THEY STILL HAVE YANKEES' NUMBER ESCOBAR LEADS L.A. IN HOME OPENER ANGELS 4, NEW YORK 1.

Byline: Doug Padilla Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - All those Yankees stars and their millions and their 26 championship banners do nothing to make the Angels flinch.

Just like in the playoffs last season, the Angels dismissed their budding cross-country rivals in a 4-1 victory that got the home schedule off in style.

The 2-2 Angels pushed the Yankees to 1-3 in the early season for the first time since 1998. The Yankees' reassurance comes from the fact they won 114 games that season and swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

The only bad news came from the person most responsible for holding down the Yankees. Kelvim Escobar (1-0), who became the first Angels starter to win a game in the first week, suffered a cracked middle fingernail on his right hand that puts his next outing in question.

"I don't even know if it happened in the second inning or the third inning but I was in a little pain by the sixth inning," said Escobar, who had a problem with a cracked fingernail in 2003 with Toronto.

"Right now it's not looking good and the thing is, if you get a fake nail, it makes the one on the bottom get weak so I don't know what's going to happen. Hopefully it heals between now and my next game."

The Angels made sure that a pregame ceremony, that included a military jet flyby, would not be the only highlight. They found a way to recover from a sluggish start at Seattle and beat the perennial playoff contenders by playing their own game.

In addition to knocking the Yankees out of the playoffs last season, they also did it in 2002 and are a healthy 12-8 against then in the regular season over the past three seasons.

"I don't think there has been any manhandling of any club," manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think it's been pretty even. They have an incredible club; it's very talented. They play the game right.

"Their mystique is really in the fact they have that talent and play the game right."

Staring an the bulk of that talent in the seventh inning, reliever Scot Shields manged to halt the only serious Yankees scoring threat. After reliever J.C. Romero walked Bernie Williams and Johnny Damon with one out, Shields came on to walk Derek Jeter to load the bases.

With Gary Sheffield at the plate and Alex Rodriguez looming on deck, Shields got Sheffield to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

"They had him in a tough spot with the bases loaded and Gary Sheffield and A-Rod (coming up)," Escobar said. "To be able to stay within yourself and make good pitches and get them out of there, that was great. That was a huge part of the game right there."

It was not only the return of solid pitching that was missing at Seattle which made a difference, it was strong defense as well. The only Angels error came about because of a blown umpire's call. First-base umpire Joe West said Casey Kotchman pulled his foot on a fourth-inning play when television replays showed otherwise. Orlando Cabrera had to accept blame for a high throw.

But Cabrera already had done his part. He managed to hit a two-run home run in the first inning after a leadoff double by Chone Figgins when he actually was just trying to play situational baseball.

"I don't know how the (heck) I hit that ball," Cabrera said. "It probably sounds crazy, but I don't know. I was trying to move the guy to third base and I guess I kept my hands inside. I don't know."

An RBI single from Darin Erstad in the fourth inning gave the Angels a 3-0 lead before the Yankees scored their only run in the fifth on a double from Johnny Damon.

The Angels made it 4-1 in the bottom of the inning thanks to the speed of Garret Anderson, of all things. Anderson was slowed most of the spring because of a sore arch in his left foot but it was healthy enough to beat out a force play that allowed a run to score.

Escobar, who gave up no earned runs in 7 2/3 innings for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic this spring, allowed one run on six hits in his six innings against the Yankees.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth inning for his second save and his 20th consecutive dating back to last season to tie Troy Percival's franchise record.

Doug Padilla, [phone], Ext. 2731

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CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera turns the first half of a double play in the fourth inning, forcing out New York's Alex Rodriguez.

Keith Birmingham/Staff Photographer

Box:

(ran in Final edition only) ANGELS vs. YANKEES

- Doug Padilla