SPORTS
May 1, 2012 | By Mike DiGiovanna
It had been eight years, nine months and some change -- 3,201 days, to be exact -- since Jerome Williams threw a major league shutout, but the Angels right-hander recalled details about that game like it was last week. "It was in 2003 and was my second win against Oakland," said Williams, 30, who was pitching for San Francisco at the time. "I remember that game because [outfielder] Jose Cruz Jr. helped me by doubling off Miguel Tejada at first. " So much has happened since that June 27, 2003, win -- Williams was traded away from the Giants, released by two other organizations, ballooned to 270 pounds, injured his shoulder, pitched in Taiwan, Mexico and two independent leagues -- but Tuesday night he finally authored a bookend to that gem. Baffling a weak-hitting Minnesota lineup with his cut-fastball and power sinker, Williams threw a three-hitter with six strikeouts and one walk, retiring 18 batters in a row before a two-out walk in the ninth inning, to lead the Angels to a 4-0 victory in Angel Stadium.
NEWS
March 26, 2012 | By Mike DiGiovanna
This was not the career trajectory or the route into Tempe Diablo Stadium that Brandon Wood and the Angels had in mind years ago. A first-round pick in 2003, rated by Baseball America as the game's third-best prospect in 2006, Wood was handed the Angels' third-base job coming out of spring training in 2010 and fumbled it away amid a flurry of strikeouts, pop-ups and weak grounders. Wood was released by the Angels last April, claimed by Pittsburgh and released after hitting .220 in 99 games.
SPORTS
September 11, 2011 | Mike DiGiovanna
Jeremy Moore is doing his best to reprise the role of Chone Figgins from the Angels' 2002 World Series championship team, entering as a late-inning pinch-runner Wednesday and Friday and scoring the winning runs in victories over the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees. "He's not as polished a baserunner as Chone was when he came up, but he can flat out fly," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "We'll tap into that when we need it. " The speedy Figgins was called up in September 2002.
SPORTS
September 3, 2011
He was one of the most popular players in franchise history, and he was coming off an All-Star season, one in which he led the American League in walks, was second in runs and third in stolen bases. But after the Angels let Chone Figgins leave as a free agent following the 2009 season, his numbers plummeted. By the time he went on the disabled list with a hip flexor injury last month, Figgins had lost his starting job and had a .188 batting average and .241 on-base percentage.
SPORTS
July 7, 2011 | By Mike DiGiovanna
Jordan Walden was going to spend the All-Star break next week at Big Bear Lake with fellow Angels reliever Bobby Cassevah . Those plans changed drastically — for Walden and Cassevah — on Thursday, when Walden was selected to replace New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on the American League roster for Tuesday night's All-Star game in Phoenix. "We were going to go fishing and boating, just get away from baseball for a little bit," said Walden, the rookie closer.
SPORTS
June 16, 2011 | By Mike DiGiovanna
Reporting from New York — The Angels begin a stretch of nine interleague games in National League parks when they play the New York Mets on Friday night, giving their pitchers a rare opportunity to try to get a hit. Any success, however, would create a good-news, bad-news situation for the team. The good news: An Angels pitcher got on base. The bad news: An Angels pitcher got on base. It's not so much the swinging or bunting or slashing and running to first that concerns Manager Mike Scioscia.