Yankees Get Into Party Swing

Such gracious hosts, those Angels. They decided to throw the dreaded New York Yankees an impromptu anniversary party Tuesday, complete with electronic balloons, a dazzling fireworks display and a seemingly effortless Yankee victory.

Never mind that the balloons were part of a scoreboard montage honoring the defending World Series champions or that the fireworks were part of a nightly ritual. Just minor details, really.

Besides, the Yankees were too busy rounding the bases to notice.

In a reversal of fortune from its unceremonious postseason drubbing, New York piled on the runs during an 8-3 whipping of the Angels in its first game at Edison Field since losing the deciding game of the 2002 American League division series.

The Yankees secured victory on the 100th anniversary of their first game with three runs in the third inning and four in the fourth against a pitching staff that had looked forward to venturing outside its division after a shaky start.

Turns out Angel pitchers might rather have a few more weeks of Carl Everett & Co.

New York hammered starter John Lackey for seven runs -- six earned -- in three-plus innings and treated reliever Scott Schoeneweis little better in extending its franchise-best start to 17-3 and its season-high winning streak to six games.

“This is not just another series,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said.

“We’re playing the world champions. These guys manhandled us, but we don’t have to do anything differently than we have been. If we do our job, we have a chance to win.”

New York chased Lackey after its first three batters reached in the fourth to load the bases. Schoeneweis walked Nick Johnson on four pitches to bring home a run, then surrendered a two-run single to Jason Giambi that carried just over the reach of shortstop David Eckstein.

After Bernie Williams singled to drive in the fourth run of the inning and make it 8-3, there was still nobody out. But Schoeneweis struck out the next two batters and Ben Weber retired Raul Mondesi on a groundout to avert further damage.

“It’s no fluke where they are with their record,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said of the Yankees, who benefited from eight walks. “With a club like that, you can’t give them as many opportunities to score as we did tonight.”

Jeff Weaver (2-0) improved the Yankee starters’ record to 15-0, the best start in the modern era, by giving up three runs over 6 1/3 innings.

The Angels managed at least one baserunner in every inning except the ninth but could only score twice in the second, on Adam Kennedy’s sacrifice fly and Eckstein’s flare to center, and once in the fourth, on Eckstein’s double inside the left-field line.

The crowd of 38,343, bundled in jackets and sweaters on a chilly, autumn-like evening, cheered every run as if it had postseason implications until the Yankees broke the game open in the fourth. Then, the sizable New York contingent made its presence known.

Lackey (1-2) became the latest Angel starter to struggle by issuing four walks..

“It’s embarrassing going out there and letting the team down the last couple of games,” said Lackey, whose earned-run average increased to 8.51.