A FINISH WITH A BANG SPIEZIO'S NINTH-INNING HOMER WINS IT FOR ANGELS ANGELS 7, TEXAS 6.

Byline: Frank Welch  Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - It has become the catch phrase of the 2000 season: ``The walk-off home run.''

The Angels' Scott Spiezio got into the swing of things by adding his name to the rapidly growing list of those who have ended games with one big swat.

Spiezio's one-out line-drive solo homer to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning off Texas Rangers reliever Francisco Cordero gave the Angels a come-from-behind 7-6 victory Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 27,012 at Edison Field.

His blast followed a game-tying solo shot from Troy Glaus.

While the term ``walk-off home run,'' essentially means that the other team leaves the field in a huff, it also means the star of the moment has to take a little pain and pleasure for his heroics once he touches home plate.

``I got pummeled at home plate,'' Spiezio said with a grin. ``I might have to have my neck re-adjusted. Hey, but I will take a little pain for nights like that.''

The Angels (19-20) had to rally from a 4-0 first-inning deficit to split their four-game series with Texas (17-20).

And it looked as if Anaheim, which rallied to tie the game at 5-5 with two more home runs from Mo Vaughn (both two-run shots to right that followed identical-looking doubles from Darin Erstad) and a solo shot from Garret Anderson, might be headed for its third straight loss.

The Angels bullpen had overcome the failed start of Jason Dickson, who lasted 1 1/3 innings while giving up five runs, six hits, three walks and a hit batter.

Anaheim's bullpen of Al Levine, Eric Weaver, Mark Petkovsek and Shigetoshi Hasegawa pitched one-hit shutout ball over the next 6 2/3 innings entering the ninth.

``The (starting) pitching staff is on the backs of the bullpen guys right now,'' said Dickson, who reported his health was fine. He was making his first start in two weeks since suffering a strained left hip flexor. ``Those guys were dealing, they were awesome.''

However, Hasegawa began his second inning of work facing pinch hitter Ivan Rodriguez, the Rangers' All-Star catcher who was given the day off behind the plate. He smacked Hasegawa's first pitch of the ninth over the left-field fence to the right of the bullpen area to give Texas its 6-5 lead.

The Angels crawled off the deck after Dickson's rocky first inning when Vaughn's 410-foot fly ball off Texas starter Esteban Loaiza landed in the right-field seats. Erstad, who registered his 21st multiple-hit game, started the Anaheim first by rolling a double past first base and down the right-field line.

Both Erstad and Vaughn did the same things in their second at-bats in the third inning. Vaughn's homer, his 13th of the season and fourth in seven at-bats, closed the gap to 5-4.

``He's legitimate, I knew that watching him from the other (National) League,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

``There are only a handful of guys in this league who make the players around them better, and Mo is one of them.''

Vaughn, the Angels' high-profile free-agent acquisition in 1999, said his health is making the difference.

``The biggest key, and you have to understand this too, is that I'm healthy now,'' said Vaughn, who wrenched an ankle on opening day last season while going into the opposing dugout in pursuit of a foul ball.

``Last year, I was basically playing on one leg. And I spent nine years in one ballpark (Boston's Fenway Park). And I'm just now starting to get comfortable here.''

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Photo: Mo Vaughn is congratulated by teammates after hitting a first-inning home run, the first of two he hit Sunday.

John Hayes/Associated Press