Angels defeat the Yankees in a bruising battle, 6-4

An already heated rivalry between the Angels and New York Yankees grew downright testy Friday night, with bodies crashing into each other, a pair of fastballs thrown to the solar plexus of players from both teams, and one Angel winding up in the hospital.

It was even on the judges’ scorecards until a haymaker by Kendry Morales in the bottom of the eighth, a two-run home run to right field off Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain that gave the Angels an emotion-charged 6-4 victory.

Closer Brian Fuentes, booed off the same Angel Stadium mound when he blew a save against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night, retired the side -- Nick Johnson, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez -- in order in the ninth for his second save.

Morales had three hits and scored two runs, Bobby Abreu had two doubles and two runs, and Kevin Jepsen and Fernando Rodney pitched scoreless innings of relief, but if the Angels were to award a game ball Friday night, it would go to catcher Bobby Wilson.

That is, if Wilson was in any condition to receive it.

The Angels opened the season with three catchers on their roster. They were down to one after Teixeira’s bone-crushing slide into the plate sent Wilson, who was making his first career start, to the hospital.

Teixeira, who reached base when he was hit by a fastball from Ervin Santana, was on second when Robinson Cano singled to right. Teixeira came home, and Abreu’s throw from right field took a bad hop toward the third base side of the plate.

That took Wilson’s momentum right into Teixeira, who lowered his left shoulder and landed so violently into Wilson’s sternum that the collision -- between the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Teixeira and the 6-foot, 220-pound Wilson -- could be heard in the press box.

Wilson, who never gained possession of the ball, was sent sprawling back toward the left-side batter’s box, his mask and helmet flying, the back of his head banging the ground and his left leg getting tangled under his body.

Teixeira scored the third run of the inning for a 3-1 Yankees lead, and Wilson was carried off the field, diagnosed with a left-ankle injury and a concussion and taken to the Chapman Medical Center for a CT scan and X-rays.

Wilson was replaced by Mike Napoli, the only catcher standing after Jeff Mathis went on the disabled list Tuesday because of a broken bone in his right wrist.

The Angels were expected to place Wilson on the DL and recall Ryan Budde from triple-A Salt Lake after the game.

Napoli, in his first at-bat in the fourth inning, was drilled in the back by Yankees starter A.J. Burnett, whose errant fastball seemed curious since the right-hander had excellent control all night.

In what looked like a retaliatory blow, Santana hit Nick Swisher in the back with a pitch and threw a brush-back pitch under Derek Jeter’s chin in the sixth.

After Teixeira’s knockout blow in the third, the Angels counterpunched with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third, Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis hitting two-out, run-scoring doubles for a 4-3 lead. Swisher’s solo homer to center in the fourth tied the score, 4-4.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first when Abreu, who doubled, scored on Morales’ infield single.