Percival Sweats Out 200th Save

Troy Percival earned his 200th save in the Angels’ 4-3 victory over the Yankees on Sunday, but the milestone did not come easily.

With Al Levine faltering in the eighth inning, Angel Manager Mike Scioscia called on Percival to face designated hitter David Justice with two out and runners at first and second. Percival retired Justice on a bouncer to second to end that inning, but he had a rockier time in the ninth after the Angels took a 4-2 lead.

Percival quickly disposed of Enrique Wilson and Alfonso Soriano, but Chuck Knoblauch smoked a full-count pitch to the gap in left-center field for a double. Derek Jeter followed with a run-scoring single, and next up was the lethal, and puzzling, Bernie Williams.

“I’m challenging everybody,” Percival said. “Trying to put it where they’re not looking for it. With Bernie, you’re never sure what he’s looking for. You’re just guessing away from where he’s guessing.”

Once he got two strikes on Williams, however, Percival did away with the guesswork and rifled a high fastball past him.

“After I threw that last pitch, I think I was glad that was my last pitch,” Percival said.

Percival, who is third in the American League with 29 saves, became the 27th pitcher with 200 or more. Lee Smith is baseball’s all-time leader with 478 saves and Yankee Mariano Rivera, who leads the AL with 36 saves, barely beat Percival into the record books when he notched his 200th Wednesday against the Texas Rangers.

For Percival, the fact that he accomplished the feat at Yankee Stadium, in front of Rivera, made it even more special in his eyes.

“It’s always great to do it in this town,” said Percival, who also called Rivera “the best closer I have ever seen.”

Scioscia is just impressed by Percival, period. “If you look at this guy’s record, he takes the ball and gets it done,” Scioscia said.

Bengie Molina probably would have been the hero Friday night if his sinking liner with the bases loaded had not been snared by a diving Williams.

The thought flashed through his mind again Sunday in the eighth inning when he punched a blooper near the right-field line, but it fell in front of Paul O’Neill and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double that scored Scott Spiezio with the go-ahead run.

“I just said, ‘No, please, let me have it this time,’ ” Molina said. “And it worked.”

Shawn Wooten left the team before the game to be with his ailing father, Bob, who lives in Covina and is terminally ill with complications from lung cancer.

Wooten had been wrestling with the decision, but realized he could no longer wait to be with his family. He has been visibly upset in recent days and Scioscia even declined to use him as a pinch-hitter in Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the Yankees.

“He’s struggling with it,” Scioscia said. “Needless to say, it’s a tough situation and definitely something that’s bigger than what he’s doing here now. He needs to get back there. We’ll keep saying our prayers.”

Scioscia expects Wooten to rejoin the team Tuesday at Edison Field when the Angels open a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox, but he is not sure when he’ll be available to play again, with his father’s condition day-to-day.

“It really speaks volumes to how important family is to everyone’s lives,” Scioscia said. “We’ll catch up with him [Tuesday] and see how things are going.”

TODAY

ANGELS’ SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS

(8-8, 4.80)

vs.

YANKEES’ STERLING HITCHCOCK

(1-0, 9.00)

Yankee Stadium, New York, 10 a.m.

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

Update--The Angels wrap up their four-game visit to Yankee Stadium with Schoeneweis, who has had success against the three-time defending World Series champions but only an inning’s worth of experience in the Bronx. The 27-year-old left-hander, who was born across the Hudson River in New Jersey, is 2-0 with a 4.97 ERA in three appearances against the Yankees, including two starts--both at Edison Field. Hitchcock will be making his second start for the Yankees since he was acquired from the San Diego Padres in a three-player deal a few hours before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Hitchcock pitched a two-hitter to beat the Angels in their most recent meeting on June 27, 1998.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NL WILD CARD

*--*

W L GB Arizona 62 49 -- Houston 62 49 -- San Francisco 62 50 1/2 Philadelphia 60 51 2

*--*