milky_way
09-26-2002, 08:53 PM
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20020926&content_id=138333&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp
Angels earn first postseason appearance since 1986
By Doug Miller / MLB.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- For the first time in 16 years, the Angels are going to the playoffs.
Anaheim (97-62) clinched its first postseason appearance since 1986 with a 10-5 victory Wednesday over the Texas Rangers in front of 21,774 at The Ballpark in Arlington.
The win eliminated the Seattle Mariners from playoff contention. Going into today's action, Seattle trailed the Angels by four games, with four games to play in the regular season.
Anaheim had lost its last four -- two to Seattle, two to Texas -- to allow the Mariners to whittle an eight-game lead down to four.
But a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by a Garret Anderson three-run homer, broke open a 2-2 tie and powered the Angels to victory.
The Angels now head home to Anaheim to host Seattle for a three-game set. That series -- and division-leading Oakland's three games in Texas -- will determine whether Anaheim wins the American League West division and the right to host the Minnesota Twins in the division series that begins Tuesday, Oct. 1, or takes the Wild Card and travels to New York for a series against the Yankees.
Oakland leads Anaheim by 2 1/2 games in the division. The A's play in Seattle on Thursday night, and if Seattle wins, Oakland will lead the Angels by two games with three to play.
The Angels got off to a slow start offensively against Texas rookie starter Colby Lewis (1-3), but the Rangers got to Anaheim's rookie right-hander, John Lackey (9-4), in the second inning.
Former Angel Todd Greene blasted a 2-2 Lackey pitch 397 feet into the left-field bleachers for his ninth home run of the year, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
The Angels fought back in the fourth.
After Darin Erstad's leadoff fly ball was dropped by left fielder Mike Lamb for an error, Anderson drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second. Brad Fullmer then doubled into the right-field corner, tying the game at 1.
The next batter, Troy Glaus, grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring another run and putting the Angels ahead, 2-1.
That lead didn't last very long, though. In fact, it lasted all of one pitch.
That's all Herbert Perry needed to open the bottom of the fourth with his 22nd homer of the year, a solo bolt to right-center that tied the game at 2-2.
Anaheim, however, didn't waste any time taking control of the game once again, mounting the decisive rally in the top of the fifth.
Adam Kennedy led off with a single, Eckstein worked a walk, and Erstad sacrifice-bunted them to second and third.
Tim Salmon followed with an RBI infield single that gave Anaheim a 3-2 lead, and Anderson drilled a 1-0 pitch 417 feet into the grassy knoll beyond the center-field wall to make it 6-2.
It was Anderson's 29th homer of the year and his 194th hit of the season, which ties the career high he set last year. Anderson now has 122 RBIs this year, one short of his career high, also set last season.
Lackey was pulled after giving up singles to Rafael Palmeiro and Perry to start the sixth, but the rookie got the win after going 5-plus innings and surrendering three runs on seven hits, while striking out four and walking one.
The Rangers made it somewhat interesting in the sixth, when Hank Blalock hit an RBI single off reliever Brendan Donnelly to cut Anaheim's lead to 6-3, but Donnelly retired Ruben Rivera to escape that inning.
The Angels put the game on ice in the top of the seventh with a pair of two-run homers -- Salmon's 22nd of the year and Scott Spiezio's 12th.
Lewis took the loss after going 4 1/3 innings and giving up six runs -- four earned -- on five hits, walking four and fanning four.
The Rangers added a run in the bottom of the eighth, when Donnie Sadler was hit by a Ben Weber pitch with the bases loaded, and another in the ninth, when Lamb led off with his ninth homer of the year off Angels closer Troy Percival. But Percival got the final three outs -- two by strikeout -- to close out the Rangers.
Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com and can be reached at doug.miller@mlb.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Angels earn first postseason appearance since 1986
By Doug Miller / MLB.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- For the first time in 16 years, the Angels are going to the playoffs.
Anaheim (97-62) clinched its first postseason appearance since 1986 with a 10-5 victory Wednesday over the Texas Rangers in front of 21,774 at The Ballpark in Arlington.
The win eliminated the Seattle Mariners from playoff contention. Going into today's action, Seattle trailed the Angels by four games, with four games to play in the regular season.
Anaheim had lost its last four -- two to Seattle, two to Texas -- to allow the Mariners to whittle an eight-game lead down to four.
But a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by a Garret Anderson three-run homer, broke open a 2-2 tie and powered the Angels to victory.
The Angels now head home to Anaheim to host Seattle for a three-game set. That series -- and division-leading Oakland's three games in Texas -- will determine whether Anaheim wins the American League West division and the right to host the Minnesota Twins in the division series that begins Tuesday, Oct. 1, or takes the Wild Card and travels to New York for a series against the Yankees.
Oakland leads Anaheim by 2 1/2 games in the division. The A's play in Seattle on Thursday night, and if Seattle wins, Oakland will lead the Angels by two games with three to play.
The Angels got off to a slow start offensively against Texas rookie starter Colby Lewis (1-3), but the Rangers got to Anaheim's rookie right-hander, John Lackey (9-4), in the second inning.
Former Angel Todd Greene blasted a 2-2 Lackey pitch 397 feet into the left-field bleachers for his ninth home run of the year, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
The Angels fought back in the fourth.
After Darin Erstad's leadoff fly ball was dropped by left fielder Mike Lamb for an error, Anderson drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second. Brad Fullmer then doubled into the right-field corner, tying the game at 1.
The next batter, Troy Glaus, grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring another run and putting the Angels ahead, 2-1.
That lead didn't last very long, though. In fact, it lasted all of one pitch.
That's all Herbert Perry needed to open the bottom of the fourth with his 22nd homer of the year, a solo bolt to right-center that tied the game at 2-2.
Anaheim, however, didn't waste any time taking control of the game once again, mounting the decisive rally in the top of the fifth.
Adam Kennedy led off with a single, Eckstein worked a walk, and Erstad sacrifice-bunted them to second and third.
Tim Salmon followed with an RBI infield single that gave Anaheim a 3-2 lead, and Anderson drilled a 1-0 pitch 417 feet into the grassy knoll beyond the center-field wall to make it 6-2.
It was Anderson's 29th homer of the year and his 194th hit of the season, which ties the career high he set last year. Anderson now has 122 RBIs this year, one short of his career high, also set last season.
Lackey was pulled after giving up singles to Rafael Palmeiro and Perry to start the sixth, but the rookie got the win after going 5-plus innings and surrendering three runs on seven hits, while striking out four and walking one.
The Rangers made it somewhat interesting in the sixth, when Hank Blalock hit an RBI single off reliever Brendan Donnelly to cut Anaheim's lead to 6-3, but Donnelly retired Ruben Rivera to escape that inning.
The Angels put the game on ice in the top of the seventh with a pair of two-run homers -- Salmon's 22nd of the year and Scott Spiezio's 12th.
Lewis took the loss after going 4 1/3 innings and giving up six runs -- four earned -- on five hits, walking four and fanning four.
The Rangers added a run in the bottom of the eighth, when Donnie Sadler was hit by a Ben Weber pitch with the bases loaded, and another in the ninth, when Lamb led off with his ninth homer of the year off Angels closer Troy Percival. But Percival got the final three outs -- two by strikeout -- to close out the Rangers.
Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com and can be reached at doug.miller@mlb.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.