The American League championship Series would feature the two wild card teams, the second and third place finishers in the American League East, Cleveland and Detroit. Cleveland would be coming in with three days rest while Detroit would only have a day off following their five game series with New York.
Game 1: Kenny Rogers would face Dennis Martinez in the first game of the series. Albert Belle opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with his 9th homer of the season. The Tigers answered in the 4th when Vance Wilson, playing for a weary Pudge Rodriguez, doubled home Craig Monroe who had walked. The Tigers added three more in the fifth on a Magglio Ordonez single and a two run double by Marcus Thames. Cleveland came back with two of their own in the bottom of the fifth with four singles and a Guillen error. The Tigers picked up two more in the 7th when Brandon Inge tripled home Ordonez and then scored on a Chris Shelton sacrifice fly. The Indians refused to go away and added two runs on Belle’s second homer of the game. Zumaya and Todd Jones closed out the final three innings and the Tigers took the first game.Det 6 Cle 5 w, Rogers 5-4, l, Martinez 5-3 s, Jones 8
Game 2: Justin Verlander against Orel Hershiser. The Tigers struck first in the top of the first
when Guillen doubled home Omar Infante. But the Indians struck back harder in the bottom of the first as Jim Thome hit a three run homer. The Indians added two more in the bottom of the third to chase Verlander. Mike Maroth would come in and threw 5.1 innings of one hit scoreless relief but Hershiser, Plunk, Poole and Jose Mesa held the Tigers to three runs and five hits, including solo homers by Ordonez and Monroe and Indians evened up the series.Cle 5 Det 3 w, Hershiser 4-2 l, Verlander 1-4 s, Mesa 10
Game 3: Mark Clark and Nate Robertson. Homers by Alomar and Albert "Don't call me Joey" Belle were too much for the Tigers who could only manage a homer by Guillen. Guillen is also intentionally walked in the fifth to pitch to Ordonez with two on and two out. The maneuver succeeds and Ordonez pops out. The failure to do this in Game 6 possibly changed the course of the series. Ken Hill gets the win with 4.1 innings in relief of ClarkCle 5 Det 2 w, Hill 3-3 l, Robertson 2-5 s, Mesa 11
Game 4: Chuck Nagy vs. Jeremy Bonderman. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the
third when Monroe hit his second homer of the series and his fifth of the season. In the 4th, Guillen hits a homer for the second consecutive day, his fifth of the season. Marcus Thames adds another homer, his 7th, and the Tigers have a 3-0 lead on 3 homeruns. Kenny Lofton gets the Indians on the board in the fifth with his first homer of the season. Detroit will add solo runs in the 6th and 8th inning, but Cleveland can only manage an 8th inning homer by Belle, his third of the series and 11th of the season.
Det 5 Cle 2 w, Bonderman 6-2 l, Nagy 6-4 s, Jones 9
third when Monroe hit his second homer of the series and his fifth of the season. In the 4th, Guillen hits a homer for the second consecutive day, his fifth of the season. Marcus Thames adds another homer, his 7th, and the Tigers have a 3-0 lead on 3 homeruns. Kenny Lofton gets the Indians on the board in the fifth with his first homer of the season. Detroit will add solo runs in the 6th and 8th inning, but Cleveland can only manage an 8th inning homer by Belle, his third of the series and 11th of the season.Det 5 Cle 2 w, Bonderman 6-2 l, Nagy 6-4 s, Jones 9
Game 5: Martinez vs Rogers. A rematch of game 1, with different results, Neither starter gets a decision. Eddie Murray and Craig Monroe each hit solo homers and the teams trade 2 run ninth innings, but the Tigers rally in the ninth falls short and Cleveland takes a 3-2 series leadCle 7 Det 6 w, Tavarez 3-0 l, Miner 1-2 s, Assenbacher 2
Game 6: 
Verlander vs. Chad Ogea. Cleveland needs only to win one of two at home at they will go to the KOD3 World Series. Verlander is chased in the fourth after solo homers by Lofton and Thome and a two run shot by Thome in the first giving the Indians a 5-3 lead after four. The Tigers runs had come in the third when Craig Monroe homered for the fourth time in the series and for the third consecutive game and Granderson doubled home two. Cleveland adds a run in the bottom of the 6th when Tony Pena squeezes home Eddie Murray. In the top of the seventh, Infante and Rodriguez singled with one out. Granderson grounds out to bring home Infante. Vizquel throws away Polanco’s ground ball and Rodriguez scores to cut the lead to 6-5. With Carlos Guillen coming to the plate, Ross decided to pitch to Guillen, rather than follow the strategy that had worked so well in Game 3. Guillen respond with a two run homer to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead. Jamie Walker and Fernando Rodney close out the game and the Tigers tie the series
Det 7 Cle 6 w, Zumaya 4-2 l, Poole 0-1 s, Rodney 4
Verlander vs. Chad Ogea. Cleveland needs only to win one of two at home at they will go to the KOD3 World Series. Verlander is chased in the fourth after solo homers by Lofton and Thome and a two run shot by Thome in the first giving the Indians a 5-3 lead after four. The Tigers runs had come in the third when Craig Monroe homered for the fourth time in the series and for the third consecutive game and Granderson doubled home two. Cleveland adds a run in the bottom of the 6th when Tony Pena squeezes home Eddie Murray. In the top of the seventh, Infante and Rodriguez singled with one out. Granderson grounds out to bring home Infante. Vizquel throws away Polanco’s ground ball and Rodriguez scores to cut the lead to 6-5. With Carlos Guillen coming to the plate, Ross decided to pitch to Guillen, rather than follow the strategy that had worked so well in Game 3. Guillen respond with a two run homer to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead. Jamie Walker and Fernando Rodney close out the game and the Tigers tie the seriesDet 7 Cle 6 w, Zumaya 4-2 l, Poole 0-1 s, Rodney 4
Game 7: Maroth vs. Hershiser. It is Robertson’s turn but he has already been beaten once in this series and also lost to Cleveland during the season. Mike Maroth shut down Cleveland in relief in game 2 and had not been scored on during the season in two long relief appearances. The decision to start Maroth did not look so good one hitter in to the game as Carlos Buerga hit the second pitch into the seats. But then Maroth settled down and redeemed his manager’s decision by not allowing another run through 6 innings. The Tigers get a pair of two run homers from Thames and Monroe and take a 5-1 lead after 7. Zumaya , Walker and Rodney again close out the game. Cleveland gets two runs in the 8th but go out 1-2-3 in the ninth and Tigers go to the World SeriesDet 5 Cle 3 w, Maroth 1-0 l, Hershiser 4-3 s, Rodney 5
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