ANGELS REPORT : Celebration Annoys Percival

Giving up a game-winning, three-run home run to Cleveland’s Richie Sexson in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night was hard enough for Angel closer Troy Percival to swallow. Watching the Indian celebration in the wake of their 10-run eighth inning was even worse.

“It looked like the seventh game of the World Series the way people were jumping around, pumping their fists,” said Percival, who has blown four of his last five save opportunities.

“It was odd, considering they’re 19 games up in their division and we’re 27 games down in ours. I wasn’t going to be anyone’s whipping boy. I wasn’t getting a lot of respect out there, so I’m gonna throw inside.”

And throw inside Percival did, hitting David Justice with a pitch that sparked a bench-clearing brawl. Percival was ejected after the pitch, and Justice was ejected for charging the mound and throwing his helmet at Percival, another act Percival couldn’t understand.

“I had a right to be angry, a guy whipped a helmet at my face,” Percival said. “I have a ball in my hand, and there are other places I could throw it if I wanted to. If that’s the way the game is played, why don’t you bring your bat out there? And it’s not like Justice is 5-10 and 140 pounds.”

Justice had no regrets about charging the mound, saying he’d do the same thing if the situation arose again, but Sexson did have a few regrets about his post-homer celebration.

“I probably overdid it a little bit,” Sexson said, “but in a game like that, your emotions keep building.”

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Releivers Mike Fyhrie and Juan Alvarez will join the Angels today. Alvarez is a left-hander who went 1-2 with a 2.05 earned-run average in 23 games at double-A Erie and 0-3 with a 3.49 ERA at triple-A Edmonton. When Edmonton completes its season this weekend, starting pitcher Brian Cooper, catchers Bret Hemphill and Steve Decker, and outfielder Matt Luke are expected to be called up. . . . The Angels released outfielder Reggie Williams, who hit .222 with a homer and six runs batted in in 30 games.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ JARROD WASHBURN (0-2, 7.23 ERA) vs. INDIANS’ DAVE BURBA (11-7, 4.44 ERA)

Jacobs Field, Cleveland, 4 p.m.

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Update--The Indians bolstered their roster for the playoffs, acquiring catcher Tyler Houston from the Chicago Cubs for minor league reliever Richard Negrette, and adding relievers Jim Poole and Sean DePaula to the major league roster. Cleveland put pitchers Jason Rakers and David Riske on the disabled list, optioned reliever Tom Martin to triple-A Buffalo, and sent left-hander Jimmy Hamilton to Baltimore to complete the Harold Baines deal.