Anaheim Comeback Falls Short in Boston

BOSTON (AP) _ An impressive comeback got the Anaheim Angels into the AL division series. Another one fell short of keeping them in it. <br/><br/>The Angels rallied for five runs in the seventh inning to

Friday, October 8th 2004, 8:08 pm

By: News On 6

BOSTON (AP) _ An impressive comeback got the Anaheim Angels into the AL division series. Another one fell short of keeping them in it.

The Angels rallied for five runs in the seventh inning to tie Boston on Friday, but the Red Sox won 8-6 and swept the best-of-five series when David Ortiz hit Jarrod Washburn's first pitch in the 10th inning for a two-run homer.

So Vladimir Guerrero's tying grand slam became just a dramatic footnote to a season in which the Angels never gave up.

They trailed Oakland by three games in the AL West with nine to go. They cut that to one with two straight wins over the A's. After taking three of four from Texas, they went into Oakland for the final three-game series of the season tied with the A's.

And when the Angels won the first two games, 10-0 and 5-4, they had clinched the division title. So it didn't matter that they lost the finale 3-2.

What did matter is that they had a chance for their second World Series title in three years.

But that faded quickly when Boston went to Anaheim and pounded out victories of 9-3 and 8-3 behind aces Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez.

Now the Angels were coming to Fenway Park to face a packed house of vocal, passionate fans and a pitcher, Bronson Arroyo, who was 5-0 in his last nine starts.

When Boston led 6-1 after six innings, Anaheim's season seemed to be approaching its end. After all, Guerrero, their best hitter, was 1-for-11 in the series.

But Red Sox manager Terry Francona helped Anaheim by lifting Arroyo after he walked leadoff hitter Jeff DaVanon in the seventh. The right-hander had thrown just 91 pitches and allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven to that point.

The Angels then loaded the bases off Mike Myers and Mike Timlin before Timlin walked Darin Erstad, forcing in a run. Then Guerrero hit Timlin's 0-1 pitch into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center field, tying the game.

Derek Lowe, a starter all season, held the Angels scoreless in the top of the 10th. Then another unlikely reliever, Washburn, made his first relief appearance since 1999 a memorable one.

And a crushing one that left the Angels no chance at finishing another comeback.