Fluke injury nearly sidelines Torii Hunter

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The Angels nearly lost their center fielder Friday night when Torii Hunter hyper-extended his left knee ... while arguing with an umpire?

Strange, but true. With two on in the third inning against the Red Sox, Hunter hit a slow roller to shortstop Alex Cora, whose off-balance throw to first got Hunter on a bang-bang play.

Hunter was so upset at umpire Kerwin Danley’s call that he leaped into the air in frustration, landing awkwardly on his left knee and crumpling to the ground in pain. Hunter remained in the game, and replays showed he was out.

Hunter, who had a pair of RBI singles in the game but made his first error of the season in the sixth inning, when he was handcuffed by Mark Kotsay’s liner and had the ball bounce off his glove, said his knee ‘was a little sore, but I’m going to play through it--adrenaline is my pain-killer.’

Said Manager Mike Scioscia: ‘That was scary. This guy is an important part of everything we do on the field. Hopefully, it’s a little tweak and he’ll be able to play on Sunday.’

-- Mike DiGiovanna