Truly a Cold Fact: Angels Win, 8-3

It was so cold Sunday that center fielder Jim Edmonds could see his breath, pitcher Mark Langston lost feeling in his fingertips and shortstop Gary DiSarcina actually wore batting gloves, about as rare a sight as an Angel division championship.

“I was going to show my manhood and go out there without them,” DiSarcina said after the Angels’ 8-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on the frozen tundra that was Jacobs Field.

“But when I got to the on-deck circle for my first at-bat I realized this was not the time for stupidity. I wanted to feel my hands.”

It was 43 degrees at game time, but a strong breeze blowing from left field to right created a wind-chill factor of 22 degrees. Add occasional snow flurries and some drizzle and mist, and it made for conditions only a fan of the former Cleveland Browns could appreciate.

“There were flurries during my at-bat in the fourth inning, and I thought to myself, ‘What the heck am I doing out here? It’s snowing,’ ” said DiSarcina, who had two hitsand a spectacular defensive play. “These are the types of games you want to win, because you don’t want to freeze your butt off and lose.”

Langston and the relief tag team of Chuck McElroy, Pep Harris and Mike James put a chill into the hot Indian bats, and the Angels pounded out 13 hits, including Eddie Murray’s fourth-inning home run off starter Jack McDowell.

Darin Erstad had three hits and an RBI; Edmonds, Dave Hollins and Garret Anderson each added two hits; and the Angels took advantage of three Indian errors to score three unearned runs, two on third baseman Matt Williams’ ninth-inning throwing miscue that provided a five-run cushion.

“Those were huge runs,” Angel Manager Terry Collins said. “I don’t know if you can have a big enough lead against these guys.”

As brutal as the conditions were, the weather also helped the Angels. Langston was sure Williams’ fifth-inning drive to left was a home run, but the wind kept it in the park for a double.

Sandy Alomar, baseball’s hottest hitter with a .618 average, also doubled off the left-field wall in the sixth, a drive that looked like a homer.

“I thought for sure Williams hit that one out, but the wind ate it up,” said Langston, who stopped blowing on his left hand long enough to deliver 116 pitches for his first victory. “It was a hanger and he jumped all over it. That’s the combination for a home run.”

Victory was hardly a lock for Langston, who gave up two runs on seven hits and struck out five in five innings. He managed to escape runners-at-first-and-third jams in the second and third innings, he got a double play to end the fourth and he left the bases loaded in the fifth.

“You can’t get any worse than this,” Langston said of the weather. “It’s hard to get a grip on the ball, and on some breaking pitches I couldn’t feel the ball coming out of my hand.”

McElroy gave up an unearned run in the sixth, which cut the Angels’ lead to 6-3, and the Indians threatened in the eighth, putting runners on second and third with one out. But Harris got Marquis Grissom on an infield fly and Omar Vizquel flied out to end the inning.

“Pep really bailed us out,” Collins said. “He made some great pitches.”

Collins was just glad to get back into the clubhouse after the game.

“My feet are frozen,” he said. “We were on skates for the first few innings. It’s one thing when it’s real cold, but it’s another to add the moisture. You can’t stay warm.”

Several Angels said they’ve played in worse conditions. A game at Detroit last April was mentioned as well as games at triple-A Vancouver and Edmonton.

Then there was Erstad, the hearty soul who grew up in North Dakota and played college baseball at Nebraska.

“I played at Nebraska once in sub-zero wind chill with snow drifts on the side of the field, but it wasn’t warm out there, I’ll tell you that,” Erstad said. “It’s tough to keep your fingers warm, but a lot of it’s mental. You just have to block it out of your mind.”