Smith Closes Out a Classic Victory : Baseball: He gets Ripken to line out for record 16th consecutive save; Angels win, 5-4.

Lower ticket prices. Expanded marketing efforts. Faster games. All might conceivably help bring fans who are still upset about last year’s strike back to the ballpark.

Want a better idea? Give them more games like Sunday’s 5-4 victory by the Angels over the Baltimore Orioles before 45,975 at Camden Yards.

There was a mammoth home run by a seldom-used utility player, three game-saving and Gold Glove-caliber defensive plays, a rousing comeback by the home team, a key managerial decision and a classic confrontation between future Hall of Famers with the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth.

“It was really special, power on power, a duel, may the best man win,” Angel second baseman Rex Hudler said of the Lee Smith-Cal Ripken showdown. “What a matchup. It was a pleasure playing defense during that.”

The pleasure was all the Angels’ after Smith got Ripken to line out to center field on a full-count pitch, nailing down the victory.

It was Smith’s 16th consecutive save, breaking the major league single-season record for saves in consecutive appearances set by the Cleveland Indians’ Doug Jones in 1988. Credit Smith with a scare too.

The big right-hander took over for set-up man Troy Percival and walked Harold Baines to lead off the ninth inning. Pinch-runner Brady Anderson moved to second base on Curtis Goodwin’s sacrifice bunt and to third on Kevin Bass’ grounder to second.

Up came left-handed-hitting first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who had singled and doubled in his two previous at-bats. Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann decided to walk Palmeiro intentionally and pitch to Ripken, who already had an RBI double and an RBI single.

“I looked at the umpire [Vic Voltaggio] and said: ‘I don’t know about this move,’ ” Hudler said. “He said, ‘I don’t know about it either.’ To have enough confidence in Lee to pitch to Cal showed a lot of guts, but that’s what this team is about.”

With the crowd roaring, Ripken ripped a shot to center that Jim Edmonds easily caught for the final out, which was punctuated by Hudler’s flying, fist-pumping celebration behind second base.

Hudler was also pumped in the first inning when he became the first player in Camden Yards history to hit a home run into the second deck in left field. He added a two-run double in the third, and Tim Salmon followed with a two-run homer to give the Angels a 5-2 lead.

The Orioles chipped away against Angel starter Mark Langston, but their comeback was thwarted by third baseman Carlos Martinez, left fielder Tony Phillips and shortstop Gary DiSarcina.

With runners on first and second in the sixth, Martinez made a diving, backhand stop of Jeff Manto’s shot down the line and, from his knees, made a two-hop throw to first baseman J.T. Snow for the out. Langston retired Chris Hoiles on a pop-up and struck out Bret Barberie to end the inning.

Phillips robbed Bass of a two-run homer in the seventh when he leaped between the gloves of two fans at the top of the left-field wall to make a catch.

Two batters later, DiSarcina made a diving stop of Ripken’s ground-ball single up the middle, which prevented Palmeiro from scoring the tying run from second base.

“I tried to [mess] it up, and the defense wouldn’t let me,” said Langston (5-1). “Carlos made a great play, then Tony’s, DiSar’s, the bullpen. . . . I don’t feel like I’ve pitched well all year, and the team has really picked me up. One of these days, I’d like to pick them up.”