An Early-Byrd Special

For first baseman Darin Erstad, it was a cup of coffee, a Mountain Dew “and a whole lot of adrenaline.” For reliever Scot Shields, it was “a couple of Cokes” and a splash of cold water on his face. For center fielder Steve Finley, it was the pure excitement and emotion of a playoff game on the national stage.

“It was easy,” the 40-year-old Finley said, when asked how the Angels got up for their third game in three time zones in three days, with two red-eye flights totaling about 4,200 miles on successive nights. “We’re in the American League championship series. You don’t feel anything.”

The Angels felt plenty afterward, though, a mixture of exhilaration and exhaustion and relief after overcoming a grueling three-day travel odyssey to defeat the well-rested Chicago White Sox, 3-2, in the first game of the best-of-seven championship series before 40,659 in U.S. Cellular Field.

Paul Byrd, working on three days’ rest out of a rotation racked by injury and illness, gave up two runs and five hits in six-plus gutsy innings, and Shields threw two scoreless innings, escaping a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth by retiring Paul Konerko on a fly ball to center field.

Garret Anderson hit his third playoff home run, a solo shot in the second; the Angels went to their little-ball attack to squeeze out two runs in the third, and Francisco Rodriguez closed it out with a scoreless ninth, as the Angels won the opener of a playoff series for the first time under Manager Mike Scioscia.

“This was big, because we’re like boxers in a fight, we threw the first punch and got the win,” shortstop Orlando Cabrera said. “Hopefully, we don’t let them recuperate.”

The Angels lost Game 4 of the division series Sunday night in New York, won Game 5 over the Yankees on Monday night in Anaheim, and they arrived at their Chicago hotel at around 6:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday, about 13 1/2 hours before the first pitch.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Angels are the first team to play three playoff games in three cities on three consecutive days.

“These last 48 hours,” Scioscia said, “were a blur.”

But with the exception of third baseman Chone Figgins’ error on Carl Everett’s squibber in the ninth inning, the Angels looked as sharp as a plasma TV screen.

Bengie Molina, whom Chicago Manager Ozzie Guillen called “the best catcher in baseball, no doubt,” threw out two runners, including speedy leadoff batter Scott Podsednik, trying to steal second base.

Erstad reached over a short wall in foul territory to snag Jermaine Dye’s popup in the third, and Figgins, after his error to open the ninth, fielded Aaron Rowand’s bunt and made a strong throw to second in time to force pinch-runner Pablo Ozuna, preventing the tying run from moving into scoring position.

“This could have been a day where guys weren’t sharp, where we weren’t at our best, but everyone did a good job,” second baseman Adam Kennedy said. “Getting a win after going through all that is really huge.”

Molina said the key to dealing with fatigue was “to not think about it, to just think about the game, getting on base, moving them over,” he said. “I felt good right up until we got the last out. That’s when I got tired.”

Others needed a little extra boost to get them through the night.

“In the bullpen, I hit a brick wall for a couple minutes in the third inning,” Shields said. “But I had to wake myself up and get ready to go, so I splashed some water on my face. Then I had a couple of Cokes and strapped it on.”

Indeed.

“I didn’t know Scot Shields was going to come in throwing 94 mph on the corners,” Byrd said. “He looked great.”

Byrd said he got about six hours of sleep and woke up at 1 p.m. in a haze.

“The room was dark -- I love those rooms with the thick curtains -- and it’s like, ‘Where am I?’ ” Byrd said. “You’ve got to get your bearings straight.

“We’ve had a couple of red-eye flights, a few long days, but I tell you what, it beats sitting on the couch and watching someone else play.”

The White Sox had all weekend to watch the Angels play -- they completed a division series sweep of Boston on Friday, giving them three days to rest and set their rotation, which featured Jose Contreras, winner of nine consecutive games, in Game 1.

The Angels, meanwhile, lost ace Bartolo Colon for the ALCS to a shoulder injury, crossed their fingers and hoped Jarrod Washburn’s strep throat would break in time for him to start Game 2 -- it did -- and tried to summon enough energy for the first game of the ALCS.

Advantage, Chicago?

Hardly.

The Angels bunched four of their seven hits in the second and third innings, scoring first when Anderson belted a 2-and-0 Contreras pitch into the right-center field seats to lead off the second.

Finley led off the third with a single and took second on Kennedy’s single. Both advanced on Figgins’ sacrifice bunt, and Finley scored when Cabrera beat out a slow roller to third. Kennedy took third on the infield single.

Vladimir Guerrero followed with a chopper to the mound, and Contreras, ignoring the runner on third, fired to second baseman Tadahito Iguchi for one out.

Iguchi appeared to have time to turn the double play, but Cabrera slid hard and popped up just enough to force Iguchi into an errant throw that sailed over Konerko’s head at first. Kennedy scored for a 3-0 lead, giving Guerrero his first RBI of the postseason.

“The offense laid it on the line for three innings,” Erstad said. “Then we said, ‘All right pitchers, it’s your turn.’ ”

White Sox third baseman Joe Crede hit a homer off Byrd in the third, and A.J. Pierzynski’s RBI single in the fourth pulled Chicago within 3-2, but the White Sox managed only two hits over the final five innings, Rodriguez struck out Crede with a nasty slider to end the game, and the Angels looked forward to the bus ride back to the team hotel.

“We’re going to sleep good tonight,” Finley said.