What Does ALCS Stand For in Baseball?

The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is the annual playoff series of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the American League (AL) pennant.

American League Championship Series

The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a postseason tournament that determines the winner of the American League (AL) pennant. The ALCS is played between the division winners of the AL, and the winner advances to play the winner of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) in the World Series.

Description

In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series (ALCS) determines who will represent the American League in the World Series. The ALCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five series and expanded to a best-of-seven format in 1985.

The American League Champion is decided through a best-of-seven playoff. The team that wins four games advances to the World Series, while the losing team is eliminated from postseason contention.

In the event that both teams have identical records, a tiebreaker game or games are played to determine which team will advance to the ALCS.

History

The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff played each October to determine the champion of the American League (AL). The winner of the ALCS advances to play the winner of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) in the World Series, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) pinnacle event.

first held in 1969, when the AL was formed as a result of the 1967 MLB Expansion. The ALCS has been played every year since 1985, when divisional play began. Before that, divisional winners met in a best-of-five series to determine who would advance to play in the ALCS.

The Boston Red Sox have won the most ALCS titles, with 13; they have also won three World Series titles during that time. The New York Yankees have won 11 ALCS titles and gone on to win seven World Series titles. No other team has won more than five ALCS titles.

League Championship Series

The American League Championship Series is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series in Major League Baseball. The ALCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to its current best-of-seven format.

Description

In Major League Baseball, the League Championship Series (LCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of the two round playoffs that precede the World Series. Each year, the LCS features two teams from each of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) two leagues—the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), with one team from each league playing in what is known as the “Bronze Age” baseball playoff system.

In baseball, the term “League Championship Series” is typically used to refer to the American League Championship Series and the National League Championship Series, which have been held annually since 1969. However, prior to 1969, MLB held a different playoff system to determine its pennant winners. In this system, known as the “Pre-World Series Era”, three AL teams and two NL teams played in a best-of-nine playoff series to determine their respective league’s champion. Consequently, before 1969, MLB’s championship series were referred to as the “World’s Series”, rather than the “League Championship Series”.

From 1884 to 1890, MLB conducted a split-season schedule in which each team would play approximately one-half of its games before an All-Star break in early July. The two halves of each season were known as the “first half” and the “second half”, with each team’s record in each half determining its position in the standings at the end of that half. The first half winner would play the second half winner in a best-of-seven playoff series to determine each league’s champion. In 1892, this playoff was expanded to a best-of-nine format and became known as the “Temple Cup” series; it was named after its sponsor, coffee magnate Henry Denny Trevor Temple. The Temple Cup lasted only four seasons (1894 was not played due to labor unrest), but after its demise another best-of-seven postseason playoff series—the Dreyfus Cup—was organized for 1898; it too was short lived as it only lasted for that single season.

History

The League Championship Series (LCS) is a best-of-seven playoff pitting the two winners of the American League and National League Division Series.

The AL winner plays the NL winner in the World Series.

The League Championship Series began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff. It expanded to a best-of-seven format in 1985.

The LCS has been played every year since 1969, with the exception of 1994, when a players’ strike halted the MLB season.