THE ANGELS AWAIT
Yankees to meet Angels in Anaheim after loss to Red Sox




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
October 2, 2005

Anaheim - It’s official! All the slots for the playoffs have been filled. The Boston Red Sox didn’t need to depend on another Cleveland Indians loss to the Chicago White Sox to go to the playoffs. They took matters into their own hands by hanging a 10 spot on their nemesis from New York beating the Yankees 10-1 before a grateful and raucous crowd at Fenway Park on Sunday. The victory insured the Red Sox the wildcard slot and a trip to Chicago to take on the other Sox.

The other wildcard race in the National League was also decided Sunday as the Houston Astros slipped into the final playoff bracket by beating the Chicago Cubs 6-4 at Wrigley Field. With the win all destinations have been determined for Game 1 of the League Divisional Series. It will go as follows:

American League:

New York Yankees @ L.A. Angels

Boston Red Sox @ Chicago White

National League:

San Diego Padres @ Atlanta Braves

Houston Astros @ St. Louis Cardinals

For a complete listing of telecasts and game times you can go to the official Major League Baseball site at www.mlb.com for information.

With the loss to the Red Sox the Yankees have jumped out of the frying pan and straight into the proverbial fire. A victory by the Yankees would have insured them of a Round One home field advantage against these same Angels. However, the Red Sox beat on the Yankees pitching corps like a bongo drum touching up starter Jaret Wright and six relievers for 10 runs on eleven hits. The Red Sox hit out three home runs off various Yankees pitchers to put the game out of reach. The New Yorkers will now have to pack their bags and fly to Anaheim where Mike Scoscia and his team await.

The last time these two teams met in Anaheim the Angels took 3 out of 4 games and that was while they weren’t hitting or playing very well after the all-star break. The Yankees managed to escape an embarrassing four-game sweep by the Halos by eking out a win in the last game.

It is well documented how tough this scrappy group from Orange County, California plays the Yankees. In the Joe Torre era only the Angels have had a winning record against the teams he’s managed.

Let’s not forget the ALDS in 2002. New York had just won their 5th straight division title and was a heavy favorite to beat a team that had never won a playoff series. Three times before (1979, 1982, and 1986) the Angels were knocked out of the playoffs. The Yankees had won 103 wins that year. They were also coming off four straight appearances in the World Series where New York had amassed a 3-1 record. The Yankees also boasted a starting pitching staff of Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and David Wells. Who would you have placed your money on?

The Yankees started Game 1 of the 2002 ALDS at Yankee Stadium with Roger Clemens on the mound, but the Angels roughed him up 4 runs in 5-2/3 innings. The Angels hung in with the Bombers and actually led 5-4 going into the 8th inning. The Yankees first tied the score and then Bernie Williams homered with two on to give the Yankees an 8-5 win. That was the last win the Yankees would see.

The Angels took the second game at Yankee Stadium with an 8-6 victory. The team from Anaheim flew home with a split and a jet full of confidence. The heavily favored Yankees were reeling. Now it was a best-of-three series and the Angels had home field advantage. They wasted no time in taking care of the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees were swept out of the ALDS by the Angels winning both games at home. Game 4 was particularly embarrassing as the Angels scored eight runs in the 5th inning off starter David Wells in route to a 9-5 win. The vaunted Yankees were dismissed from the playoffs by the upstart Halos.

The Angels went into the ALCS against the Minnesota Twins and rolled to the American League Championship by besting the Twins four games to one. After 42 years of coming up short the then Anaheim Angels were going to their first World Series.

The 2002 World Series was a hard fought, seven-game affair that pitted the Angels against the San Francisco Giants. The Giants were coming off an impressive playoff run of their own. They beat a very determined Atlanta Braves team in five games to win the NLDS. They moved on to the National League Championship Series where they bested another National League heavyweight the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.

The 2002 World Series was a classic. Game 6 was a game for the ages. With the Giants leading the series three games to two the series shifted back to Anaheim where all the Giants had to do was win the game and claim their first World Series title since 1954 when the team was known as the New York Giants.

It appeared in Game 6 the Angels magic run had finally come to an end. They entered the bottom of the 7th inning down 5-0 behind the pitching of Russ Ortiz. The Angels got busy and touched Ortiz up for 2 runs. He was replaced by Felix Rodriguez who gave up another run. The Game was suddenly 5-3 going into the top of the 9th inning. Angels Manager Mike Scoscia brought in his closer Troy Percival to hold down the Giants. Percy got the job done as he set the Giants down in order, giving his team a last chance to keep the series going. His offense didn’t disappoint.

The Angels got their last licks in and scored 3 times in the bottom of the 9th inning to turn a 5-0 sure loss into a 6-5 Halos victory. The Angels lived to fight another day and the champagne in the visitor’s clubhouse remained corked.

The Game 6 loss took all of the air out of the San Francisco Giants. Game 7 was a mere formality as the Giants quietly slipped away into the Orange County sunset losing 4-1 giving the Angels their first ever world championship.

The Angels have always been a constant thorn in the side of the New York Yankees. Whether they have been in last place or first place they always give the New Yorkers their best. Expect this playoff series to be no different. The Angels are back-to-back AL West Division Champs. After being ousted out of the playoffs last year by the Boston Red Sox they’d like nothing better than to exact some old fashion butt kicking on the Yankees. Those same Red Sox are responsible for setting up this upcoming series.

The Yankees have their work cut out for them. They come into Anaheim facing a very hot Angels club. The Yankees are hot too. Both teams posted 19-9 records in September, but the Angels won the head-to-head series against the Yankees this year six games to four. Additionally, the Yankees will face Cy Young candidate Bartolo Colon (21-8, 3.48 ERA) in Game 1. Colon is 4-4 lifetime against the Yankees, but won his only outing against them this year.

The Yankees will counter with Mike Mussina (13-8, 4.41 ERA). Mussina recently came off a three week stint on the DL with a sore right elbow. The Moose is 1-2 this year against the Angels, but is 14-8 lifetime.

On paper the Angels have the advantage in the pitching department with a team ERA of 3.67 good for third in the American League. The Yankees team ERA is nearly a run higher at 4.48. The Yankees have a slight advantage in team batting averages with a team average of .276 versus a .270 average for the Angels. The Yankees have the power numbers in team SLG% (.451 to .409), OBP (.335 to .325), home runs (229 to 146) and RBI (853 to 720).

It is said that good pitching will always beat good hitting. The Yankees hope that view doesn’t hold true in this short series. The Yankees starters will have to step up big time in order to keep their team in the hunt. If the Angels get to the Bombers leaky bullpen early it could be a very short series. The first pitch is scheduled for about 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Enjoy the game and the playoffs.


PLAY BALL!


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