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Fan backlash Angels down Devil Rays, reclaim wild-card leadPosted: Friday August 30, 2002 1:01 AMUpdated: Friday August 30, 2002 2:36 AM
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The fans had their say, if only for a couple of innings. In the majors' final game before the strike deadline, fans threw foul balls back onto the field and chanted "Don't Strike! Don't Strike!" as the Anaheim Angels beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-1 Thursday night. When the game ended, some in the crowd of 18,820 threw debris onto the field. "You expect a little bit of that, but I would have hoped that our fans would have a little more class than what they showed tonight by throwing stuff on the field," said reliever Scott Schoeneweis, the Angels' player representative. "That could cause injury. "When 4-year-olds are frustrated, they throw stuff. Grown adults shouldn't be doing that. It's disappointing. I know they're disappointed, but let us play the game. We're in a playoff race, we're your team -- supposedly." Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia said: "I was disappointed. I know the fans are obviously frustrated, we're frustrated and the players are obviously frustrated. It's a tough situation. "I just think if you're going to voice your opinion, let's not throw baseballs from the upper deck." The players' union had set a strike date for Friday if no agreement was reached with the owners. While the Angels and Devil Rays finished up, negotiations continued in the morning hours in New York. As the game wore on, fans tossed about a half-dozen foul balls hit into stands back onto the field. The crowd cheered wildly every time, then booed loudly when stadium security escorted the "pitching" fans out of the park. Television reports estimated at least 100 fans were thrown out of the game for unruly behavior. After singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch, the fans began their don't-strike chants. "I understand. They were just angry and showing it," Tampa Bay manager Hal McRae. John Flaherty, the Devil Rays' player representative to the union, said, "It was impressive. They, like all of us in the game, want to see it prosper." Angels outfielder Orlando Palmeiro was worried that the crowd might get out of control. "The game almost got out of hand there. You start worrying for your own safety. You see things like that happen on TV, and it just takes a couple of people to get a crowd going, but I'm glad they got it under control," he said. A strike would be especially frustrating for Angels fans. Anaheim, which has not made the playoffs since 1986, leads the AL wild-card race by a half-game over Seattle. Kevin Appier pitched 7 1/3 strong innings and won for the eighth time in 10 decisions. Troy Glaus doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Angels. Garret Anderson also doubled twice to increase his major league-leading total to 49, scored two runs and drove in another. Appier (13-9) lost his shutout and had his string of 18 consecutive scoreless innings end when Ben Grieve led off the eighth inning with his 16th homer. Winning his fourth consecutive start, Appier struck out a season-high eight. He gave five hits and walked just one. Anaheim jumped on Tanyon Sturtze (3-14) for four runs in the first inning. David Eckstein led off with an infield single, Darin Erstad grounded into a force play, then advanced on a balk. Palmeiro walked, and Anderson doubled to drive in Erstad. Glaus followed with a two-run double, took third on a groundout and scored on Brad Fullmer's single. Consecutive doubles by Anderson and Glaus in the third gave Anaheim a 5-1 lead. Sturtze, who had won his last two starts and was coming off the first complete game victory of his career and his only two-game winning streak, gave up five runs on 11 hits in seven innings.
Notes: X-rays on Anaheim RHP Ben Weber's leg were negative. Weber
was struck in the right shin by a liner hit by Tampa Bay's Carl
Crawford in the seventh inning and had to leave Wednesday night's
game. ... Angels batting coach Mickey Hatcher spotted his former
manager with the Dodgers, Tom Lasorda on the field before the game
and told him, "You're here because you knew all the cameras would
be here today."
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