Schedule and 2009 Results
Regular Season Records: New York Yankees 103-59, L.A. Angels of Anaheim 97-65
Game 1 on Friday, 16 October: L.A. Angels of Anaheim lose to New York Yankees, 4-runs-1
Game 2 on Saturday, 17 October: L.A. Angels of Anaheim lose at New York Yankees, 4-runs-3 (13 innings)
Game 3 on Monday, 19 October: New York Yankees lose at L.A. Angels of Anaheim, 5-runs-4 (11 innings)
Game 4 on Tuesday, 20 October: New York Yankees win at L.A. Angels of Anaheim, 10-runs-1
Game 5 on Thursday, 22 October: New York Yankees lose at L.A. Angels of Anaheim, 7-runs-6
Game 6 on Sunday, 25 October: L.A. Angels of Anaheim lose at New York Yankees, 5-runs-2

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: After a day's delay due to inclement late-October weather in the Bronx, the New York Yankees hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-runs-2 to win MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1086 (the 2009 American League Championship Series) in six games. With the series 1086 win, the New York Yankees improve their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record to 33-13 overall and 7-1 in the Semifinals. With the series 1086 loss, the Angels (irrespective of geographic designator) see their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record fall to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the Semifinals. The win order for the victorious New York Yankees in series 1086 was WWLWLW: Series 1086 thus becomes the first MLB Semifinals series, the second MLB series (all rounds), and the 37th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order to completion. The only other best-of-7 MLB playoff series to follow this win order to completion was series 697, with the Atlanta Braves winning the 1995 MLB Finals. The series 1086 win sets up series 1088, the 2009 MLB Finals, between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. It is an auspicious match-up: The New York Yankees have won more best-of-7 MLB Semifinals series (seven) than any other MLB team, while the Philadelphia Phillies have the most best-of-7 MLB Semifinals series wins (three) without a best-of-7 MLB Semifinals series loss.

After Game 5: In MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1086 Game 5, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took a 4-runs-nil lead in the bottom of the first inning, yielded six runs to the visiting New York Yankees in the top of the seventh to fall behind 6-runs-4, rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 7-runs-6 lead, and held on for a 7-runs-6 Game 5 victory. The Anaheim win reduces the New York series 1086 lead to 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-2, the New York Yankees have a series record of 13-3 and a Game 6 record of 9-7. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-2, the Angels (irrespective of geographic designator) have a 1-0 series record and a 1-0 Game 6 record: The game and series win occurred in series 872, the 2002 MLB Finals against the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees and Angels in Game 5 combined for nine runs in the seventh inning, thereby tying series 1086 Game 5 for the third-most seventh-inning total runs in a best-of-7 format MLB playoff game. In series 624 Game 2 (in the 1992 MLB Semifinals), the host Atlanta Braves and visiting Pittsburgh Pirates combined for nine seventh-inning runs. In series 22 Game 4 (in the 1929 MLB Finals), the host Philadelphia Athletics and visiting Chicago Cubs combined for eleven seventh-inning runs. In series 870 Game 5 (in the 2002 MLB Semifinals), the host Anaheim Angels and visiting Minnesota Twins combined for thirteen seventh-inning runs.

After Game 4: The New York Yankees visited and defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 10-runs-1 to take a 3-games-1 lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1086 in the 2009 MLB Semifinals (the 2009 American League Championship Series). When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-1, the New York Yankees have a 12-1 series record and a 9-4 Game 5 record (the sole series loss occurred in the Yankees' last such series, to the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-1, the Angels (irrespective of geographic designator) have a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 5 record. In the history of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL Semifinals-round series, teams such as the 2009 New York Yankees which post a win order of WWLW through the first four games irrespective of site have a 35-1 series record: The sole loser was the MLB Toronto Blue Jays, in series 456 (the 1985 American League Championship Series) to the Kansas City Royals.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1086 in Anaheim for Games 3-5, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rallied to defeat the New York Yankees 5-runs-4 in 11 innings, thereby cutting the Yankees' series lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-1, the New York Yankees have a series record of 15-6 and a Game 4 record of 11-10. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-1, the Angels (irrespective of geographical designator) have a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 4 record. The host Angels trailed series 1086 Game 3 by three runs after 4.5 innings: In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series from 1905 through 2008, inclusive, home teams trailing by three runs after 4.5 innings had a game record of only 13-46 (.220). Series 1086 Games 2 and 3 have both been extra-inning affairs. The last best-of-7 MLB playoff series to offer consecutive extra-inning games was series 936, in which the Boston Red Sox hosted the New York Yankees in extra-inning Games 4 and 5 in the 2004 American League Championship Series. In best-of-7 MLB playoff series, teams with a win order of WWL through three games irrespective of site (such as the Yankees) are on a ten-series winning streak. The Angels might take solace in the fact that the Yankees led series 106 (the 1955 World Series) and series 396 (the 1981 World Series) through a WWL win order, but lost both series to the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (respectively) -- the cross-town counterparts of the Angels, which hope to assert that Yankee deaths after WWL leads over L.A. (or L.A.-bound) teams come in threes.

After Game 2: In the 843rd best-of-7 format MLB playoff game and the sixth-longest best-of-7 format MLB playoff game by innings played, the New York Yankees capitalized upon a fielder's choice error by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to defeat the Angels in New York, 4-runs-3, in thirteen innings. New York thus takes a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1086. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series, the New York Yankees have a 14-3 series record and a 10-7 Game 3 record when leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-nil, while the Angels (be they the California Angels, Anaheim Angels, or Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim [they never played in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series while they were just the "Los Angeles Angels"]) have lost the first two games of a best-of-7 MLB playoff series for the first time in their multi-named history. Series 1086 Game 2 was the first best-of-7 MLB playoff game to last at least 13 innings since series 956 Game 3, in which the Chicago White Sox defeated the Astros in Houston 7-runs-5 in 14 innings in the 2005 World Series. Series 1086 Game 2 was the first best-of-7 MLB Semifinals game to last at least 13 innings since series 936 Game 5, in which the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in Boston 5-runs-4 in 14 innings in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

After Game 1: Winning their first best-of-7 MLB playoff game in five years, the New York Yankees hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4-runs-1, thereby taking a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1086. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the New York Yankees have a 22-6 series record and a 17-11 Game 2 record with an active six-Game 2 winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the Angels (irrespective of their geographic designator) have a 2-0 series record and a 2-0 Game 2 record; both wins occurred in 2002, when the team was known as the Anaheim Angels.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2009 regular season, New York finished six games ahead of Los Angeles. From 1905 through the 2008 MLB Finals, when MLB teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by six regular-season games, they have posted a 6-3 (.667) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1086 is the second best-of-7 playoff series for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (under that name, and the fifth overall as the Angels [irrespective of geographic designator]), and the 46th for the New York Yankees. In best-of-7 playoff series, the Angels have a 2-2 series record, a 1-2 Semifinals-round series record, and a 2-2 Game 1 record, while the New York Yankees have a 32-13 series record, a 6-1 Semifinals-round record, and a 28-17 Game 1 record. Series 1086 is the first best-of-7 meeting between the Angels and the New York Yankees.