Bad Memories of a Blast From the Past

And, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch Saturday, Dave Henderson.

Taunting? Poor sportsmanship? With the Angels one victory away from clinching a playoff berth, why would the Seattle Mariners trot out the player whose name has been cursed by Angel fans since 1986?

That was the year that Henderson hit the two-strike, two-out, two-run home run that prevented the Angels from advancing to the World Series. Henderson and the Boston Red Sox got there instead, and the Angels have not returned to the playoffs since then.

“I’ll always be connected with the Angels,” Henderson said. “I’ve hit a lot of home runs in postseason play. The Angels just haven’t been back, so it makes it a big deal.”

Not that Angel fans would care to remember, but Henderson enjoyed a 14-year career, including that World Series appearance with Boston and three more with the Oakland Athletics. He played his first six seasons with Seattle and now works as a broadcaster for the Mariners. Saturday’s first-pitch ceremony was planned long ago, as part of the Mariners’ 25th anniversary celebration, not wickedly arranged to torment long-suffering Angel fans.

“Don’t be writing that jinx or curse [stuff],” he said. “That’s baseball.”

But, on the day Henderson threw out the first pitch, and on the day the Angels could have clinched their first playoff bid in 16 years, third baseman Troy Glaus committed a throwing error that led to four unearned runs. The Angels lost by two.

“Troy threw that ball away. That has nothing to do with me being here,” Henderson said. “Just write down Hendu’s not playing this year, so they have a chance.”

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The Angels sold out tickets for the first round of the playoffs Saturday, within hours of putting them on sale. Some 2,000 tickets remain for the regular-season finale against Seattle next Sunday, with scattered single seats available for the other two remaining home games Friday and Saturday.

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TODAY

ANGELS’

JARROD WASHBURN

(18-5, 3.11 ERA)

vs.

MARINERS’

RYAN FRANKLIN

(6-4, 4.17 ERA)

Safeco Field, Seattle, 1:30 p.m.

TV--Channel 9.

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

Update--Washburn must win his final two starts to become the Angels’ first 20-game winner since Nolan Ryan in 1974. Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki, the defending American League most valuable player and batting champion, has a .190 career average against Washburn.