GAME 5 - Angel Stadium - Boston 5, LA-Anaheim 3 - Boston wins series 3 games to 2
Due to network scheduling issues this game was put on hold for 3 days. The Sawx flew out to the coast feeling like they let one get away, but not closing it out in 4 games at home in Fenway. The Halos had captured all the momentum and looked to pull off the upset on their home turf. Boston went to their act, Mel Parnell who entered the game 6-3. The Halos tapped Paul Byrd who was their starter for game 1. The Angles struck first when Chone Figgins led off the bottom of the 1st with a big triple. DaVanon walked and a big inning looked to be in the making until Vlad hit into a run scoring DP. Certainly Parnell was happy to yield on the 1 run. That run was looming large until Boston tied it up in the 5th when Bobby Doerr hit a 422 foot solo shot to dead center. 
Then in the top of the 8th it all came crashing down. Scott Shields was called on to relieve Paul Byrd, who to that point had only thrown 78 pitches. The Angels formula all year had been to get to the 8th and bring in Shields, then go to K-rod in the 9th. This time the formula didn't work. Shields walked Doerr, then Al Zarilla doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Birdie Tebbetts singled home Doerr to make it 3-2. Pitcher Mel Parnell, batting instead of the DH (because he hits better than the Boston bench guys), singled to help his own cause to tie up the game and put runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Pesky walked to load the bases and that was it for Shields. Escobar was hurried in and he walked Bill Goodman to put Boston up 4-3. Still there was nobody out and the Bosox truly looked to break it open. Escobar came up big by fanning DiMaggio and the great T.S. Williams before inducing Stephens to ground out weakly to Figgins at 3rd. Escobar kept his team in it and gave them a chance. 
In the bottom of the inning Molina doubled with one out. Izturis came in to pinch run as Finley walked to make it 1st and 2nd. Parnell threw a sinker and Robb Quinlan blasted a one hopper to the slick fielding Billy Goodman at first, who turned a nifty 3-6-3 DP to crush the Angels chances in the 8th. The top of the 9th saw Al Zarilla hit a monster shot into the waterfall in center to make it 5-3. Reliever Esteban Yan yielded that clout with one out. Cabrera, Kennedy and Figgins went down easily in the bottom of the 9th as Mel Parnell went the distance to close out the series. The cruel fates of the baseball gods, which usually turn on the boys from Beantown did the exact opposite. Boston's manager was quoted after the contest as saying, "We really lucked out...we've been a resilient bunch all year, but this was a lot to ask of a team, yet somehow they were able to come through.
Angels manager D.Zaner was stunned. He said he would rather lose 8-0 than this way. The Orange County media immediately began second guessing him after the game for removing Byrd in favor of Shields. How fickle the press and the fans are. That same formula worked all season and this reporter is 100% sure that if he left Byrd in and he got bombed those same geniuses would be second guessing that move. All in all the Angels had a great comeback season, where they caught the Brewers on the final day of the season and one a nail biting play in game to even make the post season. A weary Boston team be taking the train to Philadelphia for the ALCS, which opens Saturday night.
Due to network scheduling issues this game was put on hold for 3 days. The Sawx flew out to the coast feeling like they let one get away, but not closing it out in 4 games at home in Fenway. The Halos had captured all the momentum and looked to pull off the upset on their home turf. Boston went to their act, Mel Parnell who entered the game 6-3. The Halos tapped Paul Byrd who was their starter for game 1. The Angles struck first when Chone Figgins led off the bottom of the 1st with a big triple. DaVanon walked and a big inning looked to be in the making until Vlad hit into a run scoring DP. Certainly Parnell was happy to yield on the 1 run. That run was looming large until Boston tied it up in the 5th when Bobby Doerr hit a 422 foot solo shot to dead center. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 6th when Bengie Molina blasted a solo shot of his own to make it 2-1. The bottom of the 7th saw Orlando Cabrera lead off with a double and Jeff DaVanon single him home two batters later. Anaheim had themselves a nice 3-1 lead with only 6 outs left to be recorded. Byrd was flat out keeping the Bosox batters off balance, sans the Doerr homer.
Then in the top of the 8th it all came crashing down. Scott Shields was called on to relieve Paul Byrd, who to that point had only thrown 78 pitches. The Angels formula all year had been to get to the 8th and bring in Shields, then go to K-rod in the 9th. This time the formula didn't work. Shields walked Doerr, then Al Zarilla doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Birdie Tebbetts singled home Doerr to make it 3-2. Pitcher Mel Parnell, batting instead of the DH (because he hits better than the Boston bench guys), singled to help his own cause to tie up the game and put runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Pesky walked to load the bases and that was it for Shields. Escobar was hurried in and he walked Bill Goodman to put Boston up 4-3. Still there was nobody out and the Bosox truly looked to break it open. Escobar came up big by fanning DiMaggio and the great T.S. Williams before inducing Stephens to ground out weakly to Figgins at 3rd. Escobar kept his team in it and gave them a chance. 
In the bottom of the inning Molina doubled with one out. Izturis came in to pinch run as Finley walked to make it 1st and 2nd. Parnell threw a sinker and Robb Quinlan blasted a one hopper to the slick fielding Billy Goodman at first, who turned a nifty 3-6-3 DP to crush the Angels chances in the 8th. The top of the 9th saw Al Zarilla hit a monster shot into the waterfall in center to make it 5-3. Reliever Esteban Yan yielded that clout with one out. Cabrera, Kennedy and Figgins went down easily in the bottom of the 9th as Mel Parnell went the distance to close out the series. The cruel fates of the baseball gods, which usually turn on the boys from Beantown did the exact opposite. Boston's manager was quoted after the contest as saying, "We really lucked out...we've been a resilient bunch all year, but this was a lot to ask of a team, yet somehow they were able to come through.
Angels manager D.Zaner was stunned. He said he would rather lose 8-0 than this way. The Orange County media immediately began second guessing him after the game for removing Byrd in favor of Shields. How fickle the press and the fans are. That same formula worked all season and this reporter is 100% sure that if he left Byrd in and he got bombed those same geniuses would be second guessing that move. All in all the Angels had a great comeback season, where they caught the Brewers on the final day of the season and one a nail biting play in game to even make the post season. A weary Boston team be taking the train to Philadelphia for the ALCS, which opens Saturday night.
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