Halos clinch West in record time, set sights higher

They say waiting is the hardest part and after the Angels came back to beat the New York Yankees 4-2 in the afternoon the club was left to sit and wait. The Angels and about 10,000 fans left in the stadium watched the scoreboard closely as the Rangers and Mariners played what turned out to be the Angels’ clincher.

The Angels took care of their end of the bargain with a spirited win, with many regulars out of the lineup the Halos rallied around their pitcher, Dustin Moseley. Moseley came into the game with a astronomical ERA over seven, and early on it looked like his struggles were not a thing of the past. In the first inning he walked two batters on eight pitches and surrendered two runs. Moseley went through the fifth inning without any more complications and the Halos picked him up. The heart of the Angels lineup; Garry Matthews Jr, Garret Anderson, and Vladimir Guerrero singled on consecutive at bats as the Angels struck for three runs in the inning to take a 4-2 lead. From there on in the Angels’ bullpen as they have so often this season took care of business. Kevin Jepsen making his second major league appearance held in the sixth inning then Mike Scioscia’s three man rotation took over. Jose Arredendo and Scot Shields gave the ball to the Angels’ record setting closer Fransisco Rodriguez. K-Rod mowed down the Yankees for his 56th save of the season, just one short of Bobby Thigpen’s single season record.

Later the Angels watched as J.J. Putz, the Mariners closer, shutdown the Rangers in the ninth inning of an exciting back and forth game to clinch the division title. With the Seattle win came the Angels celebration. The division title which had been a foregone conclusion since before the All Star break was finally official. The Angels’ division title is their fourth in five years, but now the club will look to finish the job. A division title and baseballs’ best record at 88-57 are certainly nice accomplishments but this team is aware that legacies are cemented in October. Angels reliever Scot Shields probably said it best, “This is step one, we’re not done yet, with the team we have, we feel like we can do some special things. Hopefully, this isn’t our last celebration.” The division title is the first step to a championship season, now the Angels attention must turn to clinching home field throughout the playoffs. With the Angels struggles in Tampa this season home field could make all the difference in an potential ALCS matchup.

Like this post? Share it »

Last post (s) by Nich Hall

• BCS National Championship: Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners Preview - January 8th, 2009
• WJHC Final: Tre Konor a closer look - January 5th, 2009
• Vikings hang tough, but Jackson shows true colors late - January 4th, 2009
• Connecticut runs to International Bowl win - January 4th, 2009
• International Bowl Preview: Buffalo vs. UConn - January 2nd, 2009