1998 American League Championship Series
The 1998 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 1998 American League playoffs, was played between the East Division champion New York Yankees and the Central Division champion Cleveland Indians. The Yankees defeated the Indians four games to two and went on to sweep the National League champion San Diego Padres in the 1998 World Series to win their 24th World Series championship. New York, who won 114 games during the regular season, recorded their only two losses of the 1998 postseason in this series. Background. Cleveland advanced to the ALCS by  ousting the Wild Card Boston Red Sox three games to one in the AL Division Series, while New York swept the West Division champion Texas Rangers three games to none. This was the second consecutive year in which the Yankees and Indians met in the postseason. The Indians won the 1997 ALDS over the Yankees in five games. Game summaries. Game 1. Tuesday, October 6, 1998, at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York Cleveland came in as heavy underdogs, but also were the defending American League Champions. In Game 1, the Yankees got off to a good start, by  hitting four straight singles in the bottom of the first to score two runs. A groundout and stolen base then put runners on second and third with two outs before a wild pitch to Shane Spencer scored another run. Spencer walked before Jorge Posada's RBI single made it 4–0 Yankees and knocked starter Jaret Wright out of the game. Chad Ogea came on in relief and allowed an RBI single to Scott Brosius. Posada's leadoff home run in the sixth off of Ogea made it 6–0, then next inning, back-to-back leadoff doubles by Paul O'Neill and  Bernie Williams made it 7–0. Eventual ALCS MVP David Wells cruised through innings. A two-run homer by Manny Ramírez would knock home the only runs of the game for Cleveland in the ninth. Jeff Nelson retired the last two batters of the game. Game 2. Wednesday, October 7, 1998, at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York In Game 2, 20-game winner David Cone went for the Yankees, who looked like they would go to Cleveland up two games in the series. However, David Justice hit a home run in the fourth, putting the Yankees behind for the  first time in the postseason. A Scott Brosius double with two on off of Charles Nagy tied the game in the seventh, but the Yankees would squander the chance to score him. They would also squander many chances in the game to score, as the game moved to extra innings. Jim Thome led off the top of the 12th with a single. Enrique Wilson was then called on to pinch run. Travis Fryman then laid down a sacrifice bunt, and as Jeff Nelson went to throw it to first, he hit Fryman and the ball rolled past Chuck Knoblauch covering . Knoblauch tried to argue the call as the ball continued to roll. Wilson and Fryman continued to run and Wilson would score as the ball was still not dead. An error by Tino Martinez put Fryman at third. The Indians now had the lead back and loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch and walk. Graeme Lloyd relieved Nelson and allowed a two-run single to Kenny Lofton while Mike Jackson shutout the Yankees in the bottom of the inning for the save as the Indians tied the series 1–1. Game 3. Friday, October 9, 1998, at Jacobs Field  in Cleveland, Ohio At Jacobs Field for Game 3, the Yankees were rendered helpless by a barrage of Indian home runs and the dazzling pitching of young flamethrower Bartolo Colón. After the Yankees took the lead in the first when Chuck Knoblauch hit a leadoff single, moved to third on two groundouts and scored on a Bernie Williams RBI-single, the Indians took control of the game. Jim Thome led off the bottom of the second with a home run, then Mark Whiten doubled and scored on an Enrique Wilson single to make it 2–1 Cleveland. In the fifth, Manny  Ramirez homered with two outs, then after a walk, back-to-back home runs by Thome and Whiten made it 6–1 Indians and knock starter Andy Pettitte out of the game. The strong pitching of Colon silenced the Yankees' bats the rest of the way as the New York batters were held hitless from the fifth inning onwards. Colon would finish with a four-hit complete game victory, and the Indians took a 2–1 edge in the best-of-seven series. Game 4. Saturday, October 10, 1998, at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio The Yankees looked to Orlando "El Duque