 The AL entered the game on a nine-game unbeaten streak (eight wins, with one tie in 2002).Many analysts saw the disparity between the leagues as more pronounced than ever this season, particularly due to the AL's dominance during interleague play, compiling a 154–98 record, the best record for either league in the ten-year history of interleague play.Players in "italics" have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.