The Defense Didn’t Rest on Either Side

The current Angels-Athletics series is hardly the showdown that the Angels would like it to be. If they win all three games, they would still be 10 games behind the American League West leaders.

Still, the Angels have spent the better part of the past month regaining a measure of respectability and they see this series as a chance to prove they are capable of beating baseball’s best. The A’s, however, may be looking at these games as just three more stepping stones on the path to a division title.

Whatever the motivation, Monday night’s 2-1 Angel victory at Anaheim Stadium was chock full of the stuff NBC executives would love to see in the opening game of the World Series. After seeing this one, you’d want to watch every minute of the rest of them. There was good pitching, some timely hitting and an outcome that was in doubt until the last out.

But most of all, there were plenty of spectacular defensive plays. The kind of plays you can replay again and again, making use of all those cameras that are scattered around the stadium during the World Series.

Just in case you don’t get a chance to catch “This Week in Baseball� next week, here’s a quick look at How They Kept Them From Scoring:

THIRD INNING

Dick Schofield hits a hard grounder up the middle, but Oakland shortstop Walt Weiss makes a face-first dive to spear the ball. Somehow, he pops to his feet, manages to see through the red dust in front of his eyes and throws out the fleet Schofield.

FOURTH INNING

Johnny Ray singles to right and takes second on the only error of the game when Jose Canseco mishandles the ball. Wally Joyner doubles home Ray, but the rally comes to an abrupt end when the Angels discover that Canseco giveth, but he also taketh away. Brian Downing loops a little fly ball to right and Canseco makes the catch--while sliding on the seat of his pants toward the infield. Joyner, who was sure the ball would drop, is crossing the plate when Canseco, who was shaken up on the play, crawls to his feet and lobs the ball to second for a double play.

FIFTH INNING

The Angels pull off the big-league defensive trifecta. Left fielder Thad Bosley makes a nice sprinting catch in left-center of a drive by Weiss. Second baseman Ray ranges to his left and snags a hot grounder by Mike Gallego, then spins nearly 360 degrees to make the throw to first. Luis Polonia hits what appears to be a single up the middle, but Schofield completes the hat trick by sprinting behind second, scooping up the ball in full stride and flinging it to first just ahead of Polonia.

SIXTH INNING

Weiss wins the evening’s Mikhail Baryshnikov Award with an acrobatic play to get Ray. He executes the same play Schofield did to get Polonia, but makes the throw while airborne, kicking both feet as he leaps in an attempt to get more on the throw.

With Oakland at bat in the same inning, third baseman Jack Howell makes a staggering stop of a rocket off the bat of Canseco. He goes down to one knee, but stays with the ball and gets up to throw out the A’s slugger.

SEVENTH INNING

With Joyner on third, one out and the Oakland infield drawn in, Chili Davis hits a smash to the right of Gallego. Gallego ends up on his hands and knees, but he gets his glove on the ball and knocks it down, then picks it up, looks Joyner back to third and flips to first for the out.

“Both pitchers were throwing strikes, getting ahead of the hitters and that keeps the fielders on their toes,� Angel Manager Cookie Rojas said. “Howell made a fantastic play and Weiss played one outstanding game of shortstop for them.

“When you play the top team, I think everyone wants to excel. It was two good defensive teams playing at their best.�

The ultimate benefactor of all this hit-robbing was Kirk McCaskill, who allowed just three hits and picked up a complete-game victory.

“Howell’s play was fantastic,� McCaskill said, “and there were a bunch of other big plays. I felt in control out there, but those plays really kept me rolling.�

A few big plays and one big win do not a season make and this game probably won’t be remembered as the turning point in anyone’s season. But don’t tell that to the 30,928 in attendance Monday night. They gave their seal of approval with enough ooohs and aaahs to last the rest of the season.