2002 Anaheim Angels season

MLB yearly infobox
name = Anaheim Angels
season = 2002
misc = 2002 AL Wild Card
2002 AL Champions
2002 World Series Champions

current league = American League
y1 = 1961
division = West Division
y2 = 1969
Uniform logo =
ballpark = Edison International Field
y4 = 1966
city = Anaheim, California
y5 = 1966
owners = The Walt Disney Company
managers = Mike Scioscia
television =KCAL-TV
FSN Wes
(Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc)
radio = KLAC
(Terry Smith, Rory Markas)
XPRS
(Jose Mota, Ivan Lara)|

The Anaheim Angels' 2002 season was the franchise's 42nd, and ended with the team's first American League pennant and World Series championship.

The Angels finished the regular season with a record of 99-63, 4 games behind the Oakland Athletics in the American League West standings, but qualified for the franchise's first ever Wild Card playoff berth to return to the postseason for the first time since 1986.

In the postseason, the Angels defeated the New York Yankees 3-1 in the American League Division Series, then defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-1 in the American League Championship Series to win the AL pennant. The Angels then won the World Series in dramatic fashion when, with a 3-2 series deficit to the San Francisco Giants, they overcame a 5 run deficit in the late innings of Game 6 to force a winner-take-all Game 7, which they won to clinch the series 4-3.

2002 was also notable as the season in which the Angels debuted their present-day uniforms, colors, and halo insignia, which replaced the widely ridiculed "periwinkle" uniforms and "winged" insignia they had worn since by|1997. It was also the last full season the team was owned by The Walt Disney Company, which sold its controlling interest in the team to present-day owner Arte Moreno in May 2003.

Regular season

eason standings

Transactions

*February 7, 2002: Clay Bellinger was signed as a Free Agent with the Anaheim Angels. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bellicl01.shtml]
*July 31, 2002: Alex Ochoa was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers with Sal Fasano to the Anaheim Angels for players to be named later and Jorge Fabregas. The Anaheim Angels sent Johnny Raburn (minors) (August 14, 2002) and Pedro Liriano (September 20, 2002) to the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the trade. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/ochoaal01.shtml]

Player stats

Batting

"Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In"

Other pitchers

Game 1: "New York 8 - Anaheim 5."

The game went back and forth with the Angels taking a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia brought in Scott Schoeneweis to pitch to Jason Giambi, who tied the game with an RBI single. Scioscia then brought in Brendan Donnelly to face Bernie Williams who hit a 3-run homer to take an 8-5 lead which would hold, and give the Yankees a game one victory.

Game 2: "Anaheim 8 - New York 6."

It was a game of home runs at Yankee Stadium in game two. Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano each hit solo home runs for the Yankees. Tim Salmon and Scott Spiezio hit home runs for the Angels, but the two most important ones came back to back leading off the top of the eighth. Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus did so for Anaheim giving them the lead for good. Game 3: "Anaheim 9 - New York 6."

The Yankees started teeing off Ramon Ortiz right away, putting up 3 runs in the top of the first, and one in the fourth before Ortiz was lifted. John Lackey came in for the Angels and gave up two more runs, giving New York a 6-1 lead. Anaheim responded by pecking away at the Yankee lead off Mike Mussina to tie the game after seven innings. They took the lead in the eighth with an RBI double by Darin Erstad off Mike Stanton. Steve Karsay relieved Stanton and served up a 2-run shot to Tim Salmon, giving Anaheim a 9-6 lead for good, giving them a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4: "Anaheim 9 - New York 5."

With New York facing elimination, they sent David Wells to the mound. The Yankees had a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning when the floodgates opened. Shawn Wooten opened the inning with a home run to tie the game, and Anaheim rattled off six consecutive singles with one out to chase Wells. Ramiro Mendoza relieved Wells and gave up three more runs and was relieved by Orlando Hernández, but the damage was done. The 8-run inning gave the Angels a commanding 9-2 lead. The Yankees had a few 1-run innings, but it was too little too late. The Angels were going to the ALCS. Anaheim's victory secured their place in the American League Championship Series.

ALCS

Game 3

October 22, 2002 at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, California

Game 6

October 26, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California

Game 7

October 27, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California

Farm system ["Baseball America 2003 Directory". Durham, N.C.: Baseball America]

* Class AAA: Salt Lake Stingers (Pacific Coast League; Mike Brumley, manager)
* Class AA: Arkansas Travelers (Texas League; Doug Sisson, manager)
* Class A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (California League; Bobby Meacham, manager)
* Class A: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Midwest League; Todd Claus, manager)
* Rookie: AZL Angels (Arizona League; Brian Harper, manager)
* Rookie: Provo Angels (Pioneer League; Tom Kotchman, manager)

References

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ANA/2002.shtml 2002 Anaheim Angels team page at Baseball Reference]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=2002&t=ANA 2002 Anaheim Angels team page at www.baseball-almanac.com] succession box
title = AL Wild Card
years = 2002
before = Oakland Athletics
2001
after = Boston Red Sox
2003succession box
title = American League champion
years = 2002
before = New York Yankees
2001
after = New York Yankees
2003succession box
title = World Series champion
years = 2002
before = Arizona Diamondbacks
2001
after = Florida Marlins
2003