Victory Over Yankees Is Game of the Century

This game almost seems easy when you get the kind of starting pitching, clutch hitting and defense the Angels have displayed in their first two games.

Ken Hill and Dave Hollins both joined the century club Thursday night, Hill throwing six shutout innings for his 100th career victory and Hollins clubbing his 100th career home run in the fourth inning, to lead the Angels to a 10-2 victory over the New York Yankees before 29,899 at Edison Field.

Catcher Phil Nevin, making his Angel debut, added a two-run double in the fourth and an RBI groundout in the eighth, Darin Erstad knocked in two runs, and Jim Edmonds capped a five-run eighth with a two-run homer.

Left fielder Garret Anderson also saved a run and maybe more with a nice, inning-ending sliding catch of Darryl Strawberry’s pop down the line in the sixth, as the Angels swept the two-game series from a team that is heavily favored to win the American League East.

“New York is a great team, but when you pitch and catch the ball, you’re going to win,” Angel Manager Terry Collins said. “This is what it’s going to take throughout the season, a lot of games like this.”

Angel ace Chuck Finley gave up only four hits in seven innings of the Angels’ 4-1 victory Wednesday night, and Hill was just as impressive Thursday.

The right-hander had some control problems, walking four, but he gave up only five hits and struck out three in what seemed to be an extension of his outstanding Cactus League season.

Left-hander Mike Holtz relieved Rich DeLucia in the seventh with two out, a runner on third and the game still close at 3-1. Holtz got Paul O’Neill to pop to short and added a one-two-three eighth before the Angels blew the game open in the bottom of the inning.

Cecil Fielder and Anderson opened with singles off reliever Willie Banks, with pinch-runner Carlos Garcia taking third on Anderson’s hit. Nevin’s grounder scored Garcia, and Norberto Martin’s RBI single made it 7-1.

Erstad, who doubled in a run in the seventh, sliced an RBI single to left, and Edmonds, who poked an RBI single to center in the seventh, hit a towering drive into the right-field seats to cap the Angel outburst.

The Angels snapped a scoreless tie in the fourth when Hollins, after fouling off a drag bunt on an 0-and-1 pitch, drilled an 0-and-2 David Wells fastball over the left-center-field wall for a 1-0 lead.

The shot touched off the first regular-season, post-homer fireworks and water show in the renovated stadium, several geysers shooting up out of the simulated rock pile beyond the outfield wall.

Before the smoke cleared, Tim Salmon reached when Yankee first baseman Tino Martinez couldn’t handle shortstop Derek Jeter’s short-hop throw from the hole, a play that was generously scored a single.

Fielder walked, and both runners advanced when Jeter bobbled Anderson’s slow roller up the middle, recovering in time to catch Anderson at first.

With first base open, Wells had the option of pitching around Nevin, who had two home runs against the Yankee left-hander in five career at-bats entering the game.

But Wells chose to go after Nevin, who made the Yankees pay by smashing a two-run double into the gap in left-center for a 3-0 lead. Martin then struck out to end the inning.

New York scored in the seventh on Jeter’s sacrifice fly and in the ninth on Chuck Knoblauch’s RBI single off reliever Mike James, who struck out O’Neill to end the game.