2001 Major League Baseball season


The 2001 Major League Baseball season finished with the Arizona Diamondbacks defeating the New York Yankees in seven games for the World Series championship. The September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. pushed the end of the regular season from September 30 to October 7. Because of the attacks, the World Series was not completed until November 4. The 2001 World Series was the first World Series to end in November.
MLB used an unbalanced schedule for the first time since 1992 in the National League and 1978 in the American League. In all divisions except the NL Central and AL West each team played each of the other four teams in the same division 19 times. In the NL Central division foes met 16 or 17 times per season and in the AL West there were 19 or 20 games between each division foe.
This season was memorable for the Seattle Mariners tying the Major League regular season record of 116 wins, Barry Bonds breaking Mark McGwire's single-season home run record, and baseball's patriotic return after a week's worth of games being postponed due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Postseason

Bracket



Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.

MLB statistical leaders

1 All-time single-season home runs record

Managers

National League">National League (baseball)">National League

±hosted the MLB All Star Game

Awards

Other awards

Television coverage

This was the first season that national television coverage was split between ESPN and Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected weeknight and Sunday night games, and selected Division Series playoff games. Fox televised Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games, both League Championship Series, and the World Series. Sister network FX also aired Saturday primetime games. Thursday night games moved from Fox Sports Net to Fox Family. Fox Family also aired selected Division Series games. This was the last season that Fox Sports broadcast regular season games on either Fox Family or FX.