DOUBLE PLAY ANDERSON FINISHES WHAT GUERRERO GOT STARTED AS ANGELS WIN DIVISION TITLE ANGELS 5, ATHLETICS 4.Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer OAKLAND - They saw seemingly every part of their machine break down except the indispensable one, eventually learning that a team can be carried by a superstar while maintaining the selfless nature that made them champions before. And so the Angels came together in just the nick of time, winning seven times in eight games to earn their afternoon of glory on Saturday, when heroes old and new rallied twice to erase two-run deficits and wrest wrest tr.v. wrest·ed, wrest·ing, wrests 1. To obtain by or as if by pulling with violent twisting movements: wrested the book out of his hands; wrested the islands from the settlers. the American League West The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. title from the Oakland Athletics “Philadelphia Athletics” redirects here. For other uses, see Philadelphia Athletics (disambiguation). The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. . Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic), and known in his native Dominican Republic as Miquéas (Spanish for Micah), is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. provided the wake-up call, breaking up former USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. and Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. standout Barry Zito's shutout with a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Darin Erstad Darin Charles Erstad (born June 4, 1974 in Jamestown, North Dakota) is a first baseman/center fielder in Major League Baseball currently with the Chicago White Sox. Prior to 2007, he had played his entire career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise (1996-2006). provided the revival, drilling a first-pitch, two-run double off Ricardo Rincon to tie it again in the eighth. And Garret Anderson Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972 in Los Angeles, California) is a Major League Baseball left fielder who has played his entire career for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. , who started this resurrection eight days ago, finished it with a single that drove in Erstad with the go-ahead run, producing a 5-4 victory that brought the Angels their first division title since 1986. When 35-year-old closer Troy Percival retired the A's on three flyballs to end it, the requisite on-field dog pile and clubhouse champagne party ensued. As Angels owner Arte Moreno saw his carefully-tended hairdo dissolve under a stream of champagne, he wiped the bubbly from his eyes and saw before him a veteran of these celebrations, giving him a piece of worldly advice. ``Hey!,'' screamed pitcher Jarrod Washburn until he got the attention of the man who laid out $183 million to buy the team 17 months ago, and then committed $146 million more to improve it this winter. ``Hey! This gets better. ``We're just getting started.'' They won a World Series two years ago as a wild card. This climb begins next week against either Boston or the New York Yankees  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. , with the
opponent to be determined today.
But their next opponent was mere trivia to the Angels as a club drained by a season-long rash injuries and a last-second chemistry explosion reveled in its latest championship. Projected starters Anderson, Tim Salmon, Erstad, Troy Glaus and Bengie Molina spent a combined 268 games on the disabled list, and second baseman Adam Kennedy missed the last 11 games with a knee injury. Starter Washburn and relievers Percival and Brendan Donnelly also landed on the disabled list. And just eight days ago, 104-RBI man Jose Guillen threw an on-field temper tantrum temper tantrum Pediatrics A prolonged anger reaction in an infant or child, characterized by screaming, kicking, noisy and noisome behavior, or throwing him/her self on the ground to get his/her way from a parent/caretaker/warden. Cf Adult temper tantrum. that resulted in his suspension for the remainder of the season. At the moment of Guillen's meltdown, locked in a 3-3 eighth-inning tie with Oakland in a game that could have pushed them four games back with eight to play, the Angels' season was in peril. But Anderson ripped a go-ahead RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in double as the Angels won that day, sparking the 7-1 finishing kick that culminated Saturday. ``One person doesn't make or break this team,'' Anderson said. ``But great players do step up and do great things.'' He was referring to Guerrero, who put together a stunning final week even Moreno couldn't have imagined when he gave the former Montreal Expos star a five-year, $70 million deal last January. The Angels departed for this seven-game road trip a game back of Oakland. After Guerrero went 13 for 25 with six homers and 11 RBI in six games, they are division champions. ``He's the AL MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. ,'' Erstad said. ``I know what (Boston's) Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
To the tune of a game-tying home run last Saturday, a two-out ninth-inning single that salvaged another win Wednesday, two homers in an 8-2 victory Tuesday and a solo homer that set the tone for the week on Monday. He's now hitting .337 with 39 home runs and 126 RBI. ``Guerrero put us on his back,'' Percival said, ``unlike any great player we've seen.'' With the A's trying to stave off elimination, Zito responded by holding the Angels to a single through five innings. But two errors created 14 pitches of extra work and by the sixth, he was tiring. Chone Figgins hit a one-out single to left, but Erstad was retired on a flyout. Up stepped Guerrero, the Angels trailing 2-0. Zito threw a curveball down in the zone, a quality pitch by most standards. But Guerrero hits anything, and this first-pitch hack produced a game-tying home run to center field. Back came the A's in the bottom half, scoring two runs to chase starter Kelvim Escobar. With the Angels leading 5-4, Francisco Rodriguez promptly issued a leadoff walk to Jermaine Dye, who stole second. But down went Scott Hatteberg swinging, Billy McMillon looking, Bobby Crosby swinging, all at sliders sliders a species of tortoise kept as pets. They have a black shell and a red stripe behind the eye. Called also Chrysemys scripta elegans, red-eared sliders. . An inning later, Percival was leaping into Paul's arms, ending their 18-year bid to conquer the West. Gabe Lacques, (626) 962-8811 gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) VLADIMIR GUERRERO AND MIKE SCIOSCIA (2) Darin Erstad scores the go-ahead run for the Angels on Garret Anderson's double in the eighth inning Saturday. George Nitikin/Associated Press Box: (1) ANGELS 5, ATHLETICS 4 (2) WHAT TO WATCH FOR |
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