CALL ABBOTT AN ANGRY PITCHER AS ANGELS FALL TO YANKEES : NEW YORK 8, ANGELS 5.

Byline: Associated Press 

Angels starter Jim Abbott became flustered after a controversial call and Paul O'Neill took advantage.

O'Neill's three-run homer capped a five-run fifth inning that was aided by a close play at first base Friday night in the New York Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Angels.

Gerald Williams was ruled safe at first by umpire John Hirschbeck after grounding into a force play. Abbott (1-6) and his infielder teammates argued the call, which would have given them two outs had it gone in their favor. TV replays indicated their argument was valid.

``It ended up hurting us,'' Angels manager Marcel Lachemann said. ``From the dugout, bang-bang, you can't see if the throw beat him. But we have to pitch through those things, we can't let it be a five-run inning.''

With Williams at first and only one out, Derek Jeter singled before Matt Howard flied to right. With the inning alive, Tim Raines singled home Williams and Joe Girardi singled home Jeter to put the Yankees ahead 3-2 before O'Neill hit his fifth homer of the season.

``I don't want to talk about that play,'' Abbott said, visibly annoyed.

O'Neill raised his average to .383 and his RBI total to 26 with the double and his fifth homer.

``There are definitely nights when you feel better than other nights,'' O'Neill said. ``You go up there and you try to hit the ball hard.''

``Paul O'Neill is such a locked-in hitter right now, it's fun to watch him. I enjoy it because I know how tough it is to hit,'' said Yankees manager Joe Torre whose club has won three of its last four games.

``He wants five hits every four times at-bat.''

Andy Pettitte (6-2) allowed four runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out four in 7-1/3 innings. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his first major-league save.

O'Neill's RBI double put the Yankees ahead 1-0 in the first inning but Tim Salmon's RBI groundout in the fourth and ex-Yankee Randy Velarde's third homer, a solo shot, gave the Angels a 2-1 lead in the fifth.

Jeter's RBI triple finished Abbott and made it 7-2 in the sixth and Ruben Sierra's RBI single off reliever Jeff Schmidt made it 8-2 in the seventh.

The Angels' Jack Howell hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer off Jeff Nelson in the eighth to make it 8-5. The home run was his fourth of the season, and third as a pinch-hitter, which ties a club record.

Notes: The Angels claimed left-handed pitcher Brad Pennington on waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Pennington, 27, was 0-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings over 14 games with the Red Sox this season. He allowed only six hits and struck out 13, but issued 15 walks. . . .

Joe Adcock in 1966 and George Hendrick in 1987 also hit three pinch-hit homers for the Angels. . . . Abbott has now lost seven of his 12 career decisions against the Yankees but is still 4-3 as a visiting pitcher in New York. . . . Velarde homered in his first official at-bat against his former team after having walked in the third inning and received an ovation form the New York fans. . . . J.T. Snow's seventh inning single broke an 0-for-9 streak.

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PHOTO Yankees starter Andy Pettitte allowed four runs on se ven hits into the eighth inning, but it was enough to win.

Associated Press