Former Angel Finds Spotlight

There was no doubt about Brian Anderson’s allegiance when he was a kid in Geneva, Ohio, which is about 20 miles from Cleveland, but it was never easy being an Indian fan.

“When I grew up rooting for these guys, they were always out of it by the All-Star break,” said Anderson, an Indian reliever. “To be able to contribute on a drive to the World Series has been awesome.”

Anderson, whose trade by the Angels to Cleveland before the 1996 season was sparked by a contract dispute, has played an integral role in the league championship series for the Indians, having allowed only one run on one hit in 5 1/3 innings.

The left-hander replaced struggling starter Jaret Wright in the fourth inning of Game 4 Sunday, with Cleveland trailing, 5-2, and when he left in the seventh, after retiring 10 of 12 batters, the Indians were leading, 7-5. Cleveland eventually won, 8-7.

Anderson was not activated for the division series against the New York Yankees and had never appeared in a playoff game before this series but has thrived on the pressure.

“All I know is that these games have been the most fun I’ve ever had in baseball,” he said. “I really like the pressure, the feeling of everything being on one pitch, that everything’s on the line. These big games really get the blood flowing.”

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Tempers flared in the first inning Monday night when Oriole starter Scott Kamieniecki hit Manny Ramirez with a pitch. Ramirez swore at Kamieniecki and had to be escorted and restrained on his way to first by umpire Larry McCoy and first base Coach Davey Nelson. . . . Tasteless statistic of the day came from the Fox network, which, during its telecast of Monday night’s game, noted that Cal Ripken Jr.’s consecutive-games streak has gone longer than the Civil War, World War I and World War II combined.

Cleveland left fielder Brian Giles was hit in the forehead by a ball during batting practice Monday but felt good enough to start. “I’m all right,” he said. “There was no blood, just the presence of seams on my forehead.” . . . This will be the seventh consecutive year without a World Series on the West Coast, the longest drought since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. The last World Series that included a West Coast team was in 1990, when the Oakland Athletics were swept by the Cincinnati Reds. Of course, there was no World Series anywhere in 1994, when the players were on strike.