Boston cannot underestimate Mike Scioscia’s club and start looking ahead to a potential ALCS meeting with the Yankees (as tempting as the thought of a seven-game battle royale with the pinstripes might be). Besides the Halos’ obvious talent, intangibles make them a dangerous first-round opponent this October.
Start with the death of Nick Adenhart. The Angels lost the young starting pitcher in a fatal car accident the first week of the season. The 22-year-old had tremendous potential, and his death hit everyone in the organization hard.
Understandably, the Angels got off to a slow start. On June 1, they were 4 1/2 games out of first in the AL West. By the end of the month, they had returned to their usual perch atop the division, and they never looked back.
The Angels have not forgotten about Adenhart. He is still a part of their team. That much was clear from their celebration after clinching the West title. They poured champagne and beer on his No. 34 jersey to honor their fallen teammate. It was the kind of tribute that brings players closer together and can leave a long-lasting impact.
The Angels have a rallying point this fall. They are playing for Adenhart. His memory continues to be close to their hearts, and his spirit will be all around them this postseason – in the clubhouse, in the dugout and on the field.
Instead of letting tragedy derail their year, the Angels have used it as inspiration to persevere. They believe they can overcome any adversity they face.
And in the playoffs, belief can be a powerful force.
So can bad blood.
The Angels and Red Sox don’t like each other much, and Josh Beckett buzzing a fastball near Bobby Abreu’s head in the teams’ first series of the year didn’t do anything to improve relations. There were no more bench-clearing incidents the rest of the season, but the tension mounted with every game, and baseball players have memories like elephants.
Scioscia calls Abreu the MVP of the Angels, and when a player of that caliber almost gets his bell rung, the entire team is looking for a little payback. Just because nothing happened during the regular season doesn’t mean the storm has passed.
Is a beanball war on the horizon? No. But don’t be surprised to see a few purpose pitches in Anaheim or Boston when these two teams renew acquaintances.
It’s not like the Angels — who won the season series 5-4 (six of the games were one-run contests) — need any added motivation. The Red Sox have owned them in the postseason. They’ve knocked out the Halos in three American League Division Series this decade — in 2008 (3-1), 2007 (3-0) and 2004 (3-0).
That’s a lot of disappointment, a lot of winters to build up resentment, a lot of free time to throw darts at a hated opponent's team photo and dream about turning the tables.
The Red Sox know the feeling. For years, they were a punching bag for the Yankees. Then, Boston got its revenge — in the cruelest way imaginable, which made it all the sweeter.
To a certain extent, the Red Sox have become the Angels’ Yankees in October. Anaheim has never beaten Boston in the playoffs.
The Red Sox are hoping to keep that streak alive. Some might say the law of averages is against them — that everything will even out for the Halos.
But don’t bet on it.
Good pitching still beats history, mystery and amazing forces at work.
