This was the first World Series since the 1995 inception of the wild card in MLB (and the last until ) in which both wild card teams would vie for the title. The Angels finished the regular season in second place in the AL West division. They defeated the four-time defending AL champion New York Yankees, three games to one, in the best-of-five AL Division Series, and in doing so won their first postseason series in franchise history. They then defeated the Minnesota Twins, four games to one, in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series to advance to the World Series, another first in franchise history. The Giants finished the regular season in second place in the NL West division. They defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NL Division Series and the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Championship Series to advance to the World Series, giving the team their 20th NL pennant and 17th appearance in the Fall Classic but only their third since moving from New York City to San Francisco in 1958.