This Date in Angels Postseason History: October 5

There have been seven postseason games in Angels history on October 5. This is the most games of any date

1979 - Angels Win 4-3 over Orioles
The California Angels won their first ever postseason game on October 5, 1979, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 in front of 41,399 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Don Aase got the first postseason win but it started off in the sixth inning when he blew a Save situation. How do you blow a Save in the sixth inning? Baseball was still a little old school with ill-defined bullpen roles and Aase was a dominant long man. Frank Tanana gave up two singles and a walk (to Ken Singleton, Eddie Murray and Lee May, respectively) to lead off the sixth. Aase entered the 2-1 game in a bases loaded, nobody out situation. Holy sheet, right? He promptly gave up a run-scoring sacrifice fly to then-Oriole Doug DeCinces and walked pinch hitter John Lowenstein (batting for Gary Roenicke) to reload the bases with one out.

Earlier in the game Dan Ford had driven in Carney Lansford in the first inning and MVP-to-be Don Baylor hit a solo homerun to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth. Aase's second bases-loaded situation in three batters ended well, as he go Rich Dauer to fly out and benefit from Centerfielder Rick Miller's great throw to Brian Downing behind the plate to tag out a sliding Edie Murray to end the inning.

In the seventh inning, Aase gave up a one-out triple to Al Bumbry and O's manager Earl Weaver called Terry Crowley in to pinch-hit for Kiko Garcia. Angels manager Jim Fregosi stayed with his pitcher who promptly gave up a run-scoring single to Crowley. Weaver brought in pinch-runner Mark Belanger, who would take over in the field for the remainder of the game but the scoring had ended. With two outs and Belanger on 2B, Aase intentionally walked Murray and struck out Lee May to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, trailing 3-2, Don Baylor flew out to Left against starter and future Hall of Famer Dennis Martinez. But the another future Hall of Famer came to bat for the Angels. Rod Carew hit a double and Earl Weaver brought in his closer Don Stanhouse. The wild-haired righty had finished 46 games for the Birds in 1979 with a 7-3 record, 21 saves and a 2.85 ERA. Stanhouse walked Brian Downing on a full count and then induced a flyball from Bobby Grich to Center Fielder Al Bumbry. Oops, he did not make a clean catch and Carew scored all the way from 2B on the error to tie the game. Angels Left Fielder Larry Harlow followed with a walkoff double, scoring Downing from 2B. The Angels trailed the best of 5 series 1 game to 2 at that point but Anaheim Stadium was the happiest place on earth that Friday night.

1982 - Angels win 8-3 over Brewers
The ALCS opener was a matchup of the Milwaukee Brewers ace Mike Caldwell and veteran Angels starter Tommy John, yes, the guy the surgery is named after.

A Don Baylor sac fly scored Brian Downing in the bottom of the first. A Gorman Thomas solo homerun scored Ted Simmons to make it 2-1 in the top of the second inning. It was 3-1 Brewers in the bottom of the third when the Angels put four runs on the board. Brian Downing was on 3B, having walked and advanced there on singles by Doug DeCinces and Bobby Grich. Don Baylor hit a bases-loaded triple and scored himself on a Reggie Jackson groundout to the right side. In the bottom of the 4th, Baylor singled home Bob Boone and DeCinces, Jim Slaton having relieved Caldwell. A Fred Llyn solo homer made it 8-3 and the Tommy John cruised to a complete game victory over the Brew Crew for 1-0 ALCS lead.

2002 - Angels win 9-5 over Yankees
A hot afternoon in Anaheim was going the Yankees way. New York was leading 2-1 in the fifth and David Wells had been cruising. Shawn Wooten led off with a homerun on a 2-0 count to tie the game at 2 apiece. Bengie Molina flew out and the announcers went back to talking about Roger Clemens starting the deciding game five in Yankee Stadium the next day. Sixteen pitches later Wells would be out of the ballgame with the score 6-2, having allowed six of seven batters to single off of him. Ramiro Mendoza replaced Wells and promptly cashed in both baserunners Wells had left on on a single by Shawn Wooten and a double by Bengie Molina - hey wait a minute, weren't they just up? It seemed like just a minute as the third pitcher of the inning, Orlando Hernandez came in to mop up an 9-2 ballgame.

The Yankees battled back here and there, in fact when Troy Percival faced Nick Johnson with two on and two out and one run already across in the inning, Robin Ventura was on deck representing the tying run in a 9-5 ballgame. Johnson popped up to Eckstein and the Angels won their first postseason series in franchise history!

2004 - Angels lose 9-3 to Red Sox
My Writeup from this day on my old blog THE HALOFAN.

Adam Kennedy was injured in late September. Everyone glorifies Gary DiSarcina's post-August absence as the reason the 1995 Angels choked down the stretch, but the absence of Kennedy forced Mike Scioscia to start Alfredo Amezaga at 2B. The Angels would certainly have benefited from the presence of Jose Guillen in the lineup but he had been suspended for insubordination the week prior.

So if Scioscia had cut off his nose to spite his face and had his hands tied with injuries, as a gimpy Troy Glaus had to DH, he under-managed for once in his life, leaving Jarrod Washburn in this game against the Red Sox way too long. i am sure the ball was coming out of Jarrod's hands really well that day, but if it wasn't a 2-run homerun to make it 3-0 in the top of the fourth, what part of the single-walk-strikeout-single parade would have been a good time to pull him?

Oh switch hitting Bill Mueller is up, and the bases are loaded, Keep Washburn in... oops there is an error by Amezaga... 5-0. Kennedy would have had it. Okay Sciosica has had enough, he brings n Scot Shields and gets a strikeout of Mark Bellhorn. Two gone. Manny Ramirez, who it would later be revealed was juicing, hits a three-run homerun off of a groundball pitcher. 8-0 Red Stinking Sox.

The curse of Donnie Moore was palpable. The absence of Adam Kennedy by fate and Jose Guillen by choice was what doomed this day and the 2004 postseason.

2005 - Angels Win 5-3 over Yankees
The GAME THREAD and POSTGAME WRITEUP from the Halos Heaven Archives.

A year after the Jose Guillen suspension bit the Angels in the ass, the fruit of trading him in the person of Juan Rivera. Rivera hit a solo shot off of Chien-Men Wang for the first Angels run after the Yankees had been held to two runs by John Lackey. In the sixth the Angels tied it after an Alex Rodriguez error allowed Orlando Cabrera to reach base. Bengie Molina singled him home with a clutch two-out basehit.

Kelvim Escobar took the mound in relief and shut the Yankees down. In the seventh, Juan Rivera got things going with a single and was pinch-ran for by Jeff DaVanon. Steve Finley bunted and was safe on a bad throw by Wang. Adam Kennedy then bunts them over. Wang stays in th game and gets Chone Figgins to fly out. That was big out. Oh but then Orlando Cabrera single them both in and the Angels lead 4-2. A Bengie Molina Homerun made it 5-2 and Frankie Rodriguez got the Save after giving up a solo HR to Jorge Posada to lead of the ninth. Angels tie the best of five series at one game apiece and head to New York.

2007 - Angels lose 6-3 to Red Sox
The Game Threads: GAME THREAD ONE and GT-TWO and GT-THREE
and the POSTGAME WRITEUP and more THOUGHTS ABOUT THE GAME from the Halos Heaven Archives.

Angels @ Boston down by one game in a best of five series. This is the game that known steroid user Manny Ramirez hit a walkoff three-run ninth inning homerun off of Francisco Rodriguez in Fenway Park. There is no justice in the world although all that chemical abuse might affect Manny's internal organs at a young age. Anyway, this game was a damn shame.

The Game produced some memorable FanShots from JACK FROST and WRAITH and CASEY'S-K.O.D.

2008 - Angels Win 5-4 over Red Sox
The GAME THREAD and GT-2 and Game Thread-3 and GAME THREAD-4 and GT-FIVE!
and POSTGAME WRITEUP from the Halos Heaven Archives.

This was the first postseason game since October 11, 1986 in which the Angels beat the Red Sox. The Chowds' eleven game winning streak ended in the twelfth inning when Mike Napoli hit his second homerun of the game. If I recall correctly, Napoli hit it out of the park. Here is something I had completely forgotten: Down two games to none and tied in extras, Jered Weaver got the win in RELIEF, pitching the eleventh and the twelfth in Fenway. It is always good to beat the Boston Vermin of Dirty Water.