2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Press conference
It was all-out attack for a couple of months on my character. I know what I've done, I know what I've coached, I know what I am as a person. And that's the situation. So I'm not going to let somebody sit in a room and fill their pages tomorrow on the back of what we done today when they in their wisdom degraded me as a person and some of my players.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Awards
The official GAA man of the match was unveiled on RTÉ's The Sunday Game programme on the evening of the match. The winner was picked by a three-man panel of Martin McHugh, Kevin McStay and Ciarán Whelan with the award being presented to team captain Michael Murphy at the team reception in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin. Also on the shortlist were Eamon McGee and Frank McGlynn.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Awards
Eight Donegal players were named on The Sunday Game Team of the Year—Paul Durcan, Neil McGee, Frank McGlynn, Karl Lacey, Mark McHugh, Neil Gallagher, Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy. Karl Lacey was given The Sunday Game Player of the Year Award.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Awards
Michael Murphy was named September's GAA/GPA All-Stars Player of the Month.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Awards
On 2 October 2012, twelve Donegal players were shortlisted for All Star Awards—compared to ten for Mayo, seven for Cork, six for Dublin and just one (Colm Cooper) for Kerry. Nomination for Footballer of the Year were from Donegal only—Karl Lacey, Colm McFadden and Frank McGlynn—, while Paddy McBrearty was nominated for Young Footballer of the Year, against Donal Keogan of Meath and Cillian O'Connor of Mayo.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Awards
In December 2012, Donegal were given the RTÉ Team of the Year Award.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Political response
Following Donegal's victory, the Donegal flag was raised above the Mansion House in Dublin as politicians stood by and gazed upon the scene.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Political response
A civic reception for the team by Donegal County Council was planned for November.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Political response
Scotland issued the following statement, "The Parliament congratulates County Donegal on winning the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, defeating what it considers was an impressive County Mayo team by 2–11 to 0–13 in front of a crowd of 82,000 at Croke Park in Dublin; congratulates coach Jim McGuinness and staff on ending a 20-year wait to take the Sam Maguire trophy back to the county, and notes that Jimmy is indeed "winning matches and bringing Sam back to Donegal again." A large number of curious Scottish parliamentarians signed a motion asking if they might be given the chance to catch a glimpse of the Sam Maguire Cup at the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly in March 2013.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Homecoming
The homecoming events lasted throughout the following week, as the team embarked on a "World Tour of Donegal", that consisted of 40 different stops. The team's arrival into Donegal on 24 September 2012 was broadcast .


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Homecoming
The team visited sick children at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin the morning after their victory, before heading for their homecoming at the Diamond, Donegal. In Donegal, Daniel O'Donnell and his sister Margo were among the diddly-eye entertainment on offer, former Eurovision Song Contestant Mickey Joe Harte was also there, while Rory Gallagher—formerly of The Revs—was on hand to sing Donegal's Championship anthem, his own composition "Jimmy's Winning Matches". Gardaí shut down the town from the late afternoon as huge crowds flooded in from elsewhere. Four Masters, the local GAA club, organised the homecoming.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Homecoming
Jim McGuinness and Michael Murphy crossed the Border from Kesh into Pettigo at exactly 8 p.m. with thousands of people watching on, including children given the day off school. The Donegal team arrived into The Diamond late on a wet and miserable evening where they met with a rousing reception from as many as 20,000 people. McGuinness duetted with Daniel O'Donnell on "Destination Donegal" and star player Mark McHugh sang when he joined in on "Jimmy's Winning Matches".


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Homecoming
On 25 September 2012, the victorious Donegal team were scheduled to visit Letterkenny, Donegal's largest town, and nearby Glenswilly, the home club of All-Ireland-winning captain Michael Murphy—however, the Glenswilly visit was postponed due to time constraints which arose due to the huge crowds eager to catch a glimpse of the team. They also did Bundoran, Ballyshannon, Mountcharles, Killybegs, Kilcar, Carrick, Ardara and Ballybofey on the same day. Originally due to arrive in Letterkenny around 8 p.m., they hadn't even reached Ardara at 9 p.m. after being overwhelmed by thousands of fans throughout the county.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Homecoming
Such was the delay that the Donegal County Board had to dismiss rumours that the Letterkenny homecoming had been cancelled, and said it would go ahead "probably around midnight". In the end it was nearly 1 a.m. when the team arrived into Letterkenny. Mayor Dessie Larkin used his own version of the famous alcoholic slogan, saying on stage: "Carlsberg don't do All-Irelands, but McGuinness does." Rory Gallagher finished the night with a rousing rendition of "Jimmy's Winning Matches". The players looked like they were going to fall asleep after their exhausting day.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Homecoming
On 26 September, the "World Tour of Donegal" continued. Rory Kavanagh and Kevin Rafferty visited their former school, Scoil Colmcille, Letterkenny, accompanied by the Sam Maguire Cup, as well as Colm McFadden and Frank McGlynn. Then it was to Termon, and to the home club of goalkeeper Michael Boyle and his close friend Andrew Duffy, who drowned in Dublin after the semi-final against Cork. Andrew Duffy was remembered by those present. Also scheduled for visits on 26 September were Downings, Naomh Micheal in Creeslough (home club of top-scorer Colm McFadden), Falcarragh, Gaoth Dobhair (home club of the McGee brothers), Naomh Mhuire in Muladuff, Dungloe, Na Rossa and Glenties (home of manager Jim McGuinness).


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Homecoming
On 27 September, the "World Tour of Donegal" concluded with stops at Carndonagh, Malin, Urris, Buncrana, and, eventually, the postponed visit to Glenswilly—the home club of All-Ireland-winning captain Michael Murphy.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Tubridy interview
On 28 September 2012, manager and team appeared on The Late Late Show, the world's longest running chat show, hosted by Ryan Tubridy. The "interview" was criticised by many—its shortness was contrasted with the full sit-down interview Tubridy conducted with Dublin the previous year—, with UTV broadcaster Adrian Logan calling it a "disgrace".


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Post-homecoming
Jim McGuinness vowed that the Sam Maguire Cup would be taken to every school in the county.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Post-homecoming
Sam was at a world record attempt at O'Donnell Park on 29 September. Then there were Donegal Senior Football Championship games to attend to the next day.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Post-homecoming
The Donegal senior inter-county football team did not play again until 3 November, when they took on Ulster in the Match for Michaela.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Post-homecoming
The winning team later received their medals at a function in the Mount Errigal Hotel.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Post-homecoming
RTÉ aired the documentary Jimmy's Winnin' Matches on Thursday, 3 January 2013 at 9.35 pm, concerning Donegal's Championship success.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Post-homecoming
Mayor Cllr. Frank McBrearty Jnr and members of Donegal County Council honoured the Donegal Team and Management with a civic reception in the County House Lifford in February 2013.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Post-homecoming
TG4 showed the match in full on Easter Sunday 2020.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 125th staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The draw for the 2012 fixtures took place on 6 October 2011. The championship began on 19 May 2012 and ended on 30 September 2012.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Kilkenny were the defending champions and successfully retained their title following a 3–22 to 3–11 victory over Galway in a replay of the final.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Teams
A total of fourteen teams contested the championship, including all of the teams from the 2011 championship. There were no new teams entering the championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Teams
Laois and Westmeath were the first teams to exit the 2011 championship, however, there was no relegation play-off. Both teams contested the 2012 championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Teams
Kerry, the winners of the 2011 Christy Ring Cup, declined their automatic right to promotion to the championship. They instead contested the Christy Ring Cup once again.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 2012 will be run on a provincial basis as usual. It will be a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random in the respective provinces – there will be no seeds.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Each match will be played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there will be a replay. If that match ends in a draw a period of extra time will be played, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time another replay will take place.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Preliminary Round: (2 matches) These will be two matches between four of the 'weaker' teams from the province. The two winning teams will advance to the quarter-finals while the two losing teams will enter the All-Ireland qualifiers.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Quarter-finals: (3 matches) The winners of the two preliminary round games will join the other four Leinster teams to make up three quarter-final pairings. The three winning teams will advance to the semi-finals while the three losing teams will enter the All-Ireland qualifiers.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The three winners of the quarter-finals will join Kilkenny (who, as reigning provincial champions, will receive a bye to this stage) to make up the semi-final pairings. The two winning teams will advance to the final while the two losing teams will enter the All-Ireland qualifiers.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals will contest this game. The winning team will advance to the All-Ireland semi-final while the losing team will advance to the All-Ireland quarter-final.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Quarter-final: (1 match) This will be a single match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Munster. The losing team will enter the All-Ireland qualifiers while the winners will advance to the semi-finals.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the lone quarter-final will join the other three Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. The two winning teams will advance to the final while the two losing teams will enter the All-Ireland qualifiers.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Preliminary round: (2 matches) These will be two matches between the first four teams drawn from the six teams who lose their provincial preliminary round games and provincial quarter-final games. The two winning teams will advance to phase 1 of the All-Ireland qualifiers while the two losing teams will be eliminated from the championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Phase 1: (2 matches) The two winners of the preliminary qualifiers will join the two remaining provincial first round and provincial quarter-final losers to make up the phase 1 pairings. The two winning teams will advance to phase 3 while the two losing teams will be eliminated from the championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Phase 2: (2 matches) These will be two matches between the four teams who lose their provincial semi-final games. The two winning teams will advance to phase 3 of the All-Ireland qualifiers while the two losing teams will be eliminated from the championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Phase 3: (2 matches) These will be two matches between the two phase 1 winners and the two phase 2 winners. The two winning teams will advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals while the two losing teams will be eliminated from the championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Quarter-finals: (2 matches) These will bet two lone matches between the defeated provincial finalists and the two winning teams from phase 3 of the qualifiers. The two winning teams will advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals while the two losing teams will be eliminated from the championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The two quarter-final winning teams will join the two provincial winning teams to make up the semi-final pairings. The two winning teams will advance to the All-Ireland final while the two losing teams will be eliminated from the championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The Championship, Format
Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals will contest this game. The winning team will be declared All-Ireland champions.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Statistics, Player facts
The following players made their début in the 2012 championship:


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Statistics, Player facts
The following players played their last game in the 2012 championship:


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the deciding game of the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played on 9 September 2012 at Croke Park, Dublin. The final was contested by first-time Leinster Champions Galway and Kilkenny, the defeated Leinster finalists and defending All-Ireland champions.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
This was Galway's first appearance at this stage since 2005, when they lost to Cork. The match ended level, the first All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final at the end of which the teams finished level since 1959. Kilkenny won the replay, with Henry Shefflin becoming the first Gaelic athlete to win nine All-Ireland Senior Championship medals on the field of play.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, First Final, Background
The first final was played on 9 September 2012. Kilkenny were the defending champions after defeating Tipperary by four points, 2–17 to 1–16, in the 2011 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final. However, Galway unexpectedly beat Kilkenny in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Final on 8 July 2012, the shock of the year. Kilkenny recovered and qualified for the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final via the back door, inflicting upon Tipperary their heaviest defeat in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since 1897 along the way. The final was a rematch of the 2012 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Final against Galway. This was the fifth All-Ireland final clash between the two counties and the first since 1993 with Kilkenny winning three of the previous four. Galway's only win against Kilkenny came in 1987 when they won by six points.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, First Final, Background
It was confirmed on 24 August that Galway would be allocated just 12,000 tickets for the final with 25,000 to 30,000 Galway fans expected to attend the final. Tickets for the final were priced at €80 for stand tickets €40 for terrace tickets.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, First Final, Background
On 20 August 2012, the GAA announced that Barry Kelly from Westmeath would referee the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final. It was the third All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final of his refereeing career—he previously refereed in 2006 and 2008.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, First Final, Background
Team GB's Olympic boxer Natasha Jonas was invited to attend the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, First Final, Match summary
This was the first All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final at the end of which the teams finished level since 1959. Joe Canning scored a goal for Galway in the 10th minute, getting past three Kilkenny defenders and smashing an angled shot past Kilkenny goalkeeper David Herity. Kilkenny had managed just two points from the opening 18 minutes with Galway leading by 1–9 to 0–7 at half time. The sides were level in the 50th minute before Niall Burke got the second goal for Galway in the 55th minute after picking up a loose ball and shooting low into the net.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, First Final, Match summary
Kilkenny were awarded a penalty for a foul on Eoin Larkin in the 69th minute with the sides level. Henry Shefflin decided to hit the ball over the bar and take the point. Joe Canning then hit a 73rd-minute equaliser from the 45-metre line close to the Hogan Stand side of the field to make the scores level and take the game to a replay three weeks later.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Replay, Tickets
Tickets for the replay were reduced in price to €50 for stand tickets and €25 for terrace tickets.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Replay, Team news
Galway named an unchanged side for the replay, held at Croke Park on 30 September 2012. Kilkenny made two changes. However, Galway goalkeeper James Skehill dislocated his shoulder in the team's final training session, casting some doubt upon his place in the team. He still played though.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Replay, Match summary, First half
Galway opened the scoring with a point from a 65-metre free after six minutes. Kilkenny soon moved in front with points from Henry Shefflin and debutant Walter Walsh. Galway's David Burke scored the first goal of the game after sixteen minutes, adding a second goal one minute later. Richie Power quickly scored Kilkenny's first goal and the game's third in as many minutes. Soon Kilkenny began to dominate and Galway could not register a score. The half-time score was Galway 2-04, Kilkenny 1–11.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Replay, Match summary, Second half
Kilkenny's Richie Hogan opened the second half scoring with a point. Following some pushing and shoving, David Burke gets the ball into the back of the Kilkenny net for a third time but the referee blew his whistle and awarded a free to Galway instead, which Joe Canning scored. In the 49th minute, Galway's Cyril Donnellan was shown the red card and sent off after swinging his hurley at opponent J. J. Delaney and hitting him upon the head.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Replay, Match summary, Second half
In the 58th minute, debutant Walter Walsh scored Kilkenny's second goal and the game's fourth, with substitute C. Fennelly adding Kilkenny's third goal in the 62nd minute. In the 66th minute, Galway's J. Glynn scored his team's third goal and the game's sixth, lashing the sliotar into the roof of the net. But it was all too little, too late. The full-time score was Kilkenny 3–22, Galway 3–11.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Trophy presentation
The trophy was presented from the Hogan stand to Kilkenny captain Eoin Larkin by GAA president Liam O'Neill. After the presentation the Kilkenny team and management went on a lap of honour around the Croke Park pitch. Kilkenny captain Eoin Larkin sang his own version of "Cody's Winning Matches"—referring to manager Brian Cody—, prompting dismay from supporters of the Donegal senior football team.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Homecoming
Thousands of people lined the streets of Kilkenny to welcome the team home.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Homecoming
Fine Gael Environment Minister Phil Hogan attended the team homecoming at Nowlan Park, which is located in his own constituency. Spectators roundly booed him as he stood upon the stage with Brian Cody, Henry Shefflin and the team.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship
The 2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship is the 39th edition of the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association's premier inter-county Ladies' Gaelic football tournament. It is known for sponsorship reasons as the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final
The 2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final featured Cork and Kerry. Kerry were playing in their first All-Ireland final since 1993. This was the first time Kerry lost an All-Ireland final. Meanwhile Cork maintained their unbeaten record in All-Ireland finals. At half-time Cork led by 0–10 to 0–3.


2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final, Teams
Team:1 Elaine Harte2 Ann Marie Walsh3 Bríd Stack4 Deirdre O'Reilly5 Briege Corkery6 Rena Buckley (c)7 Geraldine O'Flynn8 Juliet Murphy9 Norita Kelly10 Orlagh Farmer 11 Doireann O'Sullivan12 Ciara O'Sullivan13 Nollaig Cleary14 Valerie Mulcahy 15 Rhona Ní Bhuachalla


2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final, Teams
Substitutes:Angela Walsh for Ann Marie Walsh (38)Orla Finn for Ní Bhuachalla (38)Laura McMahon for Farmer (46)A. Hutchings for Kelly (53)Annie Walsh for C. O'Sullivan (57)


2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final, Teams
Team:1 Edel Murphy2 Cait Lynch3 Aislinn Desmond4 Aoife Lyons5 Julie Brosnan6 Aisling Leonard7 Lousie Galvin 8 Emma Sherwood9 Bernie Breen (c)10 Caroline Kelly 11 Deirdre Corridan 12 Sarah Houlihan13 Megan O'Connell 14 Lorraine Scanlon15 Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh


2012 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final, Teams
Substitutes:Patrice Dennehy for Corridan (24)M. Fitzgerald for Galvin (44)Deirdre Corridan for O'Connell (58)S.J. Joy for Sherwood (58)


2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship
The 2012 All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championship is an inter county football competition between all 32 counties in Ireland. Four competitions are contested in each province and the winners of each provincial championship enters the all-Ireland series. There are currently 2 county teams still competing for the 2012 all-Ireland Under 21 championship, Dublin and Roscommon.


2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
The 2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship was the 48th staging of the All-Ireland championship since its establishment in 1964. The draw for the 2012 fixtures took place in late 2011. The championship began on 6 June 2012 and ended on 15 September 2012. Galway were the defending champions.


2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
Clare won the All-Ireland final after defeating Kilkenny by 2-17 to 2-11.


2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Final
The 2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship final was a hurling match that was played at Semple Stadium, Thurles on 15 September 2012 to determine the winners of the 2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship, the 49th season of the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the champion teams of the four provinces of Ireland. The final was contested by Clare of Munster and Kilkenny of Leinster, with Clare winning by 2-17 to 2-11.


2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Final
The All-Ireland final between Clare and Antrim was their second ever championship meeting. Clare were appearing in their second final in four years, while Kilkenny were lining out in their 21st All-Ireland decider. goal gave Clare a 2-16 to 0-3 lead. Antrim added another point before the short whistle to reduce the deficit to 18 points.


2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Final
Cathal McInerney, Cathal O'Connell and wing-back Séadna Morey scored points in the beginning. In the sixth minute, captain Conor McGrath sent O'Connell in for the opening goal. John Power secured Kilkenny’s second score, but a couple of long-range efforts from Colm Galvin and Patrick O'Connor eased the Munster men in to a 1-5 to 0-2 lead. Kilkenny gained momentum and reduced the deficit before stunning Clare with two goals in the final three minutes of the half. Power won a penalty that he blasted home himself, and in stoppage time Ger Aylward got in behind his marker to first time the sliotar to the net.


2012 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Final
Clare were back in front within four minutes of the restart. Intense pressure brought them four quick-fire points, with three of them from the stick of O’Connell. When Conor McGrath smashed home their second goal on 44 minutes, they led by four. O'Connor made a vital interception to deny Aylward as Kilkenny pressed in the closing stages for the goal that would bring them back into the game. But with McGrath and Shane Golden having stretched the advantage to six, it was looking good for Clare. They could have had a third goal in the dying stages when O’Connell brought a save from Walsh, and later, Paul Flanagan stepped in to repel the Cats once again.


2012 All-Pac-12 Conference football team
The 2012 All-Pac-12 Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Pac-12 Conference teams for the 2012 Pac-12 Conference football season. The Stanford Cardinal won the conference, defeating the UCLA Bruins 27–24 in the Pac-12 Championship game. Stanford then beat the Big Ten champion Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl 20 to 14. USC wide receiver Marqise Lee was voted Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton was voted Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.


2012 All-Pro Team
There are three 2012 All-Pro Teams—one each named by the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), and Sporting News—for performance in the 2012 NFL season. While none of these have the official imprimatur of the NFL (whose official recognition is nomination to the 2013 Pro Bowl), they are included (separately) in the NFL Record and Fact Book. Any player selected to any of the teams can be described as an "All-Pro."


2012 All-Pro Team
The AP team, with first- and second-team selections, was chosen by a national panel of 50 NFL writers; the Sporting News selection process used a panel of 27 NFL coaches and executives, while the PFWA team is chosen by polling its 300+ members.


2012 All-Pro Team, Key
x-two voters selected only one running back. y-one voter did not select a fullback. z-one voter selected only one inside linebacker


2012 All-SEC football team
The 2012 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by various selectors for the 2012 Southeastern Conference football season.


2012 All-SEC football team
The Alabama Crimson Tide won the conference, beating the Georgia Bulldogs 32 to 28 in the SEC Championship. The Crimson Tide then won a national championship, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 42 to 14 in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.


2012 All-SEC football team
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, a unanimous AP selection, won the Heisman Trophy, the first freshman to do so, and was unanimously voted the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by both AP and the coaches. Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, also a unanimous AP selection, was voted the AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year. South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, also a unanimous AP selection, was voted the coaches' SEC Defensive Player of the Year.


2012 All-SEC football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection by both the coaches and AP


2012 Allan Cup
The 2012 Allan Cup was the 2012 Canadian Grand National Championship of Senior ice hockey and was the 104th year the trophy was awarded. It was contended in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan from April 16 to April 21, 2012 and hosted by the Lloydminster Border Kings of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association. The South East Prairie Thunder of Manitoba defeated the Rosetown Red Wings of Saskatchewan to win their first national championship. The Thunder were runners up in 2009.


2012 Allen Wranglers season
The 2012 Allen Wranglers season was the franchise's thirteenth season as a football franchise, third in the Indoor Football League, and second as the "Allen Wranglers". The team played their home games at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas. The team finished with a 9-5 regular season record. They reached the IFL playoffs but lost in the Intense Conference semi-finals to the Wichita Wild.


2012 Allen Wranglers season, Off-field moves
Rascal the Raccoon, an anthropomorphic raccoon wearing a Wranglers uniform, became the team's official mascot in early 2012. Rascal was designed and brought to life by Ted Ovletrea, the man who portrayed Rowdy, the official mascot of the Dallas Cowboys, from conception until 2009. Rascal replaced Hoss, a cowboy mascot designed to match the team logo.


2012 Allen Wranglers season, Off-field moves
In March 2012, Tommy Benizio joined the Wranglers' ownership group and assumed the role of team president. Benizio had served as the IFL's commissioner from the league's founding in 2008 until resigning to become a co-owner of the Allen franchise.


2012 Allen Wranglers season, Off-field moves
After back-to-back losses in April, head coach Pat Pimmell was released by the team on April 30. The team announced that offensive coordinator Dixie Wooten and defensive coordinator Quinn Cairo would split coaching responsibilities until a replacement could be found. They shared the title "co-interim head coach" through the end of the season.


2012 Allen Wranglers season, Roster moves
National Football League (NFL) veteran wide receiver Terrell Owens joined the team at the start of the 2012 season. Owens had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in 2011 and received no offers from NFL teams for 2012. He swelled attendance at Wranglers games and brought the national spotlight onto the team. However, several opponents, including Everett Raptors coach Sean Ponder, questioned Owens' commitment to the IFL since he skipped many of his team's road games.


2012 Allen Wranglers season, Roster moves
Owens' Wranglers contract allowed him flexibility with away dates but he contracted with some road opponents for first-class airfare and accommodations to play in their arenas. With three games left in the season, citing his "lack of effort both on and off the field", failure to show up for a scheduled appearance at a children's hospital, and refusal to play in two upcoming road games, Owens was released by the Wranglers on May 29, 2012. Along with his release, Owens also relinquished his ownership stake in the team.


2012 Allen Wranglers season, Roster moves
Bryan Randall, a celebrated college athlete with stints in the NFL and Canadian Football League, was the opening day quarterback for the Wranglers. In early March, The team traded him to the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks in return for future considerations. Randall was named the IFL's Most Valuable Player in 2010. Randall's backup, former Kansas City Chiefs player Casey Printers, took over the starting quarterback role.


2012 Allen Wranglers season, Roster
Rookies in italics updated June 5, 201219 Active, 0 Inactive


2012 Allsvenskan
The 2012 Allsvenskan, part of the 2012 Swedish football season, was the 88th season of Allsvenskan since its establishment in 1924. The 2012 fixtures were released on 12 December 2011. The season started on 31 March 2012 and ended on 4 November 2012. There was a five-week-long break between 24 May and 30 June during the UEFA Euro 2012. Helsingborgs IF were the defending champions, having won their fifth Swedish championship and their seventh Allsvenskan title the previous season.


2012 Allsvenskan
IF Elfsborg won the Swedish championship this season, their sixth one, in the 30th and last round on 4 November 2012 by drawing with Åtvidabergs FF 1–1 at home, and by the only other title contender in the last round Malmö FF losing 2–0 against AIK at the last Allsvenskan match at Råsunda. This was Elfsborg's second Swedish championship of the 21st century having won their last title in the 2006 Allsvenskan season.


2012 Allsvenskan
A total of 16 teams contested the league; 14 returned from the 2011 season and two had been promoted from Superettan.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Background
The annual pre-season kick-off meeting was held in Helsingborg on 27 March 2012. All managers accompanied with a key player for their team were interviewed by the two hosts Tommy Åström and Jens Fjellström about the upcoming season and their expectations as well as what team they held as favourites to win the title. Only Kalmar FF's manager Nanne Bergstrand and Malmö FF's Rikard Norling held their own team as the title favourite. 5 managers out of 16 believed that Malmö FF would win the title.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Background
The remaining managers placed their bets on IF Elfsborg (4 votes), IFK Göteborg (3 votes), Helsingborgs IF (2 votes) and Kalmar FF (2 votes). The entire attendance consisted of the clubs' managers, key players and media experts. The attendance voted Malmö FF as the title favourites with Helsingborgs IF and IFK Göteborg closely after. The attendance also predicted that GIF Sundsvall and Syrianska FC would be relegated while Åtvidabergs FF would have to play the relegation play-offs to remain in the league.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Season overview
The season started on 31 March 2012 with three fixtures. Several of the favourite teams got off to a struggling start, reigning champions Helsingborg found themselves in a mid-table position after the first four rounds of fixtures. Malmö and Kalmar also positioned themselves mid-table at the same time and IFK Göteborg failed to win any of their first four matches, finding themselves in 15th position. Elfsborg however won all of their matches in the beginning of the season except for the away fixture against Helsingborg which they lost 2–1. Åtvidaberg lead the league surprisingly after three consecutive wins and one loss in the start of the season.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Season overview
Following the fourth round Elfsborg passed Åtvidaberg to become the new leaders of the league. The team managed to win all of the remaining matches until the Euro break except for the away fixture against Malmö which they lost 1–0, Elfsborg won seven consecutive matches during this run. Malmö eventually recovered from a poor start of the season to trail Elfsborg eight points below at the time of the Euro break. AIK and Häcken also managed to win enough points to keep up with the top, trailing Malmö with one and two points respectively at the same time.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Season overview
Reigning champions Helsingborg found themselves in fifth place in time for the summer break, trailing fourth placed Häcken with two points and leaders Elfsborg with 12 points. Early leaders Åtvidaberg had by this time dropped down to sixth place and were now trailing Helsingborg. One of the early favourite to win the title, IFK Göteborg, were by this period of time positioned 10th in the league table. trailing Elfsborg with as much as 15 points. Another favourite, Kalmar, were positioned in 13th place.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Season overview
Örebro were found at the bottom of the league table at the time of the Euro break having failed to win any of the 12 fixtures being played at that time and only having been able to draw four of the matches, they were now trailing 15th placed GAIS with five points and 13th placed Kalmar with nine points.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Season overview
Later on in the season, four teams had emerged as the favourites to win the title. With five rounds remaining Elfsborg had 49 points, Häcken and AIK both had 47 points and Malmö had 46 points. At the other end of the Allsvenskan table, it appeared as if both Örebro and GAIS were headed towards Superettan, trailing the 14th team in the league by 11 and 14 points, respectively. GAIS were confirmed as relegated after the completion of the 26th round and Örebro followed after the 27th round. Elfsborg held pole position until the 23rd round when they were passed by Häcken, Elfsborg had held the first position since the 5th round up until then.


2012 Allsvenskan, Summary, Season overview
Elfsborg would get ten out of 15 possible points in their last five games - winning against GAIS, losing against Norrköping, then winning against Gefle and Mjällby before finishing with 1–1 against Åtvidaberg - which would prove to be enough for them to win their sixth title.


2012 Allsvenskan, Teams
A total of sixteen teams contested the league, including fourteen sides from the 2011 season and two promoted teams from the 2011 Superettan.


2012 Allsvenskan, Teams
Trelleborgs FF and Halmstads BK were relegated at the end of the 2011 season after finishing in the bottom two places of the table. They were replaced by 2011 Superettan champions Åtvidabergs FF and runners-up GIF Sundsvall.


2012 Allsvenskan, Teams
Syrianska FC as 14th-placed team retained their Allsvenskan spot after defeating third-placed Superettan team Ängelholms FF 4–3 on aggregate in a relegation/promotion playoff.


2012 Allsvenskan, Teams, Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Allsvenskan, Positions by round
Note: Some matches were played out of phase with the corresponding round, positions were corrected in hindsight.


2012 Amazon Sky An-26 crash
On 17 December 2012, an Antonov An-26 (registration OB-1887-P) operated by Amazon Sky, crashed in  Tomas District.


2012 Amazon Sky An-26 crash
The aircraft had been flying from Peru's capital of Lima to an airfield of the Argentinian company Pluspetrol in the Cusco Region and was carrying a crew of 4 people. The accident occurred at about 15:42 local time as the aircraft firstly touched a mountain peak, then crashed in steep terrain. The site of the accident was only found the day after the crash.


2012 Amazon Sky An-26 crash
The investigation commission found out that failure of both engines due to ice had caused the crash. The crew had failed to properly use the anti-icing.


2012 Amber Valley Borough Council election
Elections to Amber Valley Borough Council in Derbyshire, England took place on Thursday 3 May 2012. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party held overall control of the council. Overall turnout in this election was 33.28 per cent.


2012 America East Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2012 America East Conference Baseball Tournament took place from May 23–25. The top four regular season finishers of the league's six teams met in the double-elimination tournament held at Stony Brook University's Joe Nathan Field. Stony Brook won their fourth America East Championship, defeating Maine 13-6 in the championship game, and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2012 America East Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding
The top four finishers from the regular season will be seeded one through four based on conference winning percentage only. They then played a double-elimination format. The top seed played the fourth seed while the second and third seeds faced off in the first round.


2012 America East Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Outstanding Player
James Campbell was named Most Outstanding Player. Campbell was a pitcher for Stony Brook.


2012 America East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2012 America East Men's Basketball Tournament was held from March 1–4 at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion in West Hartford, Connecticut, with the final held March 10 between the Stony Brook Seawolves and the Vermont Catamounts. As per America East tournament regulations, the final took place at Stony Brook University Arena, on the campus of Stony Brook University, the top and highest remaining seed. The Catamounts prevailed, 52-43, and earned an automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. All games except the play-in game was televised by the ESPN family of networks, including the Championship game on ESPN2.


2012 America East Men's Lacrosse Tournament
The 2012 America East Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 13 edition of the America East Conference Men's Lacrosse Tournament and took place from May 2 to May 5 at the higher seeds home field. The winner of the tournament received the America East Conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. Four teams from the America East conference will compete in the single elimination tournament. The seeds were based upon the teams' regular season conference record.


2012 America East Men's Lacrosse Tournament, Standings
Only the top four teams in the America East conference advanced to the America East Conference Tournament.


2012 American Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament
The 2012 American Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 5 to May 12 to determination qualification spots for Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics.


2012 American Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament, Qualification summary
NOTE: This chart only lists slots qualified by way of the 2012 American Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament and does not include slots obtains by NOCs by other means, such as though the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships.


2012 American Express – TED Open
The 2012 American Express – TED Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 25th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey between 10 and 16 September 2012.


2012 American Express – TED Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 American Express – TED Open – Doubles
During the 2012 American Express – TED Open – Doubles the defending champions of Carsten Ball and Andre Begemann decided not to participate. Karol Beck and Lukáš Dlouhý won the final 3–6, 6–2, [10–6] against Adrián Menéndez and John Peers.


2012 American Express – TED Open – Singles
Denis Istomin was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Dmitry Tursunov won the title, defeating Adrian Mannarino 6–4, 7–6(7–5) in the final.


2012 American Indoor Football season
The 2012 American Indoor Football season was the league's seventh overall season, and first under the AIF name. AIF Championship Bowl V was won by the Cape Fear Heroes who defeated the California Eagles and completed a perfect 9-0 record (including playoffs).


2012 American Le Mans Monterey
The 2012 American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón was held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 12, 2012. It was the third round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series season.


2012 American Le Mans Monterey, Qualifying, Qualifying results
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2012 American Le Mans Monterey, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of their class winner's distance are marked as Not Classified (NC).


2012 American Le Mans Series
The 2012 American Le Mans Series season was a multi-event auto racing championship for sports racing cars which conform to the technical regulations laid out by the International Motor Sports Association for the American Le Mans Series. It was the fourteenth  season of the American Le Mans Series, and the 42nd season overall of the IMSA GT Championship. The season began with the 60th annual 12 Hours of Sebring on March 14–17, and covered ten events.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Calendar
On September 30, 2011, ALMS president Scott Atherton announced an eleven race schedule for 2012. All nine of the events on the 2011 race schedule are carried over, while two new events are planned but not yet announced. Atherton stated three different venues are vying for the two calendar spots. One of the two new events was later removed from the calendar.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Calendar
The calendar will also share the 12 Hours of Sebring with the successor to the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the FIA World Endurance Championship, while the Petit Le Mans will count as the final round of the European Le Mans Series. It was also announced that four events would be televised live, while the rest would be streamed live on ESPN3 and televised on a tape delay the following day. All tape-delayed events were broadcast on ESPN, and began approximately one hour into the race.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Calendar
On January 16, the ninth round was announced to take place at Virginia International Raceway on the Full Course layout. It will be both the first visit by ALMS to Virginia, as well as the first competition held on this layout.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships
Points were awarded to the top ten cars and drivers which complete at least 70% of their class winner's distance. Teams with multiple entries only score the points of their highest finishing entry in each race. Drivers were required to drive a minimum of 45 minutes to earn points, except for the Long Beach event which required only 30 minutes. Drivers are required to complete a particular amount of the minimum number of laps in order to earn points. The number of laps vary depending on the course size.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships, Team championships
Teams with full season entries are awarded points in the team championships. Teams which participated in a partial season or on a race-by-race basis are not included in these championships.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships, Team championships
As long as they compete full season and comply with ACO regulations, the top P1, P2 and GT team at the end of the season receive an automatic entry to the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships, Team championships, PC standings
All teams utilize the Oreca FLM09 chassis with Chevrolet LS3 engine.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships, Team championships, GTC standings
All teams utilize variations of the Porsche 997 GT3 Cup.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships, Team championships, GTC standings
Note: the #11 JDX Racing car won the Mid-Ohio round but driver Tim Pappas failed to meet the minimum driving time requirement. JDX was allowed to keep their "win" but the first place points and prize money went to the #66 TRG car for that race.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships, Driver championships
Drivers who participated in races but failed to score points over the course of the season are not listed.


2012 American Le Mans Series, Championships, Driver championships, PC standings
Drivers in the PC category are allowed to drive for more than one car during an event. If a driver is in each car for a minimum of two hours each, he is allowed to score the points from whichever car he chooses.


2012 American Le Mans Series VIR 240
The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón VIR 240 was a multi-class sports car and GT motor race held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, United States on September 15, 2012. It was the ninth and penultimate round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series season. It was a new event for the American Le Mans Series but had been held the previous ten years for the Rolex Sports Car Series. The race was held over a four-hour time period, during which 135 laps of the 3.3 kilometre "Full Course" circuit were completed for a race distance of 710 kilometres.


2012 American Le Mans Series VIR 240
The race was won by Muscle Milk Pickett Racing pair of Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf in their HPD ARX-03a. The leaders of the P1 championship won by three laps over their season long rivals from the Dyson Racing Team, Chris Dyson and Guy Smith in their Lola B12/60. One lap further behind in third place was the P2 class winners, Level 5 Motorsports team of Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut in their HPD ARX-03b. They won the P2 class by 27 seconds over their season-long rivals the Conquest Endurance team of Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier Hansson in their Morgan LMP2.


2012 American Le Mans Series VIR 240
Three of the five class championships of drivers were decided, the first of them was the Prototype Challenge. Jon Bennett and Colin Braun did all they could to keep the championship alive, winning PC in their CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09, but third place was enough for their Venezuelan team mate Alex Popow to wrap up his first ALMS class championship, despite being involved in a first lap collision.


2012 American Le Mans Series VIR 240
In eighth place was the GT class and championship winners the Corvette Racing pair of Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in their Chevrolet Corvette C6.R. In wrapping up the champion Gavin won his class for Corvette Racing for the fourth time with Milner claiming his first ALMS title. It also returned Corvette Racing to the winners list for the first time since 2008 after dominating much of the decade.


2012 American Le Mans Series VIR 240
Similarly Cooper MacNeil won the GT Challenge class from the front, wrapping his championship up for Alex Job Racing with a 0.4 second win with his co-driver Leh Keen over the NGT Motorsport pair of Henrique Cisneros and Jeroen Bleekemolen.


2012 American Le Mans Series VIR 240
28 of the 31 entries were running at races conclusion, although the second of the Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b's was subsequently excluded for failing an air-restrictor stall test after the race.


2012 American Le Mans Series VIR 240, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of their class winner's distance are marked as Not Classified (NC).


2012 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach
The 2012 Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach was held at Long Beach Street Circuit on April 14, 2012. It was the second round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series season.


2012 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, Qualifying
Due to heavy rain before the qualifying session was scheduled to take place, the ALMS decided to postpone the qualifying session. Grid position was decided by points standings in the championship which meant the No. 16 Dyson Racing car started on pole position.


2012 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, Qualifying, Qualifying results
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2012 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of their class winner's distance are marked as Not Classified (NC).


2012 American League Championship Series
The 2012 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the New York Yankees against the Detroit Tigers for the American League pennant and the right to play in the 2012 World Series. The series, the 43rd in league history, began on Saturday, October 13 in New York and ended on Thursday, October 18 in Detroit. The Tigers swept the Yankees, winning the series 4–0. TBS televised all games in the United States. In global markets, MLB International broadcast the ALCS in its entirety, with long-time Baltimore Orioles announcer Gary Thorne and ESPN's Rick Sutcliffe calling the games.


2012 American League Championship Series
This was the third postseason meeting between the Yankees and the Tigers, but the first in the ALCS. The Tigers previously beat the Yankees in the 2006 ALDS (3–1) and the 2011 ALDS (3–2). The last appearance for each team in the ALCS resulted in a loss to the Texas Rangers; the Yankees in the 2010 ALCS and the Tigers in the 2011 ALCS.


2012 American League Championship Series
The Tigers would go on to lose in a sweep to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Saturday, October 13, 2012 – 8:07 p.m. (EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Yankees threatened in the first inning when they loaded the bases on three walks, but Jhonny Peralta robbed Alex Rodriguez of an RBI single with a diving stop to end the inning. Peralta also took away a run in the second when, with the bases loaded via three singles and two outs once again, Robinson Canó hit a ball that glanced off the wrist of Tiger starter Doug Fister and caromed to shortstop. Peralta fielded it and just nipped Canó at first, which was revealed to be the wrong call. The Yankees would leave the bases loaded for the third time in the game in the sixth inning, and were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, with the only hit being an infield single by Ichiro Suzuki that did not score a run.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Fister threw shutout ball into the seventh inning, scattering six hits. Postseason veteran Andy Pettitte almost matched him, pitching five shutout innings for the Yankees before giving up RBI singles to Prince Fielder and Delmon Young in the sixth after a triple and intentional walk. A home run by Delmon Young and an RBI single by Avisaíl García after a Peralta double in the eighth off Derek Lowe and Boone Logan, respectively, gave Detroit a 4–0 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Detroit brought in José Valverde to get the final three outs.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Russell Martin led off the Yankees ninth with a single, and Ichiro Suzuki followed two batters later with a home run to cut the lead in half. Canó then struck out for the second out, and Valverde got to 0–2 on Mark Teixeira before walking him. Raúl Ibañez hit a game-tying home run, forcing extra innings.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Rafael Soriano and David Robertson each pitched one scoreless inning out of the bullpen, but the Yankees could not capitalize off Tiger relievers Octavio Dotel and Drew Smyly. Detroit finally broke the tie in the top of the 12th on a Delmon Young double off David Phelps, which scored Miguel Cabrera, who walked to lead off. Six pitches later, Derek Jeter broke his left ankle while stopping a groundball from Peralta, forcing him to miss the rest of the postseason.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
One batter later, Andy Dirks drove in an insurance run on a chopper that glanced off Phelps' pitching hand for an infield single. The Tigers held on to their two-run lead in the bottom of the 12th, to take the series' first game. Despite the loss, Ibañez's clutch homers in both the ALDS and ALCS brought him distinction as the only player to ever hit three home runs in the ninth inning or later in one postseason.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
This was Derek Jeter's 158th and final playoff game. Before getting injured, Jeter recorded his 200th career postseason hit earlier in the game which is still the most all-time.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Sunday, October 14, 2012 – 4:07 p.m. (EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Hiroki Kuroda retired the first 15 Detroit Tigers he faced and held the Tigers scoreless through six innings, allowing only one hit and no walks while striking out eight—including seven of the first nine batters. The Tigers' Aníbal Sánchez was nearly as efficient, allowing three hits, striking out five and walking two.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Tigers finally broke through with a run off Kuroda in the seventh. Quintin Berry doubled to lead off the inning, and advanced to third on a single by Miguel Cabrera. After Kuroda struck out Prince Fielder, Delmon Young hit an RBI force out, on which the potential double play relay throw was mishandled by Robinson Canó.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
In the eighth, Kuroda struck out the first two batters he faced, then allowed a single to Omar Infante. Austin Jackson then singled to right. Nick Swisher fielded the ball and threw it to second as Infante ran past the base and attempted to get back. Baseman Robinson Canó's tag on Infante beat him touching the base, but umpire Jeff Nelson ruled him safe even though television replays confirmed he was out. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi argued during a pitching change and was ejected. The play would have resulted in the inning's third out, and the Tigers took advantage by getting two insurance runs on RBI singles by Avisaíl García off of Boone Logan and Miguel Cabrera off of Joba Chamberlain.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Prior to the game, Tiger manager Jim Leyland stated that struggling closer José Valverde, who had allowed seven runs in his last two postseason appearances, would not close Game 2 if the situation called for it. He instead used Phil Coke over the final two innings in this game, and Coke earned the save.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Yankees' lineup continued its struggles in Game 2. Robinson Canó, batting second for the first time since September 2010, grounded out in all four times at bat, with this 0-for-4 performance resulting in an 0-for-26 hitless streak—the longest such barren streak in any single year of postseason play in MLB history. Alex Rodriguez took a called third strike on a changeup in the second and struck out on a foul tip in the fourth, dropping to 2-for-21 with no RBIs in the postseason, including 0-for-18 with 12 strikeouts against right-handers. Curtis Granderson fanned twice, falling to 3-for-25 with 13 strikeouts.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 – 8:07 p.m. (EDT) at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Game 3 saw Justin Verlander pitch for the third time against the Yankees in postseason play. In the previous season's Division Series, Verlander struck out 11 batters, but in the process, he expended 120 pitches and gave up four runs. This time around was different, as the Yankees waited out pitches and struck out only three times against him. Nonetheless, Verlander took a shutout into the ninth inning. He allowed only a pair of singles by Ichiro Suzuki and a leadoff homer by Eduardo Núñez in the ninth.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
After Brett Gardner grounded out on Verlander's 132nd pitch of the night, the Tigers starter was lifted for Phil Coke. Coke induced a grounder from Suzuki for the second out of the inning, but then gave up consecutive singles to Mark Teixeira and Robinson Canó (Canó's single ended a personal 0-for-29 slump). Postseason star Raúl Ibañez worked Coke to a 3–2 count before striking out on a slider, giving Coke his second save in two games.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Delmon Young hit a home run (his seventh post-season home run with the Tigers) in the fourth off of Yankees starter Phil Hughes, who was then lifted because of a stiff back, and manager Joe Girardi's lineup shuffle had Alex Rodriguez benched again. Next inning, Quintin Berry reached first on Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez's error, stole second and scored on Miguel Cabrera's double off of David Phelps.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The home run by Núñez ended a streak of 30+1⁄3 scoreless innings by Tigers starters in the postseason, breaking the 1974 record of 29 innings set by the Oakland Athletics. The Tiger starters had also gone 37 straight innings without surrendering an earned run.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Thursday, October 18, 2012 – 4:07 p.m. (EDT) at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, originally scheduled for Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - 8:07 p.m. (EDT) and was postponed due to rain.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Game 4 saw Detroit come out swinging early, going up 2–0 on RBI singles by Delmon Young in the first and Avisaíl García in the third. The Tigers broke this game open with a pair of two-run home runs by Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta. Yankee starter CC Sabathia exited after just 3+2⁄3 innings. The Tigers' Max Scherzer, meanwhile, maintained a no-hitter until the sixth inning, and struck out 10 batters in his 5+2⁄3 innings of work. The Yankees drove in one run in the sixth, when a triple by Eduardo Núñez was followed by a Nick Swisher double.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Austin Jackson homered off of Derek Lowe in the seventh inning, and Peralta closed the scoring with his second homer in the eighth off of David Robertson, to give the Tigers an 8–1 lead. Former Yankee Phil Coke, who was on the 2009 World Series championship team, closed the game by pitching the final two innings, finishing the series and handing the Yankees their first postseason series sweep since the 1980 American League Championship Series, when they were swept by the Kansas City Royals. It was also the first time the Yankees were swept in a best-of-seven series since the 1976 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds and the 4th time overall.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Delmon Young, who hit .353 in the series with two home runs and six RBI, was named ALCS MVP for 2012.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
The Yankees finished the 2012 postseason hitting a dismal .188, including batting only .157 against Tiger pitching in the ALCS. Tiger starters allowed only two earned runs in the ALCS, posting a 0.66 ERA. Miguel Cabrera set a major league record by having at least one hit in all 17 of his League Championship Series games, besting the previous mark of 15 shared by Manny Ramirez and Pete Rose. Cabrera has also reached base safely in all 20 of his postseason games with the Tigers, a team record.


2012 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
It would be the last time where the #1 seeded teams from every major professional sports league in North America were defeated until 2019.


2012 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
In regards to playoff baseball, this would be it for the Core Four era Yankees. Jorge Posada retired just before the 2012 season, after losing playing time to Russell Martin. Andy Pettitte, who was the first player of the Core Four to retire on February 4, 2011, came out of retirement to pitch for the Yankees in 2012 and 2013, before retiring for good after the 2013 season. Mariano Rivera retired after the 2013 season as well, while Derek Jeter retired after 2014. Rivera and Jeter were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 and 2020, respectively (Jeter's 2020 induction was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic).


2012 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
The Yankees would not return to the American League Championship Series until 2017. Manager Joe Giardi, C.C. Sabathia, Brett Gardner, and David Robertson were the only Yankees on the 2017 club that played for the team in 2012. Robertson left the Yankees in free agency in 2015, but returned to the team at the 2017 trade deadline.


2012 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
The 2017 Yankees also had trouble hitting Justin Verlander, just as the 2011-2012 teams did. During the ALCS 2017, now pitching for the Houston Astros, Verlander won the ALCS MVP after helping the Astros beat the Yankees in seven game. In that series, he allowed 1 run on 16 innings pitched to go with 21 strikeouts.


2012 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
The Tigers returned to the American League Championship Series in 2013, but lost to the eventual champions Red Sox in six games. General manager Dave Dombrowski aggressively sought pitching improvements despite having a rotation that featured Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and Anibal Sanchez. At the 2014 trade deadline, the Tigers traded for 2012 American League Cy Young award winner David Price.


2012 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
At the time, their rotation featured the 2011 (Verlander), 2012 (Price), and 2013 (Scherzer) AL Cy Young winners; afterwards, Scherzer would win the National League equivalent of the award pitching for the Washington in 2016 and 2017, Porcello won one pitching for Boston in 2016, and Verlander won the award again pitching for Houston in 2019. The Tigers won the division AL Central for the fourth straight year, but they were upset by the Orioles in the 2014 American League Division Series.


2012 American League Division Series
The 2012 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2012 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Card playoff— played in two series. TBS carried most of the games, with some on MLB Network or TNT.


2012 American League Division Series
The series used the 2–3 format for 2012 because on March 2 the league had implemented the new "wild card" playoff, eliminating the travel day between Games 4 and 5. The 2–3 format was used for best-of-five Championship Series rounds prior to 1985 and for the Division Series rounds from 1995 to 1997. The matchups for the 2012 ALDS were:


2012 American League Division Series
The restriction on teams from the same division meeting in the Division Series was removed prior to the 2012 season. Therefore, the Yankees and Orioles, both from the East Division, were able to meet in the Division Series. Under the format used from 1998 to 2011, (1) New York would have faced (3) Detroit in one Division Series, and (2) Oakland would have faced (4) Baltimore in the other.


2012 American League Division Series
This was the third postseason match-up between the Athletics and the Tigers, and previously the Tigers had defeated the A's 4–0 in the 2006 ALCS. The Yankees and Orioles were meeting in the postseason for the second time; the Yankees had beaten the Orioles 4–1 in the 1996 ALCS, which witnessed the controversial Jeffrey Maier incident in Game 1.


2012 American League Division Series
The Tigers went on to defeat the Yankees in the ALCS, then lose the 2012 World Series to the National League champion San Francisco Giants.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 1
6:07 p.m. (EDT) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland (moved to 8:47 p.m. EDT due to rain delay)


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 1
The Yankees struck first in the first inning off of Jason Hammel when Derek Jeter singled and Ichiro Suzuki doubled to score Jeter for the game's first run, giving the Yankees a 1–0 lead. In the bottom of the third inning, Orioles outfielder Chris Davis singled, followed by a Lew Ford single, a Robert Andino sacrifice bunt, and a single by Nate McLouth, to give the O's a 2–1 lead. Then in the top of the fourth, the Yankees tied the game at two with a Mark Teixeira single with two men on.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 1
The game remained tied going into the ninth inning, until a lead-off home run by Russell Martin off of Jim Johnson pushed the Yankees ahead 3–2. Consecutive singles by Raúl Ibañez, Derek Jeter, and Ichiro Suzuki scored Ibanez, giving the Yankees a 4–2 lead. Robinson Canó doubled to score Jeter and Ichiro. Tommy Hunter relieved Johnson and Nick Swisher hit a sacrifice fly to score Canó, making the score 7–2. The Yankees' C.C. Sabathia pitched 8+2⁄3 innings and after allowing a two-out double to Lew Ford, David Robertson came in to get the final out of the game, giving the Yankees the win and a one-game-to-nothing lead.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 2
8:07 p.m. (EDT) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland (moved to 8:47 p.m. EDT due to rain delay)


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 2
The Game 2 pitching matchup was a sharp contrast, pitting postseason veteran Andy Pettitte against rookie Wei-Yin Chen. Similar to the first game, both Jeter and Ichiro would reach base. With two men on and nobody out, Alex Rodriguez hit a sinking line drive which was speared in the air by Robert Andino, who then doubled up Derek Jeter off second. Later in the inning, Robinson Canó ripped a double down the right field line, and Ichiro Suzuki masterfully avoided the tag of Matt Wieters to score, giving the Yankees an early 1–0 lead.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 2
It was all for naught, however, as Pettitte allowed the Orioles to load the bases with two outs on two singles and a walk, then gave up a two-run single to Chris Davis in the third inning. Baltimore tacked on some insurance in the sixth on a Mark Reynolds single. The Yankees threatened in the seventh when Jeter hit a single to make it 3–2. New York had players on second and third with two out in that inning, but Nick Swisher flied out to end the inning. Jim Johnson got the save to send the series to the Bronx tied at one game apiece.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 3
7:37 p.m. (EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 3
Baltimore had a 2–1 lead going into the ninth inning behind a strong performance by Miguel González. Rookies Ryan Flaherty and Manny Machado became the first pair of rookies to ever homer for the same team in the same game. Machado's blast ranked him as the second youngest player in postseason history, behind the Yankees' own Andruw Jones who had done so against the Yankees while with the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series. Machado also became the youngest nine-hole hitter to homer in a postseason game at 20 years, 96 days.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 3
Flaherty's home run in the third off of Hiroki Kuroda put the Orioles up 1–0 before the Yankees tied the score in the bottom half when Russell Martin doubled with one out and scored on Derek Jeter's triple. Machado's home run in the fifth put Baltimore up 2–1. Heading to the ninth inning and three outs away from a 2–1 series deficit, the Yankees sent up Raúl Ibañez to pinch-hit for a struggling Alex Rodriguez with one out.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 3
Ibañez then lined a home run into the right field seats off Orioles closer Jim Johnson to tie the game in the ninth inning. Then in the 12th inning, Ibañez crushed the first pitch of the inning into the second deck of Yankee Stadium to win the game and take a series lead in walk-off fashion. Ibanez's heroics in this game marked the second time in eight days that he provided the game tying and walk-off hits for the Yankees. During a game against the Red Sox on October 2, 2012, Ibanez hit a game-tying 2-run home run off Andrew Bailey in the 9th inning, and then hit a walk-off single off of Andrew Miller in the 12th.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 3
At age 40, Ibañez set at least four MLB postseason records with his two home runs.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 4
7:37 p.m. (EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 4
Game 4 was another marathon affair. Joe Saunders and Phil Hughes matched zeroes for four innings, before Nate McLouth led off the fifth for Baltimore with a home run. The Yankees responded in the sixth when Robinson Canó had an RBI groundout, but they left a runner in scoring position in that inning when Alex Rodriguez struck out. Rodriguez also left men on second and third with one out in the bottom of the eighth, dropping his batting average for the series down to .125 and continuing to draw the scorn of Yankees fans.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 4
The game remained tied until the 13th inning, when Manny Machado hit a leadoff double off of David Phelps, then scored on an RBI double to J. J. Hardy. Jim Johnson got his second save of the series, ensuring a deciding Game 5 the next day.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 4
This was the third time a postseason series had back-to-back games going at least 12 innings, joining the 1986 NLCS and the 2004 ALCS.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 5
5:07 p.m. (EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 5
The Yankees clinched a trip to the ALCS for the third time in four years with a 3–1 win. CC Sabathia gave the Yankees his second big performance of the series, pitching a complete game, giving up one run on four hits while striking out nine. The only nervous moments came in the sixth, when a long fly ball by Nate McLouth was ruled foul and the eighth, when the Orioles loaded the bases with one out, but Sabathia got out of the jam by striking out McLouth and getting J. J. Hardy to ground out.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 5
The Yankees scored first in the fifth, when Game 3 hero Raúl Ibañez singled to score Mark Teixeira, who singled and stole second off of Jason Hammel. The Yankees tacked on some insurance in the sixth, when Derek Jeter walked with an out and scored on an Ichiro Suzuki double, and followed up in the seventh with a Curtis Granderson home run. It proved enough, as the Orioles only scored one run in the eighth on a Lew Ford single with two on.


2012 American League Division Series, New York vs. Baltimore, Game 5
Sabathia got Matt Wieters to ground out for the final out, sending the Yankees to play for the pennant versus the Detroit Tigers. Sabathia was the first Yankee pitcher to pitch a complete game in the postseason since Roger Clemens pitched one against the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 1
Coco Crisp led off the game with a home run on Justin Verlander's fourth pitch, a 1–2 fastball. Verlander threw 26 pitches in the first inning, but he managed to only allow one run. The lead did not last long, as Austin Jackson doubled to lead off the bottom of the first, and moved to third on an infield hit by Quintin Berry. Miguel Cabrera followed with a double play grounder, with Jackson scoring on the play. In the bottom of the third, with the game tied at one, Quintin Berry hit a slow ground ball up the first-base line.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 1
A's starter Jarrod Parker fielded the ball, but it rolled out of his glove for an error. That allowed Omar Infante, who doubled earlier in the inning, to score from second base and give the Tigers a 2–1 lead. Alex Avila led off the fifth inning with a first-pitch homer to extend the Detroit lead to 3–1. In the top of the seventh, Verlander struck out Derek Norris to tie a playoff career-high in strikeouts with 11, which he set the prior year in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees, which he won.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 1
In the bottom of the seventh, with two runners on, Pat Neshek, pitching for the first time since the death of his one-day-old son, got out of the jam by getting Infante to ground into a force out and striking out Austin Jackson. In the top of the eighth, Brandon Moss came close to a game-tying two-run home run off Joaquín Benoit, but fell just short when the ball held up at the right-field wall for Andy Dirks, who made the catch. José Valverde pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his first save of the 2012 postseason. He struck out two and got George Kottaras to pop up to end the game.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 2
Oakland took a 1–0 lead in the top of the third inning when they put together three singles off Tiger starter Doug Fister, with Yoenis Céspedes' base hit driving in the game's first run. Brandon Moss followed with another single, but Tiger right fielder Avisaíl García threw out Coco Crisp at home plate as Crisp was attempting to score from second base. The Tigers tied the score at one in the bottom of the third.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 2
Miguel Cabrera hit his second double of the game, moved to third on a single by Prince Fielder, and scored on a slow roller to first off the bat of Delmon Young. Oakland retook the lead in the seventh inning when an RBI single by Cliff Pennington plated Seth Smith, but the lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the frame, Austin Jackson and Omar Infante each hit two-out singles. Miguel Cabrera followed with a short fly ball to center field, which a hard-charging Coco Crisp bobbled and dropped.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 2
Jackson and Infante both scored on the error, and the Tigers had their first lead of the game, 3–2. Detroit reliever Joaquín Benoit, however, failed to hold the lead in the next inning. Yoenis Cespedes singled and stole both second and third. With one out and the infield in, Benoit threw a wild pitch that scored Cespedes to tie the game at three. Josh Reddick then quickly untied it one batter later, with a home run to right.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 2
For the third time in the game, and fourth time in the series, the A's failed to hold a lead in the bottom of an inning that they had gained in the top of the same inning. Delmon Young greeted reliever Ryan Cook with a single, and was lifted for pinch runner Don Kelly. Jhonny Peralta followed with a single, sending Kelly to second. Kelly and pinch runner Danny Worth then moved up 90 feet (27 m) on a sacrifice bunt by Andy Dirks. Kelly scored on a Cook wild pitch, knotting the game at four.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 2
A's closer Grant Balfour was called upon in the ninth to keep the game tied, but could not succeed. After back-to-back one-out singles by Omar Infante and Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder was intentionally walked, bringing Don Kelly to the plate. Kelly, a .186 hitter during the regular season, delighted the home crowd by hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly to right that plated Infante with the winning run. Al Alburquerque got the win in relief, while Balfour took the loss.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 3
Returning home to Oakland, the A's took a 1–0 lead for the third time in the series, but this time it would not be relinquished. Coco Crisp led off the first inning with a single, and moved to second on a walk to Stephen Drew. Yoenis Céspedes followed with an RBI single to center that scored Crisp. Tiger starter Aníbal Sánchez avoided further damage by striking out Brandon Moss and getting Josh Reddick to ground into an inning-ending double play.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 3
The A's scored one more time off Sánchez when Seth Smith hit a homer in the fifth, giving the A's a 2–0 lead. That was all the scoring in this game, as the Tiger hitters could manage only four hits and no runs off starter Brett Anderson and three relievers. Grant Balfour redeemed himself from Game 2 by closing the door on the Tigers in the ninth for his first save of the series.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 3
The A's turned in several fine defensive plays as well, highlighted by Coco Crisp's over-the-wall catch in center field on a potential home run off the bat of Prince Fielder. Fielder was victimized later by Yoenis Céspedes, who robbed the Tiger first baseman of extra bases with a diving catch of a line drive in left-center.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 4
For the first time in the series, the Tigers took the first lead of the game. In the top of the third inning, Alex Avila doubled off A's starter A. J. Griffin, took third on a sacrifice bunt by Omar Infante, and scored on a single by Austin Jackson. Prince Fielder made it 2–0 in the fourth with a home run. The A's got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring an unearned run off Tiger starter Max Scherzer.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 4
Coco Crisp, who had reached on a Prince Fielder error and advanced to second on a wild pitch, scored on a double by Stephen Drew. Drew, however, was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. The Tigers got the run back in the top of the eighth. Omar Infante singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Jackson, and scored on a single by Avisaíl García. Tiger closer José Valverde was called upon in the ninth to protect the 3–1 lead, the same lead he had when earning the save in Game 1.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 4
But the A's greeted Valverde with three straight hits. A single by Josh Reddick and a double by Josh Donaldson were followed by a two-run double off the bat of Seth Smith that tied the game at three. It looked like the game might go into extra innings after Valverde got a pop out and a strikeout, but the A's—who had a league-leading 14 walk-off wins during the regular season—were not done. Coco Crisp hit a two-out, game-winning single to score Smith, sending the home crowd into a wild victory celebration.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 5
With the series on the line, the teams turned to their Game 1 starters—Justin Verlander for the Tigers and Jarrod Parker for the A's. As he had done so many times after a Tiger loss over the last few seasons, Verlander was the Tigers' stopper. The 2011 Cy Young and MVP winner allowed just four hits and a walk in a complete-game shutout, and only one Oakland baserunner made it as far as second base (Josh Donaldson in the eighth).


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 5
Verlander also struck out 11 batters for the second time in the series, giving him an ALDS record of 22 K's. The Tiger batters did all of their scoring in just two innings. Omar Infante led off the third inning with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an Austin Jackson double. Jackson advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Quintin Berry and scored on Parker's second wild pitch of the inning. In the top of the seventh, Jhonny Peralta led off with a single and stole second.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 5
One out later, Omar Infante singled to send Peralta to third, and Austin Jackson knocked in Peralta with a single off A's reliever Ryan Cook. Quintin Berry drew a walk to load the bases before Cook hit Miguel Cabrera with an 0–2 pitch to force in the Tigers' fourth run of the game. Prince Fielder followed with a run-scoring single off reliever Jerry Blevins, and Stephen Drew's error on a hard grounder by Delmon Young allowed Berry to score the sixth and final run of the game. The Tigers would move on to the ALCS for the second straight season.


2012 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Detroit, Game 5
This series was an inversion of the 1972 American League Championship Series between the same clubs. In that series. the Athletics won the first two games at Oakland, the Tigers won the next two at Detroit, but the Athletics won the deciding Game 5 2–1 at Tiger Stadium.


2012 American League Wild Card Game
The 2012 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 postseason played between the American League's (AL) two wild-card teams, the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles. It was held at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, on October 5, 2012, at 8:37 p.m. EDT. The Orioles won by a 5–1 score and advanced to play the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series. The game was televised on TBS.


2012 American League Wild Card Game, Game results, Line score
The Orioles scored their first run of the inaugural AL wild-card game when J. J. Hardy knocked in Nate McLouth, who reached second on first baseman Michael Young's error, with his RBI single. The Rangers answered in the same frame when Ian Kinsler scored on a double play grounder by Josh Hamilton with runners on first and third. After the first inning, both starters, Joe Saunders and Yu Darvish, pitched shutout baseball until the sixth inning when Adam Jones knocked in a run via a sacrifice fly after back-to-back singles by Hardy and Chris Davis.


2012 American League Wild Card Game, Game results, Line score
Darvish was charged with another run in the seventh via a Nate McLouth RBI single after a leadoff single by Ryan Flaherty and sacrifice bunt by Manny Machado. The Oriole relievers would prove enough to take care of the Rangers lineup the rest of the way. The Orioles scored two insurance runs off of Joe Nathan in the final frame on a leadoff double by Robert Andino, RBI single by Machado, and sacrifice fly McLouth to seal a 5–1 victory.


2012 American Samoa Republican presidential caucuses
The 2012 American Samoa Republican presidential caucuses was held on March 13, 2012. 70 registered Republicans selected six delegates in a closed-door meeting to represent the territory in the 2012 Republican National Convention. On March 14, 2012, Dr. Victor T. Tofaeono, the chair for the Republican Party of American Samoa, announced that all six delegates, along with three at-large delegates, had pledged their support to Mitt Romney.


2012 American Samoa Republican presidential caucuses, Results
The closed-door caucus, held at the Toa Bar & Grill restaurant, saw to the election of six delegates and three at-large delegates (Chair, National Committeeman and National Committeewoman) for the 2012 Republican National Convention. Seventy registered Republicans attended the caucus. However, the vote distribution was not released to the media.


2012 American Samoa Republican presidential caucuses, Results, At-Large Delegates
Dr. Tofaeno subsequently announced on March 14, 2012, that all nine delegates have pledged their support to Mitt Romney. “We're excited and look forward to the national convention to cast our nine delegate votes for Gov. Mitt Romney, the next President of the United States..”


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election
The 2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, for the open gubernatorial seat of American Samoa. The election coincides with the larger United States presidential elections, United States general elections and the American Samoa general election. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote on November 6, a runoff election was held on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, which was won by Independent candidate Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election
Six candidates sought election as the next Governor of American Samoa in 2012. Governor Togiola Tulafono was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election, Election background
The incumbent, Governor Togiola Tulafono, who had held office since 2003, was term-limited and could not seek re-election. Tulafono, who took office after the death of former governor Tauese Sunia, was elected to his first four-year term in 2004 and re-elected in the 2008 gubernatorial election.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election, Election background
All elections and candidates in American Samoa are nonpartisan, though Faoa Aitofele Sunia is affiliated with the Democratic Party. Slightly less than 17,000 American Samoans were eligible to vote in the 2012 election.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election, Candidates
Six candidates ran for the office of Governor of American Samoa.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election, Controversy
The gubernatorial ticket of Save Liuato Tuitele and Sandra King Young filed a petition in September 2012 against four other campaigns questioning their eligibility to run in the election. Tuitele and Young argued that the other four candidates had not resigned from their government jobs before beginning their political campaigns, as required by law. The four candidates challenged by the Tuitele campaign were gubernatorial candidates Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga and Salu Hunkin-Finau, as well as lieutenant governor candidates Taufete'e Faumuina Jr. and Le'i Sonny Thompson.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election, Controversy
The case was heard by the High Court of American Samoa, which turned down the petition allowing all candidates to remain in the election.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election, Endorsements
Outgoing Governor Togiola Tulafono endorsed his lieutenant governor, Faoa Aitofele Sunia, for governor in the six-way election.


2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election, Election results
Due to no candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election was held.


2012 American Samoan general election
General elections were held in American Samoa on 6 November 2012, alongside a referendum on giving the Fono veto power over the governor. Voters chose a new governor and lieutenant governor, twenty members for the American Samoa House of Representatives, and the Delegate to United States House of Representatives. Incumbent governor Togiola Tulafono was term-limited and could not seek re-election.


2012 American Samoan general election, American Samoa Fono
Voters elected twenty members to the American Samoa House of Representatives.


2012 American Samoan general election, Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
Voters will also choose American Samoa's delegate to the United States House of Representatives, who holds office for a two-year term. Incumbent Eni Faleomavaega won re-election to a 113th, two-year term.


2012 American Samoan general election, Referendum
Voters were asked "Should Article II, Sections 9 and 19 of the revised constitution of American Samoa be revised to give the Fono, rather than the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Interior, the power to override the Governors veto?"


2012 American Samoan general election, Referendum
The proposal would involve amending two parts of the constitution:


2012 American Society of Cinematographers Awards
The 27th American Society of Cinematographers Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom, honoring the best cinematographers of film and television in 2012.


2012 American Ultimate Disc League season
The 2012 American Ultimate Disc League season was the first season for the league. Each team was scheduled to play a 16-game schedule. The Philadelphia Spinners won the championship over the Indianapolis AlleyCats at the Pontiac Silverdome. After the season all but three teams (Detroit Mechanix, Indianapolis AlleyCats, and the Bluegrass Revolution) left or folded.


2012 American Ultimate Disc League season, Lawsuit
The first season of the AUDL was marred by controversy as the league sued two of its franchises, the Connecticut Constitution and the Rhode Island Rampage. The Connecticut Constitution were not allowed to play in the playoffs due to being fined $20,000 by the AUDL and refusing to pay. As a result, the Rhode Island Rampage become the second seed in the Eastern Division playoff game.


2012 American Ultimate Disc League season, Standings, Eastern Division
The Constitution were disqualified from the postseason due to unpaid fines.


2012 American Ultimate Disc League season, Standings, Western Division
T indicates top seed in the playoffs. P indicates a team advanced to the playoffs.


2012 Americas Rugby Championship
The 2012 Americas Rugby Championship season was the third season of the Americas Rugby Championship. It took place between 12 and 20 October 2012 in Langford, British Columbia. The tournament featured the same teams as in the 2010 version, Argentina Jaguars, Canada Selects, USA Selects, with the exception of Uruguay who replaced Tonga A. The Argentina Jaguars won the tournament going undefeated in three matches.


2012 Amputee Football World Cup
The 2012 Amputee Football World Cup, aka 2012 Amputee Soccer World Cup, was the 13th edition of the biannual international competition of amputee football national men's teams. It was organized by the World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF), and was held in Kaliningrad, Russia between October 7–14, 2012. The previous event took place in Argentina in 2010. Mexico was selected by majority vote on the WAFF 2012 Congress to host the next World Cup in 2014.


2012 Amputee Football World Cup
The competition was originally planned to be held in Japan. However, the venue was changed due to the April 2011 Fukushima earthquake.


2012 Amputee Football World Cup
Uzbekistan won the title for the three consecutive time, defeating the sixth-time champions Russia in the final. Turkey became bronze medalist before Argentina.


2012 Amputee Football World Cup, Participating nations
The original line-up of the competition changed as France and Brazil withdrew, and in their places Poland and Ukraine joined the 2012 World Cup.


2012 Amputee Football World Cup, Participating nations
Following twelve nations, including Uzbekistan as the defending world champion, competed in two divisions. The first two ranking teams in each division qualified for the semi finals.


2012 Amstel Curaçao Race
The 2012 Amstel Curaçao Race took place on 3 November 2012. It was the 11th edition of the Amstel Curaçao Race. The race was held on Curaçao, an island off the Venezuelan coast and spanned 73.6 km (45.7 mi). It was the only road bicycle race in which men and women competed against each other in the same race.


2012 Amstel Gold Race
The 2012 Amstel Gold Race was the 47th running of the Amstel Gold Race, a single-day cycling race. It was held on 15 April 2012 over a distance of 256.5 kilometres (159.4 miles) and was the eleventh race of the 2012 UCI World Tour season.


2012 Amstel Gold Race
The race was won by Astana rider Enrico Gasparotto after outsprinting several of his rivals to the finish on the Cauberg; it was his first Classics victory, and the first by an Italian rider in a one-day classic since Damiano Cunego won the 2008 Giro di Lombardia. Second place went to Lotto–Belisol's Jelle Vanendert, while Peter Sagan rounded out the podium placings for the Liquigas–Cannondale team. Two-time defending race winner Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) finished in the same time as Sagan, but was classified in sixth place.


2012 Amstel Gold Race, Teams
As the Amstel Gold Race was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Six other squads were given wildcard places into the race, and as such, formed the event's 24-team peloton.


2012 Anaheim, California police shooting and protests
The Anaheim police shootings and protests of July 2012 involve two fatal shootings by police officers in Anaheim, California, and subsequent public protests. On July 21, Manuel Diaz was shot and killed by Anaheim Police officer Nick Bennallack after he ran from the officers. Protests ensued after the shooting. On July 22, Joel Acevedo was shot and killed by Anaheim police in an alleged exchange of gunfire, making the seventh fatal officer-involved shooting in Anaheim in twelve months. Both shootings were ruled justified by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, but a federal jury later ruled Officer Bennallack guilty of excessive force.


2012 Anaheim, California police shooting and protests, First shooting
On July 21, 2012, 25-year-old Manuel Diaz was shot and killed by Anaheim Police officer Nick Bennallack in Anaheim, California. According to police officials, officers were responding to a call about men congregating in an alley when they saw Diaz leaning into a car speaking to the driver. When approached, Diaz ran. The police pursued and shot him in front of a nearby apartment complex. Police stated that Diaz was known to be a gang member - but not known to Bennallack - and claimed at one point to have seen him throw an object onto a roof. The police's story changed over time, and no item was ever found. Eventually, Diaz was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 7:00 p.m., about three hours after the shooting occurred.


2012 Anaheim, California police shooting and protests, Protests and second shooting
After the shooting, a crowd of local residents gathered around the crime scene. According to the police, the crowd began to throw objects at the police officers. Police then fired non-lethal munitions at the crowd. At one point, a police dog attacked several individuals. Junior Lagunas, 19, suffered puncture wounds from the police dog attack. The Anaheim police chief stated that the dog accidentally got free from a police car and apologized for the attack. Witnesses at the scene told a local journalist that the police were offering to buy cell phone videos.


2012 Anaheim, California police shooting and protests, Protests and second shooting
Further protests occurred in Anaheim, including protests at the police station and in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred.