1998 Major League Baseball postseason

1998 Major League Baseball playoffs July 2022 Major League Baseball postseason 1998 September 29 – October 21, 19981998 Major Leagues Schedule https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1998-schedule.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 11 July 2022 8 New York Yankees(24th title) San Diego Padres Jim Thome (CLE) 6 Omar Vizquel (CLE) 4 Kevin Brown (SD) 46 Scott Brosius (NYY) 1997 1999 The 1998 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 1998 season. The winners of the League Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. This was the first postseason in which teams were seeded by their respective win–loss records within their respective leagues.Castrovince Anthony October 4, 2022 Complete history of baseball’s postseason formats https://www.mlb.com/news/baseball-postseason-format-changes 2023-11-11 MLB.com enArchives L. A. Times 1998-03-20 Change in Playoff Format Becomes a Matter of Record https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-20-sp-31009-story.html 2023-11-11 Los Angeles Times en-US In the American League, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians returned to the postseason for the fourth year in a row, the Boston Red Sox returned to the postseason for the fifth time in thirteen years, and the Texas Rangers returned to the postseason for the second time in three years. In the National League, the Atlanta Braves made their seventh straight postseason appearance, the Chicago Cubs returned to the postseason for the first time since 1989, the San Diego Padres were making their second appearance in the past three years, and the Houston Astros returned for the second year in a row, marking the first time that both Texas MLB teams made the postseason. This was the first edition of the postseason since 1977 to feature three 100-win teams. This was also the first postseason to feature both the Cubs and Red Sox since the 1918 World Series. The postseason began on September 29, 1998, and ended on October 21, 1998, with the 114-win New York Yankees sweeping the San Diego Padres in the 1998 World Series. It was the Yankees' 24th championship in franchise history, tying the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens for the most championship wins in North American sports.https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/sports/baseball/102999bba-yanks-titles.html Lapointe Joe In Another Sport in Another Country, a Similar Success The New York Times October 29, 1999 June 4, 2026 Teams This was the first postseason in which teams were seeded by their respective win–loss record within their respective leagues. Division Champions were seeded 1–3. Wild Cards were automatically seeded 4 (regardless of having a better record than a Division Champion). The team with the better regular season record in the first two rounds had home-field advantage, with the wild card never having home-field until the World Series. The Division Series pitted the No. 1 seeded Division Champion against the No. 4 seeded Wild Card, while the No. 2 seeded faced the No. 3 seeded Division Champion. If the No. 1 seeded Division Champion and the Wild Card were in the same division, the No. 1 seeded Division Champion would instead face the No. 3 seeded Division Champion while the No. 2 seeded Division Champion would face the No. 4 seeded Wild Card. Home-field advantage in the World Series was still based on yearly rotation at this time (until that changed in 2003, and again in 2017). This was also the first season in which the Division Series was conducted under a 2–2–1 format. The higher seed hosted Games 1–2, and 5 (if necessary). The lower seeded team hosted Games 3 and 4 (Game 4, if necessary). Previously, the team with home-field advantage in all best-of-5 postseason series (LCS from 1969–1984, LDS from 1981, 1995–1997) were conducted in a 2–3 format where the team with home-field advantage opened on the road for the first two games, while hosting the final three games (if Games 4 & 5 are necessary). right 10px American League Teams 10px National League Teams 480 430 260 30 10 USA 450 USA 40.83 -73.93 Red pog.svg 80 bottom Yankees USA 41.50 -81.69 Red pog.svg 80 bottom Indians USA 32.75 -97.08 Red pog.svg 80 bottom Rangers USA 42.35 -71.10 Red pog.svg 80 left Red Sox USA 33.74 -84.39 Blue pog.svg 80 bottom Braves USA 29.69 -95.41 Blue pog.svg 80 bottom Astros USA 32.78 -117.12 Blue pog.svg 80 bottom Padres USA 41.95 -87.66 Blue pog.svg 80 left Cubs The following teams qualified for the postseason: American League New York Yankees – 114–48, AL East champions1998 New York Yankees Statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 Cleveland Indians – 89–73, AL Central champions1998 Cleveland Indians Statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 Texas Rangers – 88–74, AL West champions1998 Texas Rangers Statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TEX/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 Boston Red Sox – 92–701998 Boston Red Sox Statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 National League Atlanta Braves – 106–56, NL East champions1998 Atlanta Braves Statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 Houston Astros – 102–60, NL Central champions1998 Houston Astros Statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 San Diego Padres – 98–64, NL West champions1998 San Diego Padres Statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SDP/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 Chicago Cubs – 90–731998 Chicago Cubs statistics https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1998.shtml Baseball-Reference.com 12 July 2022 Playoff bracket y Division Series(ALDS, NLDS) League Championship Series(ALCS, NLCS) World Series American League National League 30 160 1 NY Yankees 3 Texas 3 0 2 Cleveland 4 Boston 3 1 1 Atlanta 4 Chicago Cubs 3 0 2 Houston 3 San Diego 1 3 1 NY Yankees 2 Cleveland 4 2 1 Atlanta 3 San Diego 2 4 AL1 NY Yankees NL3 San Diego 4 0 American League Division Series 1998 American League Division Series (1) New York Yankees vs. (3) Texas Rangers New York 3–0 Texas Rangers – 0, New York Yankees – 2 September 29 Yankee Stadium (I) 3:02 57,362 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09290NYA1998.htm 1998 ALDS - Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees - Game 1 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Texas Rangers – 1, New York Yankees – 3 September 30 Yankee Stadium (I) 2:58 57,360 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09300NYA1998.htm 1998 ALDS - Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees - Game 2 12 July 2022 Retrosheet New York Yankees – 4, Texas Rangers – 0 October 2 The Ballpark in Arlington 2:58 49,450 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10020TEX1998.htm 1998 ALDS - New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers - Game 3 12 July 2022 Retrosheet This was the second postseason meeting between the Yankees and Rangers. They last met in the ALDS two years ago, which the Yankees won in four games. The Yankees swept the Rangers to return to the ALCS for the second time in three years. This series was not close - the Yankees held the Rangers to only one run scored throughout the entire series. David Wells and Mariano Rivera silenced the Rangers’ offense in a Game 1 shutout. Andy Pettitte and Rivera would clamp down on the Rangers again as they won Game 2 by a 3–1 score, with the Rangers’ only run coming from Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez’s RBI single. David Cone and the Yankees’ bullpen silenced the Rangers’ offense in yet another shutout win in Arlington in Game 3. The Yankees and Rangers would meet again the next year, which also ended in a Yankees sweep. It would be in 2010 that the Rangers would finally break through against the Yankees before falling in the World Series. (2) Cleveland Indians vs. (4) Boston Red Sox Cleveland 3–1 Boston Red Sox – 11, Cleveland Indians – 3 September 29 Jacobs Field 3:16 45,185 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09290CLE1998.htm 1998 ALDS - Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians - Game 1 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Boston Red Sox – 5, Cleveland Indians – 9 September 30 Jacobs Field 3:25 45,229 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09300CLE1998.htm 1998 ALDS - Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians - Game 2 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Cleveland Indians – 4, Boston Red Sox – 3 October 2 Fenway Park 2:27 33,114 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10020BOS1998.htm 1998 ALDS - Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox - Game 3 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Cleveland Indians – 2, Boston Red Sox – 1 October 3 Fenway Park 3:00 33,537 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10030BOS1998.htm 1998 ALDS - Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox - Game 4 12 July 2022 Retrosheet This was the second postseason meeting between the Red Sox and Indians. They last met in the ALDS in 1995, which was won by the Indians before they fell in the World Series that year. The Indians once again defeated the Red Sox to return to the ALCS for the third time in four years. The Red Sox blew out the Indians in Game 1 thanks to a pair of three-run home runs from Nomar Garciaparra and Mo Vaughn, which ended a 10-game playoff losing streak dating back to the 1986 World Series. Game 2 was an offensive showdown that was won by the Indians, capped off by a three-run home run from David Justice, which evened the series headed to Boston. In Game 3, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, and Manny Ramirez all homered for the Indians as they won by one run to take the series lead. In Game 4, the Red Sox took an early lead thanks to another home run from Garciaparra, but the Indians rallied to win in the eighth thanks to an RBI double from Justice. Both teams would meet again in the ALDS the next year, the ALCS in 2007, and the ALDS again in 2016, with the Red Sox winning the former two, and the Indians winning the latter. National League Division Series 1998 National League Division Series (1) Atlanta Braves vs. (4) Chicago Cubs Atlanta 3–0 Chicago Cubs – 1, Atlanta Braves – 7 September 30 Turner Field 2:34 45,598 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09300ATL1998.htm 1998 NLDS - Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves - Game 1 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Chicago Cubs – 1, Atlanta Braves – 2 (10) October 1 Turner Field 2:47 51,713 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10010ATL1998.htm 1998 NLDS - Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves - Game 2 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Atlanta Braves – 6, Chicago Cubs – 2 October 3 Wrigley Field 2:57 39,597 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10030CHN1998.htm 1998 NLDS - Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs - Game 3 12 July 2022 Retrosheet This was the first postseason meeting between the Braves and Cubs. The Braves swept the Cubs to advance to the NLCS for a record seventh year in a row. John Smoltz pitched seven shutout innings as the Braves blew out the Cubs in Game 1. In Game 2, the only extra inning contest of the series, the Braves prevailed off an RBI single from Chipper Jones in the bottom of the tenth to take a 2–0 series lead headed to Wrigley Field. In Game 3, the Braves took an early 1-0 lead, and then sealed their victory in the top of the eighth thanks to a grand slam by Eddie Pérez. Both teams would meet again in the postseason in the NLDS in 2003, where the Cubs returned the favor to win their first postseason series since 1908. (2) Houston Astros vs. (3) San Diego Padres San Diego 3–1 San Diego Padres – 2, Houston Astros – 1 September 29 Astrodome 2:38 50,080 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09290HOU1998.htm 1998 NLDS - San Diego Padres vs. Houston Astros - Game 1 12 July 2022 Retrosheet San Diego Padres – 4, Houston Astros – 5 October 1 Astrodome 2:53 45,550 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10010HOU1998.htm 1998 NLDS - San Diego Padres vs. Houston Astros - Game 2 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Houston Astros – 1, San Diego Padres – 2 October 3 Qualcomm Stadium 2:32 65,235 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10030SDN1998.htm 1998 NLDS - Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres - Game 3 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Houston Astros – 1, San Diego Padres – 6 October 4 Qualcomm Stadium 2:39 64,898 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10040SDN1998.htm 1998 NLDS - Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres - Game 4 12 July 2022 Retrosheet The Padres upset the team with the MLB's best offense in the Astros in four games to advance to the NLCS for the first time since 1984. The Padres took Game 1 on the road as Kevin Brown out-dueled Astros' ace Randy Johnson on the mound, winning their first road playoff game in franchise history. Shane Reynolds pitched seven solid innings as the Astros evened the series in Game 2. When the series moved to San Diego for Game 3, the Padres' Jim Leyritz hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win. In Game 4, the Padres closed out the series as Sterling Hitchcock out-dueled Johnson on the mound, handing him his second loss. This was the last time the Padres won an NLDS series until 2022. American League Championship Series 1998 American League Championship Series (1) New York Yankees vs. (2) Cleveland Indians New York 4–2 Cleveland Indians – 2, New York Yankees – 7 October 6 Yankee Stadium (I) 3:31 57,138 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10060NYA1998.htm 1998 ALCS Game 1 - Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Cleveland Indians – 4, New York Yankees – 1 (12) October 7 Yankee Stadium (I) 4:28 57,128 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10070NYA1998.htm 1998 ALCS Game 2 - Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees 12 July 2022 Retrosheet New York Yankees – 1, Cleveland Indians – 6 October 9 Jacobs Field 2:53 44,904 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10090CLE1998.htm 1998 ALCS Game 3 - New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 12 July 2022 Retrosheet New York Yankees – 4, Cleveland Indians – 0 October 10 Jacobs Field 3:31 44,981 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10100CLE1998.htm 1998 ALCS Game 4 - New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 12 July 2022 Retrosheet New York Yankees – 5, Cleveland Indians – 3 October 11 Jacobs Field 3:33 44,966 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10110CLE1998.htm 1998 ALCS Game 5 - New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Cleveland Indians – 5, New York Yankees – 9 October 13 Yankee Stadium (I) 3:31 57,142 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10130NYA1998.htm 1998 ALCS Game 6 - Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees 12 July 2022 Retrosheet This was the second postseason meeting between the Indians and Yankees. The Yankees defeated the defending American League champion Indians in six games to return to the World Series for the second time in three years. David Wells pitched eight solid innings as the Yankees took Game 1. Game 2 was a long and grueling contest which was won by the Indians as Kenny Lofton had a two-run RBI single in the top of the twelfth which put them in the lead for good, evening the series headed to Cleveland. Bartolo Colón pitched a complete game as the Indians won Game 3 to take a surprising series lead over the 114-win Yankees. Orlando "El Duque" Hernández pitched seven innings of shutout ball in Game 4 as the Yankees shut out the Indians to even the series. Wells pitched seven innings in a 5–3 Yankees win in Game 5 to take a 3–2 series lead headed back to the Bronx. In Game 6, the Yankees jumped out to a big lead early and held it to clinch the pennant. The Indians would return to the ALCS in 2007, but they fell to the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox in seven games after leading 3–1 in the series. They would eventually win the pennant again in 2016 over the Toronto Blue Jays in five games before coming up short in the World Series. This was the first of four straight pennants won by the Yankees. They would win the pennant again the next year, defeating their archrival in the aforementioned Red Sox in five games. They would also win it again in 2000 and 2001 over the Seattle Mariners in six and five games respectively. Both teams would meet again in the ALDS in 2007 and 2017, the Wild Card round in 2020, the ALDS again in 2022, and the ALCS again in 2024, with the Indians/Guardians winning the former and the Yankees winning the latter four. National League Championship Series 1998 National League Championship Series (1) Atlanta Braves vs. (3) San Diego Padres San Diego 4–2 San Diego Padres – 3, Atlanta Braves – 2 (10) October 7 Turner Field 3:27 42,117 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10070ATL1998.htm 1998 NLCS Game 1 - San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves 12 July 2022 Retrosheet San Diego Padres – 3, Atlanta Braves – 0 October 8 Turner Field 2:54 43,083 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10080ATL1998.htm 1998 NLCS Game 2 - San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Atlanta Braves – 1, San Diego Padres – 4 October 10 Qualcomm Stadium 3:00 62,799 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10100SDN1998.htm 1998 NLCS Game 3 - Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Atlanta Braves – 8, San Diego Padres – 3 October 11 Qualcomm Stadium 2:58 65,042 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10110SDN1998.htm 1998 NLCS Game 4 - Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres 12 July 2022 Retrosheet Atlanta Braves – 7, San Diego Padres – 6 October 12 Qualcomm Stadium 3:17 58,988 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10120SDN1998.htm 1998 NLCS Game 5 - Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres 12 July 2022 Retrosheet San Diego Padres – 5, Atlanta Braves – 0 October 14 Turner Field 3:10 50,988 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10140ATL1998.htm 1998 NLCS Game 6 - San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves 12 July 2022 Retrosheet This was the first postseason meeting between the Padres and Braves. The Padres upset the NL-best Braves in six games to return to the World Series for the first time since 1984. Game 1 was a long and grueling battle that was won by the Padres thanks to a go-ahead home run by Ken Caminiti in the top of the tenth. Kevin Brown pitched a three-hit complete game shutout in Game 2 as the Padres won 3-0 to take a 2-0 series lead headed home to San Diego. Sterling Hitchcock pitched five solid innings as the Padres took a commanding three games to none series lead, and were now one win away from the pennant. However, things didn’t go the Padres’ way just yet. Javy López and Andrés Galarraga helped bring the Braves’ offense back to as they blew out the Padres in Game 4 to get on the board in the series. Game 5 was an offensive shootout between both teams that was won by the Braves, as Greg Maddux earned a save, preventing the Padres from clinching the pennant in front of their home fans as the series went back to Atlanta. However, the Padres would close out the series in Game 6, as Hitchcock and the Padres’ bullpen silenced the Braves’ offense to clinch the pennant. As of , this is the last time that the Padres won the NL pennant. The Padres would eventually return to the NLCS in 2022, but were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. Until 2020, this was the last playoff series win by the Padres. The Braves would return to the NLCS again next year, and defeated the New York Mets in six games before they ultimately fell in the World Series. Both teams would meet again in the Wild Card round in 2024, which was won by the Padres in a sweep. 1998 World Series 1998 World Series (AL1) New York Yankees vs. (NL3) San Diego Padres New York 4–0 San Diego Padres – 6, New York Yankees – 9 October 17 Yankee Stadium 3:29 56,712 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10170NYA1998.htm 1998 World Series Game 1 - San Diego Padres vs. New York Yankees 12 July 2022 Retrosheet San Diego Padres – 3, New York Yankees – 9 October 18 Yankee Stadium 3:31 56,692 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10180NYA1998.htm 1998 World Series Game 2 - San Diego Padres vs. New York Yankees 12 July 2022 Retrosheet New York Yankees – 5, San Diego Padres – 4 October 20 Qualcomm Stadium 3:14 64,667 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10200SDN1998.htm 1998 World Series Game 3 - New York Yankees vs. San Diego Padres 12 July 2022 Retrosheet New York Yankees – 3, San Diego Padres – 0 October 21 Qualcomm Stadium 2:58 65,427 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10210SDN1998.htm 1998 World Series Game 4 - New York Yankees vs. San Diego Padres 12 July 2022 Retrosheet This was the seventh New York–California matchup in the World Series (1962, 1963, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981).https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-yankees-legends-discuss-classic-world-series-matchups Murti Sweeny Yanks, Dodgers legends dish on historic 1977, '78, '81 World Series showdowns MLB.com October 24, 2024 September 10, 2025https://www.mlb.com/news/1962-world-series-recap 1962 World Series recap MLB.com September 27, 2022 September 10, 2025https://www.mlb.com/news/1973-world-series-recap 1973 World Series recap MLB.com September 28, 2022 September 10, 2025 The Yankees handily swept the Padres to win their second title in three years. Game 1 was an offensive slugfest that was won by the Yankees. In Game 2, Orlando Hernández pitched seven solid innings as the Yankees blew out the Padres to take a 2-0 series lead headed to San Diego. In Game 3, the Padres lead after seven innings, but their lead was erased thanks to two homers from Scott Brosius as the Yankees came from behind to take a commanding three games to none series lead. Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera helped the Yankees shut out the Padres in Game 4 to complete the sweep and clinch the title. Game 4 was the last postseason game ever played at Qualcomm Stadium, and the most recent World Series game played in San Diego to date. Game 4 was also Tony Gwynn’s final postseason game. With the win, the Yankees improved their World Series record against the California-based teams to 4-2, having previously won in 1962, 1977, and 1978. The Yankees tied the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens for the most championships in North American sports with their 24th championship, and would surpass the Canadiens the next year to become the team with the most championships, as they swept the Atlanta Braves to repeat as champions. The Yankees would then complete a three-peat in 2000 over their cross-town rivals in the New York Mets in five games. As of , this is the last championship series of the four major North American sports leagues to feature a team from San Diego. Broadcasting This was the third season under a five-year U.S. rights agreement with ESPN, Fox, and NBC. Division Series games aired across the three networks. NBC then televised the American League Championship Series, while Fox aired both the National League Championship Series and the World Series. References External links League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings - 1998 collapsed Category:Major League Baseball postseason