Santana Hits Spots

Ervin Santana was all set for the show, looking sharp on Saturday night. You don’t mess with a man’s wardrobe on a big night out.

But plate umpire Joe West did, ordering Santana off the mound during warmups because the dark dots on his sleeves might distract the opposing hitters.

No matter. Santana shrugged, wandered back to the clubhouse and put on a new undershirt. Then he returned and shrugged off the New York Yankees, leading the Angels to a 3-2 victory by taming the boys from the Bronx on two hits over 5 2/3 innings at Angel Stadium.

“You have to pay attention to what he’s doing,” Angel catcher Jose Molina said. “He’s one of the top pitchers on our team.”

Adam Kennedy drove in the decisive runs with a triple in the fifth inning, his first career hit off Randy Johnson. Casey Kotchman earned an unofficial save with a spectacular diving stop at first base, and Francisco Rodriguez earned the official save, giving up a home run to Hideki Matsui but setting a club record by converting his 21st consecutive opportunity.

At this very minute, there are undoubtedly Yankee fans screaming on talk shows in New York, demanding their team somehow buy Santana. The Yankees buy most everything else, after all, and the Angels just might have a fifth starter better than anyone in the New York rotation.

“They don’t throw any guys out there that aren’t good,” Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. “One through 11, they might have the deepest staff in baseball.”

The Yankees got a painful glimpse of Santana last October, in the deciding game of the division series, when Bartolo Colon left because of a shoulder injury and left the season in the hands of Santana, the 22-year-old rookie. Santana sent the Yankees home for the winter and sent the Angels into the American League championship series.

This time, Santana sent the Yankees to their fourth consecutive defeat, and another day in last place in the AL East, at 1-4.

“The sky doesn’t fall in five games,” New York Manager Joe Torre said.

But the clock strikes midnight for the Yankees when Santana pitches, at least so far. He has faced them four times, won four.

On Saturday, the stadium radar gun clocked him consistently throwing harder than Johnson, including a 96-mph fastball that Derek Jeter ripped for a home run in the first inning.

The Yankees did not get another hit until the sixth inning. They had one out and one on, because of an error by third baseman Chone Figgins. Gary Sheffield singled, and so New York had the tying runs on base.

Alex Rodriguez then lined a comebacker that nailed Santana on the back of the left leg, just above the knee. Santana scampered to retrieve the ball and throw out Rodriguez. With the tying runs now in scoring position, with Santana at 92 pitches and with the left-handed J.C. Romero ready to face the left-handed Jason Giambi, Manager Mike Scioscia stuck with Santana.

“His stuff was still electric,” Scioscia said.

Fastball, 94 mph, ball one. Fastball, 93 mph, strike one. Slider, 81 mph, strike two. Fastball, 93 mph, ball two. Fastball, 92 mph, ball three. Fastball, 95 mph, foul. Fastball, 93 mph, foul. Fastball, 95 mph, foul. Fastball, 96 mph, foul.

Fastball, 92 mph, ball four, barely inside -- or maybe not. Santana threw his hands up in exasperation with the call.

“The last pitch was the best pitch I made all night,” Santana said.

So the Yankees had loaded the bases. Santana departed, and Romero got Matsui to pop up to short center. Romero worked the seventh, Scot Shields the eighth and Rodriguez the ninth, and the Angels had won.

Santana smiles wherever he goes, blessed with unflappability. Ramon Ortiz was happy-go-lucky too, until the game started, and then the slightest thing could upset him.

So what impresses the Angels about Santana as much as anything? You can mess with his wardrobe, but not with his mind.

“He doesn’t panic,” Molina said. “He says, ‘All right, you want me to change the shirt, I’ll do it.’

“I don’t think the shirt makes the difference.”