For those who insist this Angel franchise is not cursed--and the number of those folks seems to dwindle by the hour--how would you explain the horror of Mo Vaughn, barely five minutes into his $80-million Angel career, tumbling into the first-base dugout in pursuit of a foul popup Tuesday night?
That the Angels beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-5, in a scintillating season opener before 39,936 in Edison Field seemed secondary to the fact that while the Angels rallied in the last two innings, Vaughn was on his way to a hospital for precautionary X-rays--they were negative--on what was diagnosed as a sprained left ankle.
Here's what Vaughn missed: After tying the game, 5-5, with a two-run rally in the seventh, Angel third baseman Troy Glaus ripped an RBI double in the eighth to score Garret Anderson with the winning run, and Troy Percival pitched a 1-2-3 ninth against his longtime nemesis for the save.
Percival, who has an 0-5 career record and 7.50 earned-run average against Cleveland, faced the heart of the Indian order, retiring Roberto Alomar on a groundout, Jim Thome on an infield pop, and punctuating a strikeout of Manny Ramirez with a triple-pump of his right fist.
Tim Salmon had opened the eighth with a single off Indian reliever Steve Karsay but was ruled out when Anderson's grounder nicked him on the foot between first and second.
Todd Greene lined to third for the second out, but Glaus, with Anderson running from first on a 2-2 pitch, doubled to the gap in left-center to score Anderson with the go-ahead run.
The Indians had threatened in the eighth, putting runners on first and third when Wil Cordero and Sandy Alomar singled off reliever Mark Petkovsek. But left-hander Mike Holtz came on and fielded Kenny Lofton's comebacker, starting a rundown that resulted in pinch-runner Jolbert Cabrera getting called out for running out of the baseline.
Omar Vizquel, who homered in the third and singled and scored in the fifth, then flied to left to end the inning.
Glaus also had a hand in a two-run seventh. Trailing, 5-3, he blooped a one-out single to right off Cleveland starter Jaret Wright, and Matt Walbeck followed with an infield single off Wright's glove.
Andy Sheets, who has the daunting task of replacing injured shortstop Gary DiSarcina, followed with an RBI single to left-center, Glaus scoring, Walbeck hustling to third and Sheets taking second.
