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This Date in Angels Postseason History: October 10

Ervin Santana's greatest performance was a series-clinching improv

Rick Yeatts - Getty Images

The Angels have played three playoff games on October 10, including one in which they were eliminated and another in which they did the eliminating...

1982 - Angels lose ALCS Game 5 to the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3, lose the series 3 games to 2.

The Angels were 9 outs away from the World Series. They led the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Reliever Luis Sanchez got Don Money to popout.

The Angels were 8 outs away from the World Series. Charlie Moore and Jim Gantner hit back to back singles. Paul Molitor fouled out.

The Angels were 7 outs away from the World Series, But Robin Yount walked and Cecil Cooper hit a two-run single to make the score 4-3 Brewers and the Angels wound up losing three straight at County Stadium in Milwaukee to give the Brewers the American League pennant.

Yeah, bummer.

1986 - Angels beat the Red Sox 5-3 to take a 2 games to 1 lead in the best of seven ALCS

What is more tragic - a loss like the one above or a win in a series that would see the team get even closer only to lose? Oh well, I guess we should enjoy it while it lasts.

Dick Schofield broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning with a solo homer off of Oil Can Boyd. Gary Pettis hit a two-run homer two batters later, driving in Bob Boone.

John Candelaria pitched seven innings of 1-run ball, scattering five hits, three walks and striking out five. Donnie Moore faced 11 batters over two innings, allowed two runs on four hits and a walk and BALKING in a run in a two-run eighth inning. This is not a pitcher who was in any shape to be in a ballgame. Go ahead, pound you fist into your desk, I will wait.

Ruppert Jones sac flied in an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and Donnie made quick work of the Chowds in the ninth. The final out of the game involved the two players most indelibly linked with the 1986 season and with post-season misery: With a man on first and two outs, the tying run on deck, Donnie Moore got a flyout to left field on his first pitch to... Bill Buckner. Angels Pyrrhic Win.

2005 - The Angels Beat the Yankees 5-3 to win the ALDS 3 games to 2
The Halos Heaven GAME THREAD and POSTGAME WRITEUP from this historic night.

The Angels won their fourth ever postseason series with a victory in this game. Ervin Santana saved the day as Bartolo Colon left the game with a sore back mid-batter in the top of the second inning.

Totally unprepared for something of this magnitude, the rookie righthander allowed two runs before striking out Alex Rodriguez to end the frame. The Angels picked him up right away. Garret Anderson hit a solo homerun off of Mike Mussina to lead off the bottom of the second inning. Bengie Molina then singled. With two outs, Steve Finley walked. Adam Kennedy then hit a long flyball to Right-Center and the crowd noise crossed up Gary Sheffield and Bubba Crosby. It might have been a triple anyway, but their semi-collision on the Anaheim grass was most un-Yankee like. The Angels were up 3-2 after two.

In the third Mussina allowed three hits and saw two runs score on a sac fly and a fielders choice. Randy Johnson came in to relieve Moose with the score 5-2. Johnson and Santana then held the bats scoreless in an odd flame-throwing veteran-rookie relief pitching duel.

Derek Jeter broke thru to lead off the seventh inning with a solo homerun, but it would be the last run the Yankees scored in 2005. Kelvim Escobar bridged the relief game to Francisco Rodriguez. With men on 1B and 2B and two outs, Frankie induced a groundout from the tying run in the person of Hideki Matsui and the Angels had defeated the Yankees in the ALDS and were going to the ALCS - literally overnight, as rain delays had pushed the ALDS too far and the White Sox were waiting in Chicago.