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We have completed our 4th major section for Baseball-Almanac: The History of the American and National League Divisional Series. Recaps from 1981, 1995-present with complete statistics are online at Baseball-Almanac.com's Division Series section. The draft copy is also available here under Postseason. MLB Postseason History: The Divisional Series by Michael Aubrecht Written for Baseball-Almanac.com's Divisional Series section Sources: Baseball Almanac, Baseball Reference, The Baseball-Library, USA Today Sports, Official MLB Team Sites Introduction October belongs to Major League Baseball. Why? Because that is when the postseason begins for the top teams that make the playoffs. Until 1969, when there were no divisions, the team finishing with the best record in each league won that league's pennant and faced the other league's pennant winner in the Fall Classic. In 1969, however, the sport experienced a major shift in its post-season process after both the American and National Leagues were reorganized into two divisions, the East and West. As a result, the winners in each division were now required to play each other in a best-of-five Championship Series to determine who would advance to represent their respective leagues in the coveted World Series. In 1985, the format was changed to a best-of-seven contest where it has remained to this day. In 1993, baseball added a third division, the Central, to accommodate the introduction of expansion teams and realignment. Two years later, the Divisional Series premiered adding another elimination round to the playoffs. With so much on the line, it's no wonder that both the LDS and LCS have given birth to some of the most memorable moments ever to take place on a baseball diamond. American League Divisional Series: 1981: New York Yankees (3), Milwaukee Brewers (2) Oakland Athletics (3), Kansas City Royals (0) 1995: Seattle Mariners (3), New York Yankees (2) Cleveland Indians (3), Boston Red Sox (0) 1996: New York Yankees (3), Texas Rangers (1) Baltimore Orioles (3), Cleveland Indians (1) 1997: Cleveland Indians (3), New York Yankees (2) Baltimore Orioles (3), Seattle Mariners (1) 1998: Cleveland Indians (3), Boston Red Sox (1) New York Yankees (3), Texas Rangers (0) 1999: New York Yankees (3), Texas Rangers (0) Boston Red Sox (3), Cleveland Indians (2) 2000: New York Yankees (3), Oakland Athletics (2) Seattle Mariners (3), Chicago White Sox (0) 2001: New York Yankees (3), Oakland Athletics (2) Seattle Mariners (3), Cleveland Indians (2) 2002: Anaheim Angels (3), New York Yankees (1) Minnesota Twins (3), Oakland Athletics (2) 2003: New York Yankees (3), Minnesota Twins (1) Boston Red Sox (3), Oakland Athletics (2) (more to come)  National League Divisional Series: 1981: Los Angeles Dodgers (3), Houston Astros (2) Montreal Expos (3), Philadelphia Phillies (2) 1995: Atlanta Braves (3), Colorado Rockies (1) Cincinnati Reds (3), Los Angeles Dodgers (0) 1996: Atlanta Braves (3), Los Angeles Dodgers (0) St. Louis Cardinals (3), San Diego Padres (0) 1997: Atlanta Braves (3), Houston Astros (0) Florida Marlins (3), San Francisco Giants (0) 1998: Atlanta Braves (3), Chicago Cubs (0) San Diego Padres (3), Houston Astros (1) 1999: Atlanta Braves (3), Houston Astros (1) New York Mets (3), Arizona Diamondbacks (1) 2000: St. Louis Cardinals (3), Atlanta Braves (0) New York Mets (3), San Francisco Giants (1) 2001: Arizona Diamondbacks (3), St. Louis Cardinals (2) Atlanta Braves (3), Houston Astros (0) 2002: San Francisco Giants (3), Atlanta Braves (2) St. Louis Cardinals (3), Arizona Diamondbacks (0) 2003: Florida Marlins (3), San Francisco Giants (1) Chicago Cubs (3), Atlanta Braves (1) (more to come)  Email questions-comments-corrections Copyright © 2002-2003-2004 Pinstripe Press. All Rights Reserved. All essays researched and written by Michael Aubrecht. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the New York Yankees.