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Small ball pays big dividends for Angels Posted: Wednesday October 23, 2002 12:30 AMUpdated: Wednesday October 23, 2002 4:54 AM
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The Anaheim Angels didn't need home runs or a designated hitter -- just a chance to hit. The Angels became the first team in World Series history to bat around in consecutive innings, scoring four runs in the third and fourth to beat the San Francisco Giants 10-4 in Game 3 on Tuesday night. "It just puts pressure on the pitcher when you hit line drive after line drive," Anaheim's Garret Anderson said. "We've pretty much done this all year." The Angels continued their postseason pattern of losing the first game and responding with a vengeance. • They lost to the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the division series before winning three straight. • They lost to the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series before winning four in a row. • And they lost to the Giants in the Series opener before winning the next two. "They're good, they put the ball in play," San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds said. "They don't really have too many holes throughout that lineup. They're a good-hitting team and that's what they do. They're in the American League, but they have a lot of National League-type players." The Angels led the majors with a .282 batting average during the season and they've picked it up in October, hitting .335 in 12 games and scoring 84 runs -- an average of seven per game. They've done even better in three games against the Giants, batting .353 and scoring 24 runs. "Pretty cool, huh? I can believe it, these guys are good hitters," Anaheim pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. "Right now, we're in that groove. I wouldn't want to be pitching to us." Even hitting coach Mickey Hatcher can't explain Anaheim's incredible surge. "We just sit back and watch them go," he said with a smile. "We've gone through streaks like this before this season, we won 21 of 24. "Right now, these guys are having a blast." Leadoff hitter David Eckstein said one thing that makes a difference is the Angels aren't afraid to strike out. "We're willing to go deep in the count," he said. "We do not go with the same approach -- we're constantly making adjustments." The cold, damp air at Pacific Bell Park didn't allow the ball to carry much. Even if it had been warm and dry, it might not have made a big difference because Pac Bell yielded the fewest homers in the majors this season -- even with Bonds in the Giants' lineup. The Angels hit four homers in the first two games of the Series to give them 21 in the postseason -- a record the Giants surpassed when Rich Aurilia and Bonds homered in the fifth to give them 22. But the long ball is a bit out of character for the Angels, who hit 152 during the season to rank 10th in the AL -- far behind the 230 hit by the Texas Rangers. What was in character was the way the Angels attacked the ball, getting eight hits in the first four innings and 16 in all. Every player in the starting lineup hit safely except winning pitcher Ramon Ortiz. There were no homers, just a bunch of line drives. They left a World Series-record 15 runners on base, but it didn't matter. "We all know that one person isn't going to carry the team. We all try to do our part," Anderson said. Scott Spiezio tripled and singled -- both line shots -- and drove in three runs in the first four innings. Darin Erstad had three hits and has hit safely in all 12 postseason games. They had plenty of company. The Angels chased Livan Hernandez -- previously 6-0 in the postseason -- before reliever Jay Witasick gave up consecutive two-out RBI singles to Spiezio, Adam Kennedy and Bengie Molina in the fourth. Batting because the rules call for no DH in the NL city during the Series, Ortiz made the last out in the second, third and fourth innings with two strikeouts and a grounder to the pitcher. It made no difference. Giants fans gave a few mock cheers following Anaheim outs -- especially in the third and fourth innings. Designated hitters Brad Fullmer and Shawn Wooten are a combined 17-of-43 in the postseason for a .395 average. Anaheim didn't miss them.
"You don't try to explain it," Kennedy said. "You just go with the flow."
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