Twenty-one Years ago tonight!

[Chuck]

Oct. 27, 2002: The Anaheim Angels are THE Champions of Baseball | Top-50 Greatest Moments in Angels Baseball

By now, most Angels fans can recite Rory Markas’ call verbatim:

“Here’s the pitch to Lofton. Fly ball, center field. Erstad says he’s got it. Erstaaaaaad MAKES THE CATCH! The Anaheim Angels are the champions of baseball!”

When the Angels’ unofficial team captain settled under and clasped his glove around that most precious of final outs, it was the culmination of many things: an incredible World Series comeback; a riveting postseason run; an unprecedented 99 win regular season; the antidote for heartbreaking collapses in 1995, 1986 and 1982; a delivery on the promise of 1979; and the realization of a dream first dared to be dreamt in 1961.

The textbook version is simply that the Angels reached the pinnacle of their sport 42 seasons after their pursuit began. But to the fans, players, coaches and front office people who followed the Angels for any significant amount of time, of course the emotions run immensely deeper.

For me, it actually required a season or two of separation before I could truly appreciate the significance. Don’t get me wrong; I was as elated as anybody when the confetti and streamers came raining down upon us following Erstad’s catch.

But maybe I’d already spent all the emotion I could spare the day before, when I witnessed the birth of my first child and the rebirth of the Angels World Series hopes all within a span of about six hours. Or perhaps it was because even before the first pitch, the Game 7 victory truly seemed like a foregone conclusion following the previous night’s drama; and when was ANYTHING positive for the Angels a given during their first 41 seasons?

And that’s what struck me after the World Series championship had really sunk in – it happened, and it could happen again. Previously, I honestly wasn’t sure it ever would. Now, I believe it will again.

And while I think the moment when I first knew they were actually going to play in the World Series will always rank as the most emotional high in my years of being an Angels fan, in retrospect I’m so glad they went ahead and won it all while they were there. I mean all the greatest stories have a happy ending, don’t they?

Champions of baseball … yeah, that’ll do.

https://www.angelswin.com/blogs/entry/3061-top-50-greatest-moments-in-angels-baseball/
 

[Angels 1961]

ERSTAD MAKES THE CATCH

[Jason]

Wow! Sure doesn’t seem like it was that long ago. 

[Erstad Grit]

Maybe we develop a pattern of winning after the Dbacks??????

[T.G.]

I was there. Such a great memory. Hope we get to experience it again.

[AngelStew43]

Still the loudest place I have ever been.  My ears were ringing for two days after that game. 

[Jay]

3 hours ago, Jason said:

Wow! Sure doesn’t seem like it was that long ago. 

Seems like a long time ago to me.

[Dtwncbad]

2 hours ago, T.G. said:

I was there. Such a great memory. Hope we get to experience it again.

I had tickets to game six.  At the time I knew I could not afford tickets to both game six and game seven.

I realized that if I went to game six and they won, that I would instantly know that I wish I had gone to game 7 instead of game six!

So I sold my game six tickets in the parking lot, bought game seven tickets, and watched game 6 on TV.

The thrill of game seven!!  It was the right move for sure. 

[Dtwncbad]

Just a note on the anniversary. . . 

I don’t like that baseball has drifted into November.  The World Series, to me anyway, is OCTOBER!!!!!!!

 

[ELEVEN]

I was there for games 6 & 7.

Game 7 ended somewhere between 8 and 9pm and I didn't even get to my car in the lot until close to 3am.

All of Anaheim lost our minds that night!

[Taylor]

I went to game 1. My uncle and my dad went to game 7.

I was 13 at the time and remember watching both games 6 and 7 at my friend's house.

[ScottT]

5 hours ago, ELEVEN said:

I was there for games 6 & 7.

Game 7 ended somewhere between 8 and 9pm and I didn't even get to my car in the lot until close to 3am.

All of Anaheim lost our minds that night!

8:19

 

 

[Tank]

On 10/27/2023 at 2:20 PM, ELEVEN said:

Game 7 ended somewhere between 8 and 9pm and I didn't even get to my car in the lot until close to 3am.

i had no idea you walked so slowly.

[ELEVEN]

37 minutes ago, Tank said:

i had no idea you walked so slowly.

I stopped to pee.

[Blarg]

On 10/27/2023 at 1:30 PM, Dtwncbad said:

I had tickets to game six.  At the time I knew I could not afford tickets to both game six and game seven.

I realized that if I went to game six and they won, that I would instantly know that I wish I had gone to game 7 instead of game six!

So I sold my game six tickets in the parking lot, bought game seven tickets, and watched game 6 on TV.

The thrill of game seven!!  It was the right move for sure. 

Game six was the World Series win, seven was a formality. 

[CaliAngel]

"Erstad says he's got it!"

Goddamn how do I still get goosebumps thinking about that night. Just absolutely amazing.

Watched at a friend's house and we could hear the thundersticks roaring from the stadium when we stood on his front porch...

[Halo in Chicago]

I was in Florida on my honeymoon. Wife had fallen asleep and I turned on the game to catch the last 3 out  

[T.G.]

13 hours ago, Halo in Chicago said:

I was in Florida on my honeymoon. Wife had fallen asleep and I turned on the game to catch the last 3 out  

Happy Anniversary to you!

[Dtwncbad]

17 hours ago, Halo in Chicago said:

I was in Florida on my honeymoon. Wife had fallen asleep and I turned on the game to catch the last 3 out  

Sounds a little more like 12 years into the marriage. 

[Tank]

On 10/28/2023 at 10:01 PM, ELEVEN said:

I stopped to pee.

at my age, i completely understand this. 

carry on.

[ELEVEN]

4 hours ago, Tank said:

at my age, i completely understand this. 

carry on.

I haven't stopped.

[Tank]

6 hours ago, ELEVEN said:

I haven't stopped.

don't forget to tap.

[T.G.]

TMI

[ELEVEN]

On 10/30/2023 at 9:51 PM, Tank said:

don't forget to tap.

I'll tap your shoulder when I'm done 

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

Glad I got to see the Angels win one before I became angry man shakes fist at cloud.