TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL ANAHEIM RALLIES IN 7TH TO FORCE GAME 7 IT WAS A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES.Byline: STEVE DILBECK ANAHEIM - Logic made an exit. Disbelief swept through the crowd. Insanity ruled. The Angels lived to play one more day. And not just any day, but baseball's best day, its most dramatic, most storied and most treasured day. Game 7 of the World Series. All it took for the Angels to make it to baseball's greatest game was the greatest comeback in their history, a 6-5 victory that was also one of the biggest comebacks in World Series history. The Angels were headed for the sports obits, for talk of a nice season falling just short, of having at least made it to their first World Series. They trailed the Giants 5-0 Saturday in Game 6 going into the bottom of the seventh. Their offense had consisted of an infield hit Infield hit is when a ball doesn't go outfield (stays infield), but neither the batter nor any of the runners are put out. If the batter and the runners reach safely due to an error, it is not considered an infield hit. and a broken-bat single. Mummies have shown more life. But an Angels team that has specialized in coming back all season had saved its best, most unbelievable comeback for last. The Angels had one more rally in them. One more gut-check, one more night of looking straight into the abyss and somehow walking away. ``Until that last out is made again (tonight), we'll never give up,'' said first baseman Scott Spiezio Scott Edward Spiezio (born September 21, 1972 in Joliet, Illinois) is a Major League Baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is the son of former Cardinal Ed Spiezio. . ``We're going to go out, be aggressive, play our game and have the same attitude we've had all year.'' The Giants had every reason to believe they'd won their first World Series since moving to San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . They were in complete control. Barry ``Puffy'' Bonds was making shelf space for his World Series 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. trophy, having hit his fourth Series homer. The Giants had to figure they'd be announcing plans for a parade today, fighting a hangover, instead of playing in a dramatic Game 7. ``There was definitely confidence, but we knew the game wasn't over,'' said Giants manager Dusty Baker Giants right-hander Russ Ortiz Russell Reid Ortiz (born June 5, 1974 in Encino, California), is a Major League baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. Before returning to the Giants, Ortiz had previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves. had been all but dominating. He was a man on a mission, a pitcher determined to avenge his Game 2 loss. It didn't seem like much when Troy Glaus Troy Edward Glaus (born August 3, 1976 in Tarzana, California) is a Major League Baseball player who plays third base for the Toronto Blue Jays. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels (1998-2004) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2005). singled with one out in the seventh. But when Brad Fullmer Bradley Ryan Fullmer is a major league baseball player who bats left handed and throws right handed. He was born January 17, 1975 in Chatsworth, California. Fullmer last played at the Major League level during the 2004 season with the Texas Rangers. followed with another hit and Ortiz' pitching count hit 98, Baker called on reliever Felix Rodriguez Not to be confused with Felix Rodriquez, guitar player in the Swedish band, The Sounds. Felix Rodriguez is a common personal name that can refer to different people:
The crowd, again decked out in all red, was pleading for something to happen, banging thousands of noise sticks, standing, almost demanding one more night of magic. And then Spiezio delivered, sending a 3-2 Rodriguez pitch high to right field. ``I didn't know it was gone when I hit it,'' Spiezio said. ``I was saying, 'God, please, just get it over the fence.' '' It landed about two rows deep, maybe 335 feet deep. About the same distance as Shawon Dunston's home run for the Giants in the fifth to the opposite corner. Suddenly the Angels were down only 5-3. The bench was alive, the crowd electric. ``I know this team,'' Spiezio said. ``All it needs is a little spark A College Christian fellowship, located on the college campuses of University of California - San Diego and Los Angeles and University of Colorado at Boulder. Little Spark is a student-run, Christian fellowship which seeks to help students grow in their faith and experience life to the .'' Then, in the eighth, 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). led off with a home run against Tim Worrell Timothy Howard Worrell (born July 5, 1967 in Pasadena, California) is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. During his fourteen-year Major League career, Worrell has pitched for nine teams, including the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, . The Angels were down by a lone run. Belief was rising. The impossible seemed within reach. Tim Salmon v. Past tense of overrun. and then slipped trying to pick up for an error. The tying run was at third, the winning run at second. Baker called on his stopper, Robb Nen, to face Glaus. Nen, one of the greatest closers in baseball history. One more stomach-turning postseason moment Glaus was hoping for a single or a sacrifice fly to just tie the score, but Nen got a slider A block of material that holds the read/write head of a magnetic disk. See flying head. up and Glaus lined it for a two-run double. And then, Edison Field simply exploded. ``I go back to the Kirk Gibson game in '88,'' said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. ``I think there was about as much electricity in that stadium as there ever was. I think tonight surpassed that.'' The Angels had an improbable 6-5 lead. It was the kind of turnaround, the cause of such utter disbelief, that can make sports so special. No team facing elimination had ever come back from a 5-0 deficit in World Series history. And so, tonight, the Angels and Giants, two teams that refuse to back down, to give any quarter, are going to go at it one more memorable time. ``We're both going after it hard,'' Scioscia said. ``When you have two teams like that, there's always special things that can happen.'' The rest of the country is missing one special World Series. It's missing some great sports drama. The Giants, if they're not demoralized de·mor·al·ize tr.v. de·mor·al·ized, de·mor·al·iz·ing, de·mor·al·iz·es 1. To undermine the confidence or morale of; dishearten: an inconsistent policy that demoralized the staff. , will try a second time to win the World Series tonight by sending out Livan Hernandez, who had been 6-0 in the postseason until losing Game 3. The Angels, if they can come down from Saturday's high, are going to send a rookie, John Lackey, out tonight to try and pull down their first World Series. ``(Tonight) we'll go with everybody,'' Baker said. So will the Angels. It's all or nothing now. Baseball's dream game is here. And all it took was the Angels' greatest comeback. CAPTION(S): 9 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Troy Glaus slams a double into left field in the 8th inning, past Barry Bonds, to give the Angels their first lead of World Series Game 6 on Saturday at Edison Field in Anaheim. The lead held up, forcing a Game 7 tonight. (2 -- color) Scott Spiezio, far left, celebrates after his three-run homer in the 7th inning. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer (3 -- color) Angels pitcher Kevin Appier, center, reacts angrily to giving up a two-run homer to Giants designated hitter Shawon Dunston in the fifth inning. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press (4 -- color) At left, Barry bonds is greeted by his son after hitting a home run in the sixth inning Saturday in Anaheim. Keith Durlinger/Staff Photographer (5 -- color) Angels' first baseman Scott Spiezio slams a three-run home run in the 7th inning Saturday to spark the Angels' come-from-behind win. The first pitch of Game 7 is scheduled for 5:02 p.m. today on KTTV-TV (Channel 11). Greg Andersen/Staff Photographer (6 -- color) An Angels fan flaunts her Rally Monkey during Game 6 (7 -- color) Dusty Baker's son Darren's good luck streak was broken Saturday with the Angels 6-5 win, forcing Game 7 on Sunday. John Lazar/Staff Photographer (8 -- color) Darin Erstad hits a solo homer in the 8th inning to ignite the rally that put the Angels ahead to stay. Steven Georges/Staff Photographer (9 -- color) Giants' pitcher Tim Worrell reacts after Troy Glaus' game- winning, two-run double in the 8th inning Saturday night at Edison Field in Anaheim. Keith Birmingham/Staff Photographer |
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