Red Sox Get Six in Sixth, Sink Angels : Baseball: Jefferson’s grand slam propels Boston to 8-3 victory, ending California’s winning streak at seven in front of 27,816.

Perhaps they read about them in the newspaper or noticed some highlights on the evening news. Maybe they tuned in to a game on the radio or caught one on television.

Whatever the medium, the message was out: The Angels were playing some great baseball and it was time to check them out.

A crowd of 27,816, third-largest of the season, filed into Anaheim Stadium on Friday night to see if the first-place Angels could extend their winning streak to eight at the expense of the Boston Red Sox, leaders of the American League East.

But by the ninth inning many fans were heading for the exits quicker than Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann could make it to the mound in the sixth inning.

Angel relievers Mitch Williams and Mike Butcher blew a one-run lead, and Reggie Jefferson keyed a six-run sixth inning with a grand slam to lead the Red Sox to an 8-3 victory, snapping the Angels’ winning streak at seven and doing so in Angel-like fashion.

The Angels have been one of baseball’s most resilient teams. In fact, when opponents have scored this season, the Angels have countered with at least a run 50% of the time (25 times in 50 opportunities entering Friday’s game). Opponents had done the same only 22% of the time (18 of 82).

But Friday night it was the Red Sox who did the counter-punching. After the Angels scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead, Boston roared back in the sixth to take a 7-3 lead.

Troy O’Leary, who spent seven years in Milwaukee’s farm system before being claimed on waivers by the Red Sox on April 14, started the rally with a single to center.

John Valentin flied out to center, after which Lachemann replaced starter Scott Sanderson with Williams. Bad move. Williams walked Mo Vaughn and Mike Macfarlane to load the bases, and Mike Greenwell followed with a broken-bat chopper to the mound.

Williams, who practically ends up at third base on his follow through, made an around-the-back, glove-hand stop of the ball but couldn’t recover in time to make a throw home.

Lachemann brought Butcher in to face Tim Naehring, who flied to center for the second out. But Jefferson, on a 1-2 pitch, hit a towering fly ball to right that barely cleared the wall for a grand slam and a 6-3 lead.

It was Jefferson’s first homer of the season, Boston’s third grand slam of 1995 and the Red Sox’s first grand slam against the Angels since Rich Gedman’s shot on July 25, 1986.

Center fielder Ron Mahay, who was called up from triple-A Pawtucket on May 19, followed with his first career homer, a liner over the right-center field fence, to give Boston a 7-3 lead.

That made a winner of Boston starter Erik Hanson (4-0), who allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings and struck out four. Rheal Cormier held the Angels scoreless through the seventh and eighth innings, and Stan Belinda retired the side in the ninth.

Williams (1-2) took the loss, and Butcher’s rough outing marked the third consecutive appearance in which he has allowed two hits and two runs.

Boston took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Valentin singled to left, stole second and scored on Vaughn’s single to right. The lead didn’t last long.

Damion Easley opened the fifth with a walk. Gary DiSarcina bunted back to the pitcher, but Hanson’s throw to second wasn’t in time to catch Easley. Tony Phillips popped to third on a check swing, but Jim Edmonds lined an RBI single to right to tie the game, 1-1.

Edmonds tried to take second on the throw home, which Vaughn cut off, and was caught in a rundown. Two throws later, there was no one covering second base, and Edmonds dived in safely.

Tim Salmon walked to load the bases, and Chili Davis followed with a shot up the middle that caromed off Hanson’s thigh. Valentin made a nice play to field the ball near the second-base bag and tagged Salmon out, but he couldn’t make a throw to first.

DiSarcina scored on the fielder’s choice to put the Angels up, 2-1, and Snow followed with an RBI single to center to make it 3-1. The Red Sox scored their final run in the ninth on Valentin’s sacrifice fly.