A gift for fans that keeps on giving

On a fan appreciation day filled with numerous giveaway prizes, including a pickup truck, the Angels sent an Angel Stadium sellout crowd home Sunday with a lovely parting gift: the memories of an American League West-clinching victory over the Mariners.

It was the least they could do.

Sunday’s home finale marked the 34th time the Angels have played in front of a sold-out stadium. The Angels drew 3,365,632 fans, surpassing 3 million in attendance for the fifth straight season.

“Absolutely,” pitcher John Lackey said, when asked if it was better to clinch at home. “Our fans have been so great to us. Our place has sold out a bunch. To do it on fan appreciation day was pretty fitting.”

The Angels were 54-27 at home, tying the club record for home wins set in 2002, and players agree the atmosphere in Angel Stadium, for decades among the most subdued in baseball, had something to do with it.

“We wanted to get this done today to reward our fans,” center fielder Gary Mathews Jr. said. “They’re so supportive, and we never lose sight of that. It’s a packed house every night, and that helps us a lot. It gives us confidence, and maybe it intimidates some other teams.”

The AL race is over. Let the race for home-field advantage begin.

The Angels, Red Sox and Indians have all secured playoff berths, and the Yankees are closing in on the final spot. Whoever finishes with the best record earns home field throughout the postseason, and if the Angels finish ahead of Cleveland, they’ll get home field in the first round against either Boston or New York.

The Angels are 92-64, half a game behind the Indians (92-63). The Red Sox are also 92-64, and the Yankees are 90-65.

Last week, shortstop Orlando Cabrera said the Angels should not rest their regulars after clinching the division so they could make a strong push for home-field advantage.

But after Sunday’s win, Mike Scioscia didn’t sound like a manager with a home-field-or-bust mentality.

“Some of our guys have been playing on fumes, so we’re going to rest some guys,” Scioscia said. “We’re going to try to win every game, but it’s more important to have a team that’s ready to compete in the playoffs.”

Said Lackey: “You’ve got to find a good balance. You’ve got to get guys rested and healthy for the playoffs, and you’ve got to keep playing good baseball. You can’t go too crazy on either end.”

Kelvim Escobar, scratched from Saturday’s start because of shoulder inflammation, threw a light bullpen workout Sunday and is expected to be folded back into the rotation Tuesday in Texas.

That would put Escobar (17-7) in line to pitch the regular-season finale next Sunday and Game 2 of the division series on Oct. 5.

Lackey (18-9) extended his string of scoreless innings against the Mariners to 28 by blanking them through four Sunday, but Seattle finally broke through against the right-hander on Raul Ibanez’s double and Jose Lopez’s run-scoring single in the fifth inning. Lackey improved to 9-1 against AL West teams this season. . . . Seattle’s starting pitcher, former Angel Jeff Weaver, hit three batters, including Howie Kendrick twice, which drew the crowd’s ire. But apparently there was a reason for his control problems: a cut on his pitching hand that was bleeding onto the ball. Weaver was pulled in the sixth inning. . . . Scioscia reached his 700th win in Game No. 1,287 of his career Thursday night, making him the fastest manager to 700 wins since Mike Hargrove reached that milestone in Game No. 1,273 with Cleveland on Aug. 22, 1999.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com