Polonia Happy to Be With Angels, Expected to Get a Start Tonight

The ornate gold medallion around his neck bears the number 22, which he wore in Oakland and with the New York Yankees. Luis Polonia doesn’t mind having to change his number to 18 now that he’s with the Angels because he considers it a distinct change for the better.

“It’s a whole different ballgame now,” said Polonia, who was acquired from the Yankees Sunday in exchange for Claudell Washington and Rich Monteleone but didn’t join the Angels until about noon Wednesday. “I’m really happy to be here. The people are nice here, (Manager) Doug Rader is a nice guy, I don’t think there’s going to be any problems here.”

Controversy was the norm in New York, where Polonia had difficulty cracking the Yankees’ starting outfield and was limited to designated-hitter duties. The promise of more playing time makes the trade a reprieve for him. He pinch-hit in the ninth inning against the Orioles Wednesday night and grounded out in his Angel debut. He is expected to start tonight.

“I’m really happy to get out of hell. It really was hell there,” Polonia said of his 10 1/2-month stint with the Yankees. “Now I can relax and play my game. I don’t have to worry about the media or the owner (George Steinbrenner). I really didn’t meet the guy. I never had the chance to talk to him, but I saw him walking around.”

Despite his distaste for the sometimes meddlesome Steinbrenner, Polonia left New York with respect for Manager Bucky Dent.

“I think Bucky’s a good guy. He kept me there, but with the situation we had, he couldn’t do anything,” said Polonia, who hit .318 (seven for 22) in 11 games with the Yankees, with three runs batted in and a stolen base. “Bucky is a great guy, but New York is crazy. You never know what’s going to happen. You never know who’s going to play the next day.”

Polonia knows he’s going to bat leadoff for the Angels and he’s delighted. “That’s my role. It’s nice to be back where I was,” said Polonia, who hit .292 and stole 24 bases for the Athletics in 1988 and has a career average of .294, with 76 stolen bases. “It’s better for me to hit leadoff than (be) the second hitter.

“I’m sure this team is going to get better, and I can do a lot of things to help. I’m sure I’m going to do the job here. All I need is somebody to put me out there, and I think I found a guy (Rader) to put me out there. Now it’s up to me to show what I can do.”