2002 World Series

vs.

2002 World Series (4-3)

Anaheim Angels (99-63, AL) over San Francisco Giants (95-66, NL)

BR 2002 World Series Summary

Overview[edit]

The 2002 World Series was first World Series to feature two wild card teams.

The Anaheim Angels reached their first ever World Series in 2002. Original owner Gene Autry could only look down and smile as the organization he created overcame the ghosts of its playoff past (see 1982 ALCS and 1986 ALCS) to win the American League pennant for the first time. Just a season before, the Angels had finished with a record of 75-87, but new manager Mike Scioscia reversed the atmosphere. The club won 99 games in 2002, good enough to win the AL wild card after finishing 4 games back of a very strong Oakland Athletics] team. An ALDS victory over the New York Yankees and a five-game Championship series win against the Minnesota Twins (who had uypset Oakland in the other ALDS secured the Angels' berth into the Fall Classic.

Anaheim faced a fellow California team in the World Series: the San Francisco Giants. Barry Bonds was making history with his home runs, and his team was hunting for the city's first-ever World Series title. San Francisco won 95 games and the National League's wild card berth. It was thus a West Coast series between two wild card teams that was not to be forgotten. Four games were decided by a run. The teams combined to slug 21 dingers in the seven-game set. The Giants seemed to have the Series won in game 6, when they suddenly collapsed. Ultimately, not even a monster series from Bonds could deliver the Giants a title, as the Angels from southern California took home the trophy.

The Teams[edit]

Managers: Giants: Dusty Baker | Angels: Mike Scioscia

The Anaheim Angels[edit]

Anaheim had a roster packed with true Angels, a rarity for a franchise that had long tried to build a championship team by signing free agents. Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad, Troy Glaus, David Eckstein, and Bengie Molina were all players in the starting lineup who had never suited up for a major league team other than the Angels. Brad Fullmer, Scott Spiezio, and Adam Kennedy were the only starters who had experienced playing for other clubs. The offense pounded out 851 runs thanks in large part to a .282 club batting average. Glaus led the team with 30 home runs.

Jarrod Washburn was the staff ace with 18 wins and a 3.15 ERA. Ramon Ortiz was a 15-game winner, while veteran Kevin Appier led the staff in experience. John Lackey was a rookie in 2002, but showed plenty of promise by winning 9 games with a 3.66 ERA. The team's greatest asset was its bullpen however. Troy Percival saved 40 games with a 1.92 ERA. Ben Weber and Brendan Donnelly were valuable middle men, and rookie Francisco Rodriguez, who only made his big league debut in September and was only eligible for the postseason thanks to some clever roster manipulation by the Angels, was electric in the ALDS against the Yankees.

The San Francisco Giants[edit]

Barry Bonds was not just a player on the Giants, he was the Giants. He hit .370 with 46 home runs and 198 walks in 2002; one of baseball's greatest individual offensive seasons. Jeff Kent was the other force in the lineup. The veteran second baseman hit .313 with 37 home runs. The rest of the lineup was comprised mostly of role players. Benito Santiago and J.T. Snow were sound defensive players, but were not feared as much at the plate, even though they hit in the middle of the line-up. David Bell and Reggie Sanders hit 20 and 23 home runs respectively.

The Giants had a durable starting rotation. Jason Schmidt was the only pitcher in the rotation with ace caliber stuff, but Livan Hernandez, Russ Ortiz, and Kirk Rueter each pitched 200+ innings. Schmidt led the team with 196 strikeouts, while Rueter had the best ERA, 3.23. Like the Angels, the Giants had a sound bullpen. Robb Nen recorded 43 saves with a 2.20 ERA, while Tim Worrell posted a 2.25 ERA in 80 games.

Umpires[edit]

Jerry Crawford, Angel Hernandez, Tim Tschida, Mike Winters, Mike Reilly, Tim McClelland

Results[edit]

Game 1 @ Edison International Field[edit]

Saturday, October 19th - Anaheim, CA

Giants: 4, Angels: 3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Giants	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	4	6	0
Angels	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	9	0
WP: Jason Schmidt (1-0), LP: Jarrod Washburn (0-1), SV: Robb Nen (1)
Home Runs: SF - Barry Bonds (1), Reggie Sanders (1), J.T. Snow (1); ANA - Troy Glaus 2 (2)

Attendance: 44,603

Jason Schmidt was always known for his untapped potential. He came up with the Atlanta Braves in 1995, spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and finally found his way to San Francisco. His wicked stuff opened eyes, but never translated in the stat books. That all began to change in 2002. The powerful right-hander won 13 games and posted a 3.45 ERA. The Giants gave Schmidt the ball for the first game of the 2002 World Series. He may not have dealt his best stuff, but he was able to deliver the Giants a win, facing the Angels' ace, Jarrod Washburn.

San Francisco scored the first runs of the series in the top of the 2nd. Barry Bonds ripped a pitch from Washburn into the seats for a home run to lead off the inning. One out later, Reggie Sanders made the score 2-0 with a solo blast. The superstar and the mercenary each homered in their first at-bats of the series. The Angels made the score 2-1 behind a home run from Troy Glaus in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Bonds and Glaus became the 26th and 27th players to hit home runs in their first-ever World Series plate appearances.

The Giants padded their lead in the top of the 6th inning when former Angel J.T. Snow hit a two-run homer. Down 4-1, the Angels chased Schmidt from the mound in the bottom of the 6th. Glaus led off the frame with a second home run. Brad Fullmer walked and then advanced to second on a ground out. Adam Kennedy drove Fullmer home with a base hit. Schmidt left the game ahead, 4-3; Felix Rodriguez replaced him on the mound.

The Angels were held hitless by Rodriguez, Tim Worrell, and Robb Nen, who recorded the save. The Giants took the first game of the series by a score of 4-3. It was a game of firsts: Schmidt and Washburn both got decisions in their first World Series appearances, Bonds and Glaus homered in their first World Series at bats, and Tsuyoshi Shinjo became the first Japanese player to appear in the World Series when he started as the Giants' designated hitter.

Game 2 @ Edison International Field[edit]

Sunday, October 20th - Anaheim, CA

Angels: 11, Giants: 10

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Giants	0	4	1	0	4	0	0	0	1	10	12	1
Angels	5	2	0	0	1	1	0	2	-	11	16	1
WP: Francisco Rodriguez (1-0), LP: Felix Rodriguez (0-1), SV: Troy Percival (1)
Home Runs: SF - Reggie Sanders (2), David Bell (1), Jeff Kent (1), Barry Bonds (2); ANA - Tim Salmon 2 (2)

Attendance: 44,584

The Angels drafted Tim Salmon in the third round of the 1989 amateur draft. Four years later, he was named Rookie of the Year. Injuries dampened what otherwise was a great career. The "King Fish" was consistently one of the American League's best hitters when he was healthy. He provided Angels fans with a lot of memories, but few as important as the one he created on October 20th, 2002.

Russ Ortiz started the game for the Giants, but did not last long. The Angels smacked six hits off Ortiz in the bottom of the 1st inning, and Brad Fullmer stole home. San Francisco was quickly down 5-0. They answered right back with four runs against Kevin Appier. Three runs came on a home run from Reggie Sanders, and the other was a David Bell solo homer. Salmon hit his first home run of the night in the bottom of the 2nd inning, a two-run shot on a pitch from Ortiz; the score was now 7-4. Chad Zerbe came in to relieve Ortiz.

Jeff Kent started off the 3rd inning with a solo home run against Appier. John Lackey relieved the veteran on the mound. The score remained 7-5 until the Giants put up four runs in the 5th inning. Rich Aurilia started the rally with a double. J.T. Snow drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single. Singles by David Bell and Shawon Dunston drove in the other two runs. Scott Spiezio drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 5th to cut the Giants' lead to 9-8. The Angels tied it up in the 6th on an RBI single from Garret Anderson.

The Angels reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 8th on a two-run blast from Salmon. Salmon's second dinger of the night put Anaheim ahead for good. Barry Bonds ripped a 485 foot home run off of Percival in the 9th, but it was not enough, as there was no one on base (the Angels had generally adopted the tactic of only facing Bonds with the bases empty, and giving him an intentional walk in most other situations). The Angels beat the Giants, 11-10, in a thriller. Francisco Rodriguez, who had not yet won a regular season game, was the winner with three innings of hitless and scoreless relief work; it was already his fifth win of the 2012 Postseason !

Game 3 @ PacBell Park[edit]

Tuesday, October 22nd - San Francisco, CA

Angels: 10, Giants: 4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels	0	0	4	4	0	1	0	1	0	10	16	0
Giants	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	4	6	2
WP: Ramon Ortiz (1-0), LP: Livan Hernandez (0-1)
Home Runs: SF - Rich Aurilia (1), Barry Bonds (3)

Attendance: 42,707

Livan Hernandez was one of the the heroes of the 1997 World Series, but he could not deliver in 2002. The Angels beat the Cuban defector like a drum. For the first time all series, the Angels did not hit a home run. They logged 10 runs with timely hitting - something the Giants struggled with. The only show at PacBell Park that Giants fans could enjoy was a home run from Barry Bonds.

The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning on a ground out by Benito Santiago that scored Kenny Lofton. The Angels mounted a charge in the 3rd inning. David Eckstein walked and Darin Erstad doubled. An error by David Bell allowed Tim Salmon to reach safely and scored Eckstein. Troy Glaus singled to drive in Erstad. A Scott Spiezio triple knocked Salmon and Glaus across the plate to give the Angels a 4-0 lead. The fifth run came on a Garret Anderson ground out in the top of the 4th. With a runner on third and two outs in the inning, Dusty Baker pulled Hernandez and brought in Jay Witasick. Witasick walked Glaus and gave up a single to Spiezio that scored the sixth run. Adam Kennedy smacked a single off Witasick's arm to score one more, and a Benjie Molina base hit gave the Angels an 8-1 lead heading to the bottom of the 4th.

Ramon Ortiz pitched strongly through four innings, but was tagged by the long ball in the 5th. Rich Aurilia hit the first home run of the inning, a solo shot. Jeff Kent singled to bring up Bonds. In a rare instance when he was not walked with a man on base, the slugger clubbed a two-run home run to become the first player since Hank Bauer in 1958 to homer in the first three games of the World Series. The score was now 8-4, but the Giants were not meant to win on this night. A cold wind and rain dampened the spirits of PacBell's capacity crowd.

Eckstein hit an RBI single in the 6th and Molina scored in the 8th to put the Halos ahead, 10-4. Scott Schoeneweis recorded the final six outs to put the game in the books. The first ever World Series game in PacBell Park had not gone according to plan. The Angels had a 2-1 edge in the series.

Game 4 @ PacBell Park[edit]

Wednesday, October 23rd - San Francisco, CA

Giants: 4, Angels: 3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	10	1
Giants	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	-	4	12	1
WP: Tim Worrell (1-0), LP: Francisco Rodriguez (1-1), SV: Robb Nen (2)
Home Runs: ANA - Troy Glaus (3)

Attendance: 42,703

After two high-scoring games, the offenses settled down for the fourth game. Francisco Rodriguez was the hero of the ALDS, but took a loss on this Wednesday night in San Francisco. After getting burned by Barry Bonds in the previous three games, Mike Scioscia's Angels walked the lefty home run champ three times in Game 4. The result was the Giants' first homerless game of the series. But like the Angels the night before, San Francisco won with clutch hitting.

Bonds came up in the 1st inning with one out and runners on first and second. The Angels rookie starter, John Lackey, was instructed to walk Bonds in order to bring up Benito Santiago. It was a smart choice. Santiago hit into a double play to end the inning. The Angels scored in the top of the 2nd on a David Eckstein sacrifice fly that scored Benjie Molina. They scored two more in the 3rd on a Troy Glaus home run. The Angels had a 3-0 lead against Kirk Rueter and the Giants.

Lackey pitched well through four innings in his first World Series start, but ran into serious trouble in the 5th. Rueter hit an infield single, Kenny Lofton got a bunt single, Rich Aurilia knocked in Rueter with a base hit, Jeff Kent drove in Lofton on a sacrifice, Bonds walked, and Santiago drove in a run with a single. Four singles, a walk, and a sacrifice earned the Giants three runs and tied the game at 3-3 after five innings.

The game remained that way until the 8th. J.T. Snow singled off reliever Rodriguez and then took second on a passed ball. David Bell drove him home with a base knock to center field. That was all the Giants needed off Rodriguez to take a 4-3 lead. Robb Nen pitched a scoreless 9th for his second save of the series. After four games, the Giants and Angels were even at 2-2.

Game 5 @ PacBell Park[edit]

Thursday, October 24th - San Francisco, CA

Giants: 16, Angels: 4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	4	10	2
Giants	3	3	0	0	0	2	4	4	-	16	16	0
WP: Chad Zerbe (1-0), LP: Jarrod Washburn (0-2)
Home Runs: SF - Jeff Kent 2 (3), Rich Aurilia (2)

Attendance: 42,713

It took Jeff Kent ten years to reach his first World Series, but he made up for lost time in Game 5. The second baseman hit two homers and drove in four runs in a pounding of the Angels. The game would be mostly remembered however for J.T. Snow saving Dusty Baker's young son, Darren Baker, from a collision at the plate.

Jarrod Washburn clearly did not have his best stuff. The Giants attacked in the 1st inning. A single and a walk left men on base for Barry Bonds. With a lefty on the mound, the Angels elected to pitch to Bonds rather than walk him. Bonds ripped a double that scored Kenny Lofton. Benito Santiago scored Kent on a sacrifice fly. A bases-loaded walk to David Bell scored the final run of the inning. The Giants had a 3-0 lead after the 1st. Santiago singled with the bases loaded in the 2nd inning to drive in a pair and Reggie Sanders drove in the Giants' sixth run with a sacrifice fly.

Jason Schmidt pitched well for four innings, but fell apart in the top of the 5th. A double, single, and a sacrifice scored the Angels' first run. Schmidt threw a wild pitch, allowing a second run to score, and Troy Glaus doubled in the final run of the inning. Schmidt left with only two outs in the top of the 5th, making him ineligible for the decision. Instead, it was reliever Chad Zerbe who was gifted the 6-3 lead. The Angels tacked on a fourth run in the top of the 6th on a David Eckstein ground out.

The Giants began to pour on runs in the bottom of the 6th inning. Kent hit a two-run blast off reliever Ben Weber to give the Giants a 8-4 lead. Kenny Lofton tripled in two runs in the 7nth. Snow scored first on Lofton's hit. After crossing the plate, he noticed that the four-year-old Darren Baker, acting as a batboy, was running to pick up Lofton's bat. Snow scooped up the young Baker by the jacket collar just before Bell came racing in. Baker could have been seriously hurt had he been in the middle of the play. The elder Baker could only watch from the dugout as the scare unfolded. Kent hit his second home run later in the 7th to put the Giants ahead, 12-4. Two singles, an error, and a Rich Aurilia home run gave the Giants four more runs in the 8th inning. Scott Eyre pitched a perfect 9th, and San Francisco won, 16-4, to stand one game away from a championship.

Game 6 @ Edison International Field[edit]

Saturday, October 26th - Anaheim, CA

Giants: 5, Angels: 6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Giants	0	0	0	0	3	1	1	0	0	5	8	1
Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	3	-	6	10	1
WP: Brendan Donnelly (1-0), LP: Tim Worrell (1-1), SV: Troy Percival (2)
Home Runs: SF - Shawon Dunston (1), Barry Bonds (4); ANA - Scott Spiezio (1), Darin Erstad (1)

Attendance: 44,506

San Francisco came ever so close to its first World Series title in Game s6, but a bullpen collapse left them a run short. They had a five run lead, with eight outs to go. San Francisco fans will remember the last three innings of Game 6 forever. As for Angel fans, Scott Spiezio will always have a special place in their hearts. Russ Ortiz and Kevin Appier were the starters, but the bullpens determined the outcome.

The game was scoreless through the first four innings. The Giants threatened in the 1st, putting runners on first and second, but were unable to capitalize. The Angels had just one hit in the first four innings. Shawon Dunston shook the doldrums in the 5th with a two-run homer off Appier. Kenny Lofton followed with a double. Mike Scioscia attempted to minimize the damage by bringing in his young bullpen whiz, Francisco Rodriguez. Lofton stole third, and then scored on a Rodriguez wild pitch. Already ahead 3-0, Barry Bonds added to the Giants' lead with a titanic solo home run in the 6th inning. Jeff Kent made the lead 5-0 with an RBI single in the top of the 7th.

Ortiz was still pitching for the Giants in the 7th inning. Through six innings, he had given up just two hits. Garret Anderson grounded out to start the bottom of the 7th, but Troy Glaus and Brad Fullmer followed with singles. Dusty Baker came to the mound to lift his pitcher, congratulating him on earning the win that would give the Giants the title, but he got a bit ahead of himself. Felix Rodriguez replaced Ortiz on the mound and immediately gave up a three-run home run to Spiezio. The Angel crowd was reinvigorated; it was a game again. Scott Eyre and Tim Worrell finished up the 7th without any more damage.

Darin Erstad led off the bottom of the 8th with a home run against Worrell. Tim Salmon singled and was replaced on the bases by Chone Figgins. Garret Anderson followed with a base hit, poor fielding by Bonds allowed Anderson to take second base. With runners on second and third and one out, Dusty Baker turned to his closer, Robb Nen. Nen gave up a two-run double to Glaus, and the Angels took a 6-5 lead. Troy Percival nailed down the save. The series was headed to Game 7 and the Giants were stunned.

Game 7 @ Edison International Field[edit]

Sunday, October 27th - Anaheim, CA

Angels: 4, Giants: 1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Giants	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0
Angels	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	-	4	5	0
WP: John Lackey (1-0), LP: Livan Hernandez (0-2), SV: Troy Percival (3)
Home Runs: none

Attendance: 44,598

As is often the case, the Giants were not able to bounce back from their epic Game 6 collapse. The wind had been stolen from their sails. The Giants started Livan Hernandez in Game 7, while the Angels gave the ball to rookie John Lackey. Lackey started on only three days' rest because Ramon Ortiz had a sore wrist. Lackey was the first rookie pitcher since Babe Adams in 1909 to start and win Game 7 of a World Series.

The Giants scored their first and only run of the game in the 2nd inning on a Reggie Sanders sacrifice fly. The Angels answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Hernandez walked Scott Spiezio and then gave up a run-scoring double to Benjie Molina. The Angels scored three more in the bottom of the 3rd. David Eckstein and Darin Erstad singled, Tim Salmon was hit by a pitch, and Garret Anderson drove in all three runners with a double. Anderson tried to score the fourth run of the inning, but was thrown out at home by David Bell.

Lackey pitched five strong innings. He gave up four hits, one run, one walk, and four strikeouts. He was replaced by Brendan Donnelly who pitched two scoreless innings. Hernandez only gave the Giants two innings and gave up four runs on four hits and four walks. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless 8th for the Angels, and Troy Percival picked up his third save of the series in the 9th. The Giants picked up only six hits and struck out 10 times in the game.

The Angels celebrated in front of a loud Anaheim crowd. The Angel fans were a factor all series as they clapped with inflated "thunder stix". The items became popular at sporting events across the nation. Another feature of the series was the Angels' "Rally Monkey", a monkey wearing an Angels jersey that danced on the video board, prompting the Angels to come back from whatever late-game deficit they were facing. San Francisco's quest for a World Series would carry on, unresolved.