dodgers	Jim Tracy
Milwaukee Brewers	Davey Lopes
Montreal Expos	Felipe Alou	Replaced during the season by Jeff Torborg
New York Mets	Bobby Valentine
Philadelphia Phillies	Larry Bowa
Pittsburgh Pirates	Lloyd McClendon
St. Louis Cardinals	Tony La Russa
San Diego Padres	Bruce Bochy
San Francisco Giants	Dusty Baker

±hosted the MLB All Star Game

Awards

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award	National League	American League
Rookie of the Year	Albert Pujols (STL)	Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)
Cy Young Award	Randy Johnson (AZ)	Roger Clemens (NYY)
Manager of the Year	Larry Bowa (PHI)	Lou Piniella (SEA)
Most Valuable Player	Barry Bonds (SF)	Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)
Gold Glove Awards
Position	National League	American League
Pitcher	Greg Maddux (ATL)	Mike Mussina (NYY)
Catcher	Brad Ausmus (HOU)	Iván Rodríguez (TEX)
1st Base	Todd Helton (COL)	Doug Mientkiewicz (MIN)
2nd Base	Fernando Viña (STL)	Roberto Alomar (CLE)
3rd Base	Scott Rolen (PHI)	Eric Chavez (OAK)
Shortstop	Orlando Cabrera (MTL)	Omar Vizquel (CLE)
Outfield	Jim Edmonds (STL) Andruw Jones (ATL) Larry Walker (COL)	Mike Cameron (SEA) Torii Hunter (MIN) Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)
Silver Slugger Awards
Position	National League	American League
Pitcher/Designated Hitter	Mike Hampton (COL)	Edgar Martínez (SEA)
Catcher	Mike Piazza (NYM)	Jorge Posada (NYY)
1st Base	Todd Helton (COL)	Jason Giambi (OAK)
2nd Base	Jeff Kent (SF)	Bret Boone (SEA)
3rd Base	Albert Pujols (STL)	Troy Glaus (ANA)
Shortstop	Rich Aurilia (SF)	Alex Rodriguez (TEX)
Outfield	Barry Bonds (SF) Luis Gonzalez (AZ) Sammy Sosa (CHC)	Juan González (CLE) Manny Ramirez (BOS) Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)

Other awards

• Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: Edgar Martínez (SEA)
• Hank Aaron Award: Alex Rodriguez (TEX, American); Barry Bonds (SF, National).
• Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Curt Schilling (AZ).
• Rolaids Relief Man Award: Mariano Rivera (NYY, American); Armando Benítez (NYM, National).
• Warren Spahn Award (Best left-handed pitcher): Randy Johnson (AZ)

Player of the Month

Month	American League	National League
April	Manny Ramirez	Luis Gonzalez
May	Jason Giambi	Barry Bonds
June	Mike Sweeney	Luis Gonzalez
July	Jim Thome	Jeff Bagwell
August	Jermaine Dye	Sammy Sosa
September	Eric Chavez	Barry Bonds

Pitcher of the Month

Month	American League	National League
April	Brad Radke	Wade Miller
May	Pedro Martínez	Curt Schilling
June	Roger Clemens	Greg Maddux
July	Mark Mulder	Greg Maddux
August	Barry Zito	Javier Vázquez
September	Barry Zito	Woody Williams

Rookie of the Month

Month	American League	National League
April	Ichiro Suzuki	Albert Pujols
May	Ichiro Suzuki	Albert Pujols
June	Ichiro Suzuki	Ben Sheets
July	CC Sabathia	Pedro Feliz
August	Ichiro Suzuki	Roy Oswalt
September	Ichiro Suzuki	Bud Smith

Home field attendance and payroll

Team name	Wins	%±	Home attendance	%±	Per game	Est. payroll	%±
Seattle Mariners[1]	116	27.5%	3,507,326	20.3%	43,300	$74,720,834	23.5%
San Francisco Giants[2]	90	−7.2%	3,311,958	−0.2%	40,888	$63,280,167	17.8%
New York Yankees[3]	95	9.2%	3,264,907	6.9%	40,811	$112,787,143	21.1%
Cleveland Indians[4]	91	1.1%	3,175,523	−8.1%	39,694	$93,360,001	21.3%
Colorado Rockies[5]	73	−11.0%	3,166,821	−3.9%	39,097	$71,541,334	17.1%
St. Louis Cardinals[6]	93	−2.1%	3,109,578	−6.8%	37,922	$79,373,333	28.7%
Baltimore Orioles[7]	63	−14.9%	3,094,841	−6.1%	38,686	$74,279,540	−9.8%
Los Angeles Dodgers[8]	86	0.0%	3,017,143	4.8%	37,249	$109,105,953	23.8%
Houston Astros[9]	93	29.2%	2,904,277	−5.0%	35,855	$60,612,667	18.2%
Texas Rangers[10]	73	2.8%	2,831,021	9.4%	34,525	$88,633,500	25.2%
Atlanta Braves[11]	88	−7.4%	2,823,530	−12.7%	34,858	$91,936,166	8.5%
Milwaukee Brewers[12]	68	−6.8%	2,811,041	78.6%	34,704	$43,886,833	17.6%
Chicago Cubs[13]	88	35.4%	2,779,465	−0.4%	34,314	$64,715,833	6.9%
Arizona Diamondbacks[14]	92	8.2%	2,736,451	−7.0%	33,783	$85,082,999	5.0%
New York Mets[15]	82	−12.8%	2,658,330	−5.8%	32,819	$93,174,428	17.2%
Boston Red Sox[16]	82	−3.5%	2,625,333	1.5%	32,412	$110,035,833	37.6%
Pittsburgh Pirates[17]	62	−10.1%	2,464,870	40.9%	30,430	$57,760,833	84.4%
San Diego Padres[18]	79	3.9%	2,378,128	1.1%	29,360	$39,182,833	−28.8%
Oakland Athletics[19]	102	12.1%	2,133,277	33.0%	26,337	$33,810,750	1.9%
Anaheim Angels[20]	75	−8.5%	2,000,919	−3.2%	24,703	$47,735,167	−9.4%
Detroit Tigers[21]	66	−16.5%	1,921,305	−21.2%	23,720	$53,416,167	−10.4%
Toronto Blue Jays[22]	80	−3.6%	1,915,438	12.3%	23,359	$76,895,999	67.0%
Cincinnati Reds[23]	66	−22.4%	1,879,757	−27.1%	23,207	$48,986,000	4.5%
Minnesota Twins[24]	85	23.2%	1,782,929	78.2%	22,011	$24,130,000	37.7%
Philadelphia Phillies[25]	86	32.3%	1,782,054	10.5%	22,001	$41,663,833	−12.3%
Chicago White Sox[26]	83	−12.6%	1,766,172	−9.3%	21,805	$65,653,667	106.8%
Kansas City Royals[27]	65	−15.6%	1,536,371	−1.8%	18,968	$35,422,500	42.2%
Tampa Bay Devil Rays[28]	62	−10.1%	1,298,365	−10.4%	16,029	$56,980,000	−9.9%
Florida Marlins[29]	76	−3.8%	1,261,226	3.5%	15,765	$35,762,500	75.8%
Montreal Expos[30]	68	1.5%	642,745	−30.6%	7,935	$35,159,500	6.6%

Television coverage

This was the first season that national television coverage was split between ESPN and Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected weeknight and Sunday night games, and selected Division Series playoff games. Fox televised Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games, both League Championship Series, and the World Series. Sister network FX also aired Saturday primetime games. Thursday night games moved from Fox Sports Net to Fox Family. Fox Family also aired selected Division Series games. This was the last season that Fox Sports broadcast regular season games on either Fox Family or FX.

See also

• 2001 Nippon Professional Baseball season