Angels keep their season going with Game 5 victory

The forecast for New York City on Saturday night calls for rain with occasional thunderstorms, a 90% chance of precipitation, and a low of 51 degrees, hardly optimum conditions for baseball.

And the Angels couldn't care less.

Down to their final breath in the American League Championship Series, the Angels came out swinging, kicking, screaming, scratching and clawing in Game 5 against the New York Yankees Thursday night.

They scored four runs in the first inning, gave up six runs in the seventh and mounted a dramatic comeback with three runs in the bottom of the seventh before surviving a white-knuckle-ride of a ninth for a thrilling 7-6 victory at Angel Stadium.

The Yankees still lead the best-of-seven series, three games to two, but there will be a Game 6 in Yankee Stadium, with Angels left-hander Joe Saunders scheduled to oppose Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte on Saturday night, and the Angels will show up, rain or shine.

"Man, it could be 2 degrees, snowing and hailing, and we'll play," Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said. "It's going to be wet. It's going to be soggy. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be exciting."

It would be hard to imagine the Angels and Yankees packing more excitement into nine innings than they did Thursday night.

It started with Angels ace John Lackey carving up the heart of the Yankees' order to escape a two-on, no-out jam in the first, and the Angels pounding A.J. Burnett for four runs in the bottom of the first, which featured Hunter's two-run single, Vladimir Guerrero's RBI double and Kendry Morales' RBI single.

Then there was a seventh inning for the ages.

The Yankees erupted for six runs to take a 6-4 lead, pummeling relievers Darren Oliver and Kevin Jepsen after Manager Mike Scioscia's debatable decision to pull Lackey.

The Angels countered with three in the bottom of the seventh, a Jeff Mathis single and Erick Aybar walk sparking the rally, Chone Figgins bunting the runners up, Bobby Abreu driving in a run with a groundout and Guerrero and Morales hitting score-tying and go-ahead RBI singles for a 7-6 lead.

Jered Weaver, who started Game 3, came out of the bullpen to throw a scoreless eighth, striking out two of three batters, and the Angels failed to score after putting runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the eighth.

Then came Scioscia's second debatable move, pulling Weaver, who looked very strong, in favor of closer Brian Fuentes to start the ninth.