The 2001 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2001 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 9, and ended on Sunday, October 14, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:
- (1) Houston Astros (Central Division champion, 93–69) vs. (3) Atlanta Braves (Eastern Division champion, 88–74): Braves win series, 3–0.
- (2) Arizona Diamondbacks (Western Division champion, 92–70) vs. (4) St. Louis Cardinals (Wild Card, 93–69): Diamondbacks win series, 3–2.
The higher seed (in parentheses) had the home field advantage (Games 1, 2 and 5 at home), which was determined by playing record. Houston and St. Louis tied for the Central Division title, but Houston was awarded the division winner's playoff-seeding over St. Louis due to their 9–7 advantage in head-to-head play. Officially the two clubs were co-champions. Although the team with the best record was normally intended to play the wild card team, the Astros played the Braves, rather than the wild card Cardinals, because the Astros and Cardinals are in the same division.
The Diamondbacks and Braves went on to meet in the NL Championship Series (NLCS). The Diamondbacks became the National League champion, and defeated the American League champion New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series.
Read more about 2001 National League Division Series: Houston Vs. Atlanta, Arizona Vs. St. Louis
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