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Opening Day (April 1, 2013) is 66 days away. We are counting down the 100 Walk Off Home Runs in Angels franchise history. Today we look at #66...
August 21, 1993 - This was the fourth and final Walk Off Home Run hit for the 1993 Angels and the second by Chili Davis. It was also the last walk off hit in an era of baseball that at one time seemed set in stone. There were two divisions in the major leagues for 24 seasons. Form 1969 - 93, the Angels played in the American League West, a division dominated by the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals. The Mariners didn't even join baseball as an expansion team until 1977 and Rangers never won anything. But the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins were in this AL West with the Halos as well.
Chili's walk off would be the last walk off for almost three seasons. There would not be another one until 1996. By then each league had three divisions. Detroit was in the AL East because there was no Tampa Bay team yet, and Milwaukee stuck around the American League for a few more seasons. By then, the very name "California Angels" would be a memory as well.
The Angels were over ten games back of the White Sox in late August and manager Buck Rogers was nearing the point of blasting front office management to ensure he would never get a job in baseball again.
In the bottom of the first inning, Teddy Higuera loaded the bases and gave up a triple to Eduardo Perez. Angels starter Mark Holzemer couldn't handle the gift and gave up four runs in the top of the second inning. The game was tied 6-6 in the top of the ninth inning when a Rene Gonzalez error at 1B allowed Robin Yount to get on with two out. Ken Patterson had retired five straight batters, the first four by strikeout. Yount took off for 2B on a 2-1 count to Kevin Seitzer and Angels backup catcher Greg Myer threw him out, Gary DiSarcina applying the tag at the bag.
Patterson would get the win when Matt Maysey gave up a solo tie-breaking Walk Off Home Run to Chili Davis. It was almost eleven years since the Brewers had come back from 0-2 in a best of five 1982 American League Championship Series to take three straight form the Angels and go to the World Series. It had been eleven years but beating the Brewers, especially in high walk off style, felt great.