A. L. CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES : California vs. Boston : Flashback: 1979 and 1982 League Championship Series : 1979 vs. ORIOLES

GAME 1 Wednesday, Oct. 3 Memorial Stadium Orioles 6, Angels 3

The Angels were done in by Earl Weaver’s fascination with statistics.

With the score tied, 3-3, in the bottom of the 10th, the Baltimore manager had to find a pinch-hitter to face Angel reliever John Montague. He looked through the file cards that he keeps on each player but couldn’t find Montague’s name. Finally, someone found the card in the Seattle Mariner file. Once retrieved, Weaver came up with the appropriate hitter: John Lowenstein.

Lowenstein was 2 for 2 with a home run against Montague. Weaver sent him to the plate.

Naturally, Lowenstein hit a three-run homer to beat the Angels and give the Orioles a 1-0 series lead. The homer traveled all of 312 feet or so down the left-field line. “He hit it good enough,” Montague said.

Oriole Jim Palmer and Angel Nolan Ryan had started the game. Ryan had a 2-0 lead entering the bottom of the third, courtesy of a two-run homer by Dan Ford. But Ryan allowed two runs in the inning and another run in the fourth. He left after seven innings with the score tied.

“I had good stuff,” Ryan said. “I couldn’t do anything with it.”

Palmer left after nine innings, replaced by Don Stanhouse. Stanhouse got the victory by pitching one inning and having the assistance of Weaver’s file.

GAME 2 Thursday, Oct. 4 Memorial Stadium Orioles 9, Angels 8

Down, 9-1, by the end of the third inning, the Angels made a comeback and came as close as having the bases loaded and the tying run on third with Brian Downing at the plate in the ninth.

But Downing grounded to Oriole third baseman Doug DeCinces, who tagged Dan Ford for the final out.

The Orioles chose to intentionally walk Don Baylor to face Downing. The matchup was this: Downing vs. reliever Don Stanhouse.

“You’ve got a guy with 140 RBIs (actually 139) and I’ve been getting jammed for two games,” Downing said. “There’s no question who you’re going to pitch to.

“I had a 1-0 count; I was looking for the right pitch. It was a nice slider, out over the plate, a little bit up. I saw it up high. I gotta go for it. That’s really my strength.

“I thought I had it. Uh-uh. A topper. Another damn topper. That’s what irritated me. I have to hit that ball hard. I have all year. . . . The only guy who’s been screwing up on offense is myself.”

Downing wasn’t entirely to blame for the loss. Angel pitching and defense were suspect. Dave Frost, the Angel starter, was gone before the end of the second. Mark Clear came in and later allowed a homer to Eddie Murray.

The Angels scored a second run in the sixth, another in the seventh, three in the eighth and two more in the ninth. Then came Downing’s grounder and that was that.

GAME 3 Friday, Oct. 5, Anaheim Stadium Angels 4, Orioles 3

Larry Harlow delivered a ninth-inning, one-out RBI double that helped give the Angels the victory.

The Angels had help from an unusual source: outfielder Al Bumbry.

With Baltimore leading, 3-2, and runners at first and second and one out in the ninth, Bobby Grich drove a pitch by Don Stanhouse to center. Bumbry raced toward the ball.

Rod Carew, who was heading to third on the play, remembers wondering if he had made the right move. Was Bumbry going to catch the ball and double him off second?

“I turned around and saw (Bumbry) right there and I said, ‘Oh well, have a good winter,’ ” Carew said.

But Bumbry dropped the ball, allowing Carew to score and tie the score, 3-3. Later came Harlow’s RBI double down the left-field line.

“I had a great chance to catch (Grich’s ball),” Bumbry said. “The ball got there, I got there, I didn’t catch it.”

GAME 4 Saturday, Oct. 6 Anaheim Stadium Orioles 8, Angels 0 The Angels and Manager Jim Fregosi were eliminated from the playoffs, but it took what has become Doug DeCinces’ favorite defensive play to do it.

The Orioles had taken a 3-0 lead midway through the fifth inning when the Angels loaded the bases with just one out. Jim Anderson hit a changeup from Scott McGregor sharply toward the left-field line.

At the last moment, DeCinces, playing third for the Orioles, caught the ball as it caromed off the infield dirt. DeCinces hooked third base with his foot, regained his balance and threw to first in time for an rally-ending double play. Essentially, end of game, end of series.

“It was completely a reaction,” DeCinces said. “I came up with the ball and a handful of dirt. When I threw the ball, I couldn’t even see it. It was the play that turned us around. It was the play Scotty (McGregor) needed. If the ball is by me, it’s at least two runs and Carew is coming up.”

Said Fregosi: “If (DeCinces) doesn’t make that play, it’s a whole different situation.”

The Angels went through five pitchers and remained close until the seventh inning, when Baltimore scored five runs.

1982 vs. BREWERS GAME 1 Tuesday, Oct. 5 Anaheim Stadium Angels 8, Brewers 3 Tommy John limited the Brewers to seven hits and designated hitter Don Baylor, whose future with the team was uncertain, drove in five runs to give the Angels an easy victory.

The Angels disposed of Brewer starter Mike Caldwell by the fourth inning and had 10 hits by the time it was over. Fred Lynn had a home run and two singles. Bobby Grich would add a double and a single.

But the star was Baylor, pure and simple.

“It’s become a special thrill for me now to be on base when Groove (Baylor) gets a big hit,” Grich said. “We might be playing our last few weeks together and I can’t help but think about that because we’ve been together 14 of our last 15 years.”

Baylor’s five RBIs tied a playoff record set by Baltimore’s Paul Blair in 1969 and tied by Bob Robertson of Pittsburgh in 1971.

Baylor is completing a six-year contract that makes him the lowest-paid Angel starter. Such a game and national exposure could help solve that problem.

“My goal is to help put this club into the World Series,” he said. “The contract wasn’t on my mind.”

GAME 2 Wednesday, Oct. 6 Anaheim Stadium Angels 4, Brewers 2 Were it a marquee, the Angel lineup card would be chock-full of star types. This is a team that includes Reggie Jackson, Fred Lynn, Carew, Baylor and Tommy John. Under Also Appearing would be the Nos. 8 and 9 batters, Tim Foli and Bob Boone.

Foli, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a minor leaguer, played shortstop. Boone, who cost the Angels cash and nothing else, played catcher. Together, they helped give the Angels a two-game lead.

“We won tonight with a little bit of ‘Little Ball’ plus Reggie’s long ball,” Manager Gene Mauch said. “Foli and Boone are winning people, winning ballplayers. That’s what they do best.”

Here’s what Foli did best Wednesday: He singled in one run, sacrificed a runner into position for another run and then added a defensive play to stop a sure Brewer score.

As for Boone, he squeezed home a run and had a sacrifice fly that earned him an RBI.

“Tim and I know our jobs,” Boone said. “We get the guys in position (to score) and let the bombers bomb away.”

Said Foli: “You’re not going to be the hero if you sacrifice, but that’s my job. The kind of game Boonie and I play is one that will help us win, be part of a winner. That’s what we want. I’d love to knock those runs in in that situation. It’s just not the way we play. You have to execute to win close games like we did tonight.”

Foli knocked in the first Angel run with a single. With that done, Boone converted a suicide squeeze bunt into another Angel run. Thirty-two times Boone has come to the plate with a runner on third and fewer than two out. Twenty-six times Boone has brought the runner home.

Reggie Jackson added a homer in the third, and Bruce Kison pitched a five-hitter to help give the Angels the victory.

GAME 3 Friday, Oct. 8 County Stadium Brewers 5, Angels 3 “We were simply beaten by a masterful performance,” Bobby Grich said shortly after Brewer starter Don Sutton earned the victory, allowing Milwaukee to remain alive in the series.

Sutton gave up just four hits through seven innings before the Angels scored three runs in the eighth. Reliever Pete Ladd entered the game shortly thereafter and stopped the Angel rally.

Angel starter Geoff Zahn was charged with three runs in the fourth; Mike Witt allowed the decisive two-run homer to Paul Molitor in the seventh.

Sutton has been accused of doctoring a baseball and twice the Angels asked home plate umpire Rich Garcia to inspect the ball. There were no signs of tampering and the Angels would later offer their grudging respect.

“We were shut down for seven innings by one of the cleverest pitchers of the last 15 years,” Manager Gene Mauch said. “He’s capable of taking the straight out of the ball without defacing it. Our players didn’t say a word about it. Then know what the man is capable of doing with finger dexterity.”

GAME 4 Saturday, Oct. 9 County Stadium Brewers 9, Angels 5 Three errors, three wild pitches and seven walks ended any thoughts of an Angel pennant in four games. Instead, the Brewers evened the series and caused the Angels to readjust their thinking.

“We were in the driver’s seat a few days ago, now we’re both in the front seat fighting for the wheel,” Bobby Grich said.

Said Reggie Jackson: “We have to get good pitching and timely hitting tomorrow. There’s no tricks to it. We were aware they were as good as we are.”

On Saturday, the Brewers needed only to take advantage of Angel mistakes. There were plenty to choose from.

Milwaukee scored three runs in the second inning with the aid of only one single. The Angels helped do the rest. Starter Tommy John walked Ted Simmons. With one out, John threw a wild pitch, allowing Simmons to go to third. John walked Don Money and then watched as Mark Brouhard singled up the middle, scoring Simmons. Money scored when Fred Lynn’s throw from the outfield caromed off Money. Doug DeCinces retrieved the ball and threw wildly to home, allowing Brouhard to score.

“I don’t even worry about how we lost the game,” Grich said. “It’s just an L and you put it up on the shelf. Our experience will help us tomorrow. We’ve all been in tight situations over the years.”

GAME 5 Sunday, Oct. 10 County Stadium Brewers 4, Angels 3 The Brewers became the first team in the 14-year history of division play to return from an 0-2 deficit and win the best-of-five American League championship. Manager Gene Mauch described the loss and his failed chance of reaching the World Series after 23 managerial seasons as his “most bitter disappointment” ever.

Here’s how it happened:

Mauch started Tommy John Saturday with three days’ rest. That left him with Bruce Kison on Sunday. Kison, too, was pitching with three days’ rest, as well as a blood blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. He was gone before the sixth inning.

Luis Sanchez replaced Kison and surrendered a two-run, two-out single to Cecil Cooper in the seventh inning that gave the Brewers a 4-3 lead and, later, the pennant.

Mauch chose Sanchez over left-hander Andy Hassler, who, two days earlier, had struck out Cooper. Mauch would later say that he preferred Sanchez in this situation because Hassler gets most of his outs with pitches that are outside the strike zone. Mauch reasoned he didn’t want to bring Hassler into the game when he was forced to throw strikes.

Said Hassler: “I’m not going to let that (bleeper) put the monkey on my back. If he’s not man enough to say he made a mistake, then I’ll say it.”

Even Cooper said he expected to see Hassler when he arrived at the plate in the seventh.

The Angels had one out in the inning when Sanchez forced Charlie Moore to swing at an inside fastball. Moore promptly blooped the ball over the mound for a single. Second baseman Bobby Grich just missed making the catch.

“I’ve played 11 years and (I’ve) never seen that happen,” Grich said. “I’ve never seen a ball hit like that that someone couldn’t get to.”

Eventually, the bases were loaded with two out. Up came Cooper. In stayed Sanchez.

“Andy gets 90% of his outs on balls and I didn’t want to narrow him down like that,” Mauch said. “Any manager can take himself off the hook by bringing in another pitcher, but I do what I have to do, and the rest of the world can think what it wants.”

Cooper took a strike and then a ball before stroking a single to left for two runs.

“I obviously could have been more adroit in the handling of my pitching staff the last two days, but I do what I have to do,” Mauch said. “Whether it’s the right thing, I don’t know.”

Said Doug DeCinces: “Contrary to what people may say or think about us choking, we didn’t quit. This is one of the best clubs I’ve ever been on. Unfortunately, I’ve had a bad feeling about this series ever since we arrived in Milwaukee.”