#40
- Sept. 5, 2004: Molina with the no-look pass
By
Eric Denton, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
With
the Angels trailing the Oakland A's by three
games in early September, every game and every
out was huge.
This
particular day at Jacob's Field in Cleveland,
catcher Bengie Molina and pitcher Francisco Rodriguez
combined for one of the most impressive defensive
plays in Angels history.
In
the bottom of the eighth inning, the Halos clung
to a 2-1 lead on the back of an outstanding effort
by John Lackey. Then set-up man Rodriguez was
summoned to get the Angels out of a jam. With
the tying run, Cleveland's Ronnie Belliard, only
90 feet away and two outs, Rodriguez bounced
a slider that Molina blocked about 10 feet behind
him to the left. Belliard bolted for home.
The
Gold Glove catcher pounced on the ball and made
a no-look, behind-the-back throw to Rodriguez,
who was simultaneously sliding in to cover the
plate. All in the same motion, Rodriguez made
the catch and applied the tag. Belliard was out
at home and the Angels hung on for the victory.
"That
play," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia, "was
flat out unbelievable."
"Instincts," Francisco
Rodriguez added. "By far, that's the best
play we've ever made."
"We
do it sometimes joking around (in practice)," Molina
said. "This was no joke."
"It's
got to be one of the best plays I've seen," said
Lackey, for whom the play earned a victory.
Indeed,
it was one of the best plays ever which is why
it made this list. Clips of it are still shown
during highlight reels at Angel Stadium to this
day.
http://www.mlb.com/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20040905&content_id=848999&vkey=wrapup2004&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana
#39
- Nov. 8, 2005: Colon awarded Cy Young
By
Adam Dodge - Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Despite
the dynamic runs of Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana
in the '70s and the marvelous Angels careers
of guys like Mike Witt, Chuck Finley, Mark Langston
and Jim Abbott in the '80s and '90s, it had been
41 years since Dean Chance took home the Angels
franchise's only Cy Young award in 1964.
The
Angels had quite possibly their busiest off-season
before the 2004 campaign, signing four of the
most highly touted free agents, including Jose
Guillen and Kelvim Escobar, and top prizes, Vladimir
Guerrero and Bartolo Colon.
Guerrero
did not disappoint in 2004, taking home the American
League MVP award. A year later, after earning
a league best 21 victories against just 8 losses,
Colon became the second Angel to win a Cy Young
award, easily beating out Yankee closer, Mariano
Rivera and Twins ace, Johan Santana.
Without
the statistical dominance of Cy Young winners
past - Colon was eighth in the A.L. with a 3.48
ERA, tenth in complete games, seventh in innings
pitched and eighth in strikeouts - it was Colon's
consistency and ability to win that propelled
him to the A.L.'s top honor for pitchers in 2005.
While
a bad back and shoulder limited Colon to just
8 innings in the 2005 ALDS, and kept him out
of the ALCS altogether, his 2005 regular season
will go down as one of the greatest in Angels
history.
#38
- Trio of Hall of Fame moments
By
Geoff Bilau - Angelswin.com Editor
Sept.
17, 1984: Reggie hits No. 500
Aug. 4, 1985: Carew collects No. 3,000
June 18, 1986: Sutton wins No. 300
For
three consecutive seasons, one each year, Angels
fans were treated to a player reaching a Hall
of Fame milestone while wearing an Angels uniform.
More impressively, each accomplished the feat
at Anaheim Stadium.
First
up was Reggie Jackson. The self-proclaimed "straw
that stirs the drink" arrived in Anaheim
two years earlier, signing as a free agent and
bringing with him 425 home runs in 14 previous
seasons.
Jackson
immediately delivered to his billing, whopping
39 home runs in 1982 and helping the Angels clinch
their second division title. Jackson slumped
badly in 1983, batting .194 and hitting only
14 home runs. But he was now just 22 home runs
shy of 500.
In
the waning days of the 1984 season, with the
Angels in a pennant chase with the Twins and
Royals, Jackson's pursuit of No. 500 gave the
season some additional drama. In the seventh
inning of a foggy Monday night game against the
Royals, with the Angels trailing, 7-0, Jackson
connected, driving Bud Black's first pitch deep
over the right field fence. (It was one of only
three hits Black would allow the Angels on the
night.)
"My
first thought was, 'That's it,' " Jackson
told reporters after the game. "My second
was, I wish we could be winning. I wished it
could've been a seven-run homer to tie the score."
The
home run came 17 years to the day that Jackson
hit his first homer, as a member of the Kansas
City Athletics against the Angels at Anaheim
Stadium in 1967.
Jackson
would hit 123 of his 563 career homers for the
Angels, none more memorable than this one.
The
following August, Rod Carew was also chasing
baseball immortality. A seven-time batting champion
in 12 seasons with the Twins, Carew came to the
Angels in 1979 with 2,085 hits.
Though
he was never a great run producer for the Angels
as he had been with the Twins, Carew could still
bat .300 in his sleep and his .339 average in
1983 was a team record that held up for 17 years.
As
the 1985 season, and his career, wound down,
Carew landed himself in the exclusive 3,000-hit
club. With his patented slap swing, Carew lined
No. 3,000 to left field off Minnesota Twins lefty
Frank Viola. Most Angels fans can vividly recall
the image of Carew reaching up to secure his
helmet as he trotted to first base under a bright
Sunday afternoon sky.
"He
threw me a tough pitch (a slider down and away)," Carew
said. "If I hadn't stayed with that pitch
and taken it, I would have been called out on
a third strike. Fortunately, I was able to get
the bat on the ball and place it in left field."
Carew
retired following the 1985 season with 3,053
hits. His .314 average with the Angels is second
only to Vladimir Guerrero's .327.
And
finally, Don Sutton, in the midst of his 21st
Major League season, was closing in on his own
place in baseball history.
Acquired
during the Angels ultimately fruitless stretch
run in 1985, Sutton came to Anaheim having already
won 293 games. He won two more in 1985 and entered
the 1986 season five shy of the milestone.
On
a Wednesday night against the visiting Texas
Rangers, sitting on 299 victories, Sutton pitched
like a man half his age. Through six innings,
he'd allowed only one hit and carried a three-hitter
(one run) into the ninth.
More
than 37,000 fans climbed to their feet as Sutton
took the mound for the ninth inning. He quickly
retired Scott Fletcher and Oddibe McDowell on
flyouts. In a fitting finale, Sutton struck out
Gary Ward to end it. Sutton had pitched a complete
game, three-hitter to win his 300th game.
"It's
remarkable how time after time it's been proven
how special people do special things," manager
Gene Mauch said. "I imagine that Don is
proud that No. 300 was this kind of game rather
than just another win."
Sutton
won 15 games in 1986 and 11 in 1987 before finishing
his career back with the Dodgers in 1988, retiring
with 324 victories.
Carew
was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in
1991, his first year of eligibility. Jackson
was enshrined in 1993, also his first eligible
year, and Sutton in 1998. And though none of
these players went in representing the Angels,
their milestone moments will forever be part
of Angels lore.
#37
- Big Klu leads Angels to first victory
By
Victor Varadi - Angelswin.com Columnist
#37
- April 11, 1961: Big Klu leads Angels to first
victory
It
was a great story. Gene Autry had purchased an
expansion baseball franchise, naming it the Los
Angeles Angels. Then the reality set in.
The
Angels would have to field a team and then go
out and compete. Without free agency, the odds
were against any team in that era being able
to start from scratch and compete. This is not
the part of the story where the young scrappy
team goes on to win itself a championship in
its inaugural season - again, a great story,
but not part of the reality.
Not
only were the Angels expected to compete in the
tough American League, where the mighty Yankees
and the M and M boys, Maris and Mantle, were
perennial favorites for the Word Series crown,
but their first game would be against the Baltimore
Orioles, a team that would contend every year
until finally winning it all in 1966.
The
Angels were led by big Teddy Kluszewski, a .298
career hitter and 4-time All-Star who once cut
off the sleeves of his uniform to alleviate the
restrictions on his large biceps as he took rips
with the bat. But Kluszewski, who had 3 times
hit more than 40 homers and 8 times batted at
least .300, was at the end of his career and
had been so plagued by injuries that he was left
unprotected in the expansion draft. The Angels
made Big Klu their first baseman.
Kluszewski
was true to form in the curtain lifter of what
would turn out to be is final season. In the
first inning of the Angels inaugural game at
Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, Kluszewski came
to the plate with two outs and a young Albie
Pearson on first. The big lefthander hit a homer
down the right field line, quickly giving the
Angels their first ever lead. But Klu wasn't
done. In the second inning, he came to the plate
again, this time with two men on, and hit a blast
to deep right field that put the Angels up 6-0.
Bob Cerv would later add a solo homer and the
Angels went on to an easy 7-2 victory.
Kluszewski
finished the game 2-for-4 with two home runs
and 5 RBI. He would finish the season batting
.243 with 15 homeruns. The 1961 Angels won 70
games, the most ever by an expansion team in
its first year.
#36
- 1993: Salmon named Rookie of the Year
By
Chuck Richter - Angelswin.com Executive Editor
A
year after putting some hurtin' on Pacific Coast
League pitchers, hitting .347 with 29 home runs,
105 RBI and a ridiculous 1.141 OPS for the Edmonton
Trappers, the Kingfish headed upstream to Anaheim
and won a unanimous vote for the American League
Rookie of the Year Award in 1993 .
Salmon,
a notorious slow starter who holds the unique
distinction of having the most home runs of any
player never selected to an All-Star team, was
no different during his rookie campaign as he
started the '93 season in the shadow of rookie
sensation J.T. Snow, who got off to a tremendous
start. The second half was always much kinder
to Salmon, as it seemed that his bat heated up
with the weather and, boy, did he put a pounding
on the Texas Rangers.
Salmon,
not Snow, wound up winning the award, representing
a first for the California Angels. He batted
.283 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI, along with
35 doubles, 93 runs scored and a slugging percentage
of .536. He was also tied in A.L. outfield assists
with 12. Snow started the 1994 season in the
minors after struggling badly in the second half
of Salmon's ROY campaign.
Salmon
quickly became a favorite of the Angels organization
and a household name among the team's fans thereafter.
Timmy played a crucial role in the Angels' playoff
and World Series run in 2002, hitting two key
home runs in Game 2 of the World Series against
the San Francisco Giants, a moment in Angels
history that fans will never forget.
The
King Fish was hampered by injuries late in his
career and was forced to retire in 2006. Salmon
played his final game on Oct. 1, 2006, against
the Oakland Athletics. He is the Angels' all-time
leader in home runs (299), runs scored (983),
walks (965) and slugging percentage (.499). He
finished his career second in franchise history
with 1,012 RBI, behind only Garret Anderson.
To
this day, Tim Salmon remains the only Angels
player that has won a Rookie of the Year Award,
though when Angels fans remember him, it won't
be just the stats, big home runs or awards that
they think of, but Tim Salmon the person. Tim
Salmon was the quintessential gentleman of the
game of Baseball.
Career
Highlights, Awards, and Accolades:
*
Named 1992 Minor League Player of the Year by
Baseball America
* Named 1992 Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting News
* Named 1993 AL Rookie of the Year by Baseball Writers of America
* Named 1993 AL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News
* Named 2002 AL Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News
* Named outfielder on The Sporting News AL All-Star Team in 1995 and 1997
* Named outfielder on The Sporting News AL Silver Slugger Team in 1995
* Member of the World Series Champion Anaheim Angels in 2002
* Hit 30 or more home runs in five seasons
* Compiled a lifetime .883 OPS
#35
- July 15, 1973: Ryan throws second, most-dominant
no-hitter
By
Geoff Bilau - Angelswin.com Editor
Nolan
Ryan pitched far more than one man's fair share
of dominant games while wearing an Angels uniform,
including all of those games with 10 or more
strikeouts, six one-hitters and, of course, four
no-hitters - none, perhaps, more dominating than
this game in Detroit.
Two
months to the day after tossing his first no-no
in Kansas City, Ryan again seemed up to the task
from the get-go. He struck out seven of the first
10 Tigers he faced, including fanning the side
in the second inning.
A
Vada Pinson sacrifice fly in the third inning
gave the Angels an early 1-0 lead, but it would
be all Ryan would have to work with for most
of the game. On this day, it was plenty.
Ryan
fanned the side in the fourth and added two more
strikeouts in the fifth. In the seventh, he struck
out the side again.
In
the top of the eighth, the Angels erupted for
five runs and the drama over who would win the
game was mostly gone. But by this point, the
focus had shifted to the zero in the Tigers'
hit column and the 16 in their strikeout column.
Detroit
went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, the middle
out coming on Ryan's strikeout of shortstop Ed
Brinkman. It was Ryan's 17th strikeout of the
game, the highest total of any of his no-hitters
and one short of Bob Feller's American League
record at the time.
After
retiring Mickey Stanley on a groundout and Gates
Brown on a soft liner to start the ninth, Ryan
needed only to get 15-year veteran first baseman
Norm Cash to seal the deal. Having struck out
in each of his previous three plate appearances,
Cash strode up to home plate carrying not his
bat, but rather a table leg he'd grabbed from
the Tigers clubhouse.
The
umpire immediately ordered Cash to return with
a regulation bat, an order to which he begrudgingly
complied, telling the umpire it wasn't as if
it mattered anyway.
With
his regular bat, Cash hit a harmless pop up to
Angels shortstop Rudy Meoli and Ryan completed
the second no-hitter of his career.
"This
was definitely a bigger thrill than the first
one," Ryan said after the game. "I
had better stuff today and I knew what a no-hitter
meant. I was a little more nervous, but I probably
had as good as stuff today as I've had all year."
Ryan
thoroughly tamed the Tigers in 1973, finishing
the season 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA and 44 strikeouts
in 39 innings.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET197307150.shtml
#
34 - April 19, 1966, Official Opening of Anaheim
Stadium
By
Geoff Bilau and Eric Denton, Angelswin Editors
When
the Los Angeles Angels were born in 1961, home
was a more transient notion than a place for
them to call their own.
They
spent their inaugural season at tiny Wrigley
Field, a former minor league ballpark ill suited
for Major League play with its 345-foot power
alleys and paltry 20,457 seating capacity. The
next year, the Angels moved into newly constructed
Dodger Stadium, or Chavez Ravine as the American
Leaguers called it, where they appeared as sub
lessees who got to use the field while the "real" tenants
were away.
The
Angels needed their own home.
In
the ensuing years, Angels owner Gene Autry was
courted by many southland cities, including a
strong wooing from Long Beach, but eventually
settled on Anaheim, which offered a 160-acre
parcel near the intersection of three freeways.
Ground was broken Aug. 31, 1964, on the $24 million
facility, and 19 months later it was ready for
the Angels to move in.
The
new stadium featured 43,204 seats and outfield
dimensions derived from a scientific study intended
to insure offensive balance. But the real calling
card was the $1 million "Big A" scoreboard
in left field. At 230 feet, it was the tallest
structure in Orange County at the time and featured
a state-of-the-art video display that could not
only show fans the score and lineups, but also
lead cheers and highlight statistical milestones.
The
Angels hosted the San Francisco Giants for a
pre-season exhibition at their new stadium on
April 9, 1966, during which Willie Mays hit the "unofficial" first
home run in Anaheim Stadium history.
Ten
days later, the stadium officially opened Major
League play, with Tommy John and the White Sox
facing off against Marcelino Lopez and the Angels.
Outfielder Rick Reichardt connected for a solo
home run, the stadium's first, in the second
inning, giving the Angels a lead they'd hold
until the sixth. But the Sox tied it on a Tommie
Agee solo homer in the sixth and took the lead
with two in the eighth to hand the Angels a 3-1
defeat in their home opener. Jim Fregosi's first
inning double was the stadium's first hit.
The
Angels notched their first Anaheim home victory
the next night, defeating the White Sox, 4-3,
in 11 innings.
The
new location and facility were both a hit with
fans. The Angels drew only 566,727 fans during
the 1965 season at Chavez Ravine, but nearly
tripled that figure to 1.4 million their first
year in Anaheim.
Since
that first season, the venue has hosted the 1967
and 1989 MLB All-Star Game and the 2006 World
Baseball Classic. It has also witnessed Hall
of Fame achievements such as Don Sutton's 300th
victory, Rod Carew's and George Brett's 3000th
hits, and Reggie Jackson's 500th home run. While
tenets in Anaheim/Edison Field/Angels Stadium,
the Angels have won six division titles and one
World Series Championship.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL196604190.shtml
#33
- June 2, 2004: Guerrero's monster night
By
Adam Dodge, Angelswin Senior Writer
If
2004 was the "Year of Vlad," then June
2 was Independence Day, Christmas morning and
New Years Eve all rolled into one. Vladimir Guerrero
won the 2004 American League MVP in large part
due to his monstrous performances down the stretch,
but there was no better day for Bad Vlad than
the one he gave the Angels against the Boston
Red Sox in early June.
With
Red Sox ace and future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez
on the mound, runs would certainly seem to be
at a premium. Unfortunately for Pete and the
Sox, no one told Vladdy, who torched Boston,
driving in nine runs, a Angels franchise record
at the time, to lead the Angels to a 10-7 victory.
Guerrero
got started early, hitting a two-run homer to
left field in the first.
With
the score knotted, 2-2, in the bottom of the
third, Guerrero stepped to the plate with two
men on and laced a double into left, scoring
both Chone Figgins and David Eckstein.
Down,
7-4, in the fourth inning, Guerrero came up with
the bases loaded and lined a ball sharply to
Red Sox right fielder Kevin Millar. Bengie Molina
scored on the sacrifice fly. It was Boston 7,
Guerrero 5.
With
the Angels still trailing in the bottom of the
sixth inning by the same 7-5 score, Guerrero
once again entered the batter's box, this time
with two men on, and ripped a Mike Timlin offering
just over the green wall in left center field.
Guerrero's three-run shot and second home run
of the game gave the Angels an 8-7 lead. Guerrero
had driven in all eight Angels runs.
An
inning later, after an Eckstein hit-and-run double
into right center field scored Bengie Molina
from first base - one of the game's other miraculous
events - Figgins singled, setting the table for
Guerrero to drive in his team-record ninth RBI
of the game. Guerrero delivered with a sharp
single just out of the reach of Boston shortstop
Pokie Reese to push Eckstein home for the fourth
time in the game.
As
a fan in attendance at the Big A that night,
I can honestly say it was the single greatest
performance I'd ever seen on a baseball field.
I was glad to share the moment with my father
from the right field terrace section.
A
little later in the list, we'll feature the man
who broke Guerrero's record.
Stay
tuned.
#32
- May 17, 1989: Rookie Abbott bests Clemens
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin Editor
No
Angels draft pick arrived with more notoriety
and instantaneous fan support than Jim Abbott.
Even before the team made the lefthander its
first-round pick (No. 8 overall) in the June
1988 amateur draft, Abbott was already known
outside of strictly baseball circles. And when
he led the 1988 U.S. Olympic team to the gold
medal at the Summer Games in Seoul, Korea, he
became a household name.
His
exploits on the baseball field, of course, lent
to Abbott's celebrity, but not as much as the
fact he accomplished all of them without a right
hand. Born with a genetic defect, Abbott overcame
his disability and became an inspiration to thousands
of children and adults living with disabilities
around the world.
Following
the 1988 draft and Olympics, Abbott arrived at
Angels spring training in Palm Springs, Calif.,
having never thrown a pitch as a professional.
There was some question entering camp as to where
Abbott, 26-8 in three years at the University
of Michigan, would begin the season: in the minor
leagues or in the Angels rotation?
When
the Angels broke camp, they took Abbott with
them to Anaheim, making him the 15th player to
make his professional debut in the Major Leagues.
Abbott lost his first start, 7-0, April 8 at
home to future teammate Mark Langston and the
Seattle Mariners. He earned his first victory
April 24 at home against the Baltimore Orioles.
Heading
into his May 17 match up in Anaheim with two-time
Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, Abbott had
experienced mixed results, entering with a 2-3
record and 4.50 ERA. Had the Angels misjudged
the lefty's preparedness for big league hitters?
Did he need more seasoning in the minor leagues?
Abbott
answered both questions with a resounding "No."
The
Red Sox went down in order in the first and Clemens
retired Angels leadoff hitter Claudell Washington
on a strikeout to start the Angels half. But
then Johnny Ray and Devon White singled and Wally
Joyner drew a two-out walk to load the bases
for Chili Davis, who doubled down the left field
line to clear the bases. Catcher Lance Parrish
followed with a blast to deep left field, giving
Abbott and the Angels a 5-0 first inning lead.
Clemens
began the third inning by issuing a walk to Brian
Downing and single to Joyner before being pulled
for reliever Dennis Lamp. The outing was the
shortest of Clemens' career to that point.
Abbott,
on the other hand, was dominant. He got into
a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth, but Jim
Rice lined into a double play to end the inning.
Only two Red Sox reached base the rest of the
game.
As
Abbott came out to pitch the ninth inning, the
Anaheim Stadium crowd of 31,230 stunned fans
rose to its feet to cheer the rookie on. Not
only had the mighty Roger Clemens been rudely
dispatched in the third inning, but also the
kid for whom everybody liked so much to cheer
was three outs from his first complete game and
shutout.
The
inning began with a Wade Boggs come backer that
Abbott was unable to field cleanly for an infield
hit. The crowd briefly stirred, wondering if
the miscue would throw off Abbott's concentration.
Their fears were soon quelled, however, as Abbott
used his cut fastball to induce Marty Barrett
into a 5-4-3 double play.
And
when Ellis Burks grounded out to third, the crowd
erupted. Abbott (9 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K) had the
shutout, Clemens lost for the first time at Anaheim
Stadium and the Angels improved to 26-13 on the
year. With the shutout, the Angels' ninth of
the season, Abbott lowered his ERA almost a full
run to 3.56.
For
Abbott, it was the best game of a rookie season
that saw him post a 12-12 record with a 3.92
ERA, good for fifth in A.L. Rookie of the Year
voting. The 21-year-old had proven he belonged
in the big leagues and would soon cement his
status as a fan favorite with his infectious
smile, selfless personality, inspirational attitude
and, oh yeah, some pretty darn good pitching
in subsequent seasons with the Angels.
But
for this fan, the night Abbott beat Clemens will
always be one of the greatest moments in Angels
history.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL198905170.shtml
#31
- Wally World Opens In Anaheim
By
Eric Denton, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
"WALLY!
WALLY! WALLY!"
In
1986, the tenure of long-time All-Star first
baseman Rod Carew came to an end and Angels fans
finally had a home grown star to call their own.
Wallace
Keith Joyner burst onto the scene and nearly
won the 1986 Rookie of the Year Award. Joyner,
with his free and easy left handed swing, put
up some impressive numbers batting .290 with
22 home-runs and 100 RBI while the Angels as
a team conquered the AL West for their third
division title.
It
wasn't only California Angels fans that embraced
Joyner. Wally was the first rookie voted in as
a starter for an MLB All-Star Game, beating out
the Yankees Don Mattingly, who'd driven in 145
runs and been named the American League MVP the
year before. Joyner enjoyed the honor of batting
third for the American League squad, which won
the game, 3-2, at Houston's Astrodome.
Joyner
also thrilled fans by tying New York Mets phenom
Daryl Strawberry in the All-Star Home Run Derby.
Joyner
followed up his rookie campaign with an even
better season in 1987. His home run totals went
up to 34 and he drove in 117 runs. Joyner continued
to man first base for the Angels until the 1991
season, during which he had his last big year
in the big leagues, hitting .301 with 21 homers
and 96 RBI.
After
the '91 season, Joyner left the Angels as a free
agent for the Kansas City Royals. He also played
for the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves.
But in 2001, Wally returned home to the then
Anaheim Angels.
On
June 14, 2001, Joyner played the final game of
his career and retired from the game as an Angel.
Joyner is now the batting coach for the San Diego
Padres, but he will forever be one of ours in
the hearts and minds of Angels fans.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL198905170.shtml
