2002 World Series

The 2002 World Series was among the classic matchups in the history of the Series. The Anaheim Angels (American League) and San Francisco Giants (National League) competed for the championship, representing the first time two wild card teams would vie for the elusive title. It was a mettle-forging comeback, for the Giants were leading by a 3-2 game tally after five games, and scored five runs prior to the seventh-inning stretch of Game 6 while the Angels had not tallied a single run. Then, however, the Angels, being the home team, rallied with three runs each in the seventh and eighth innings for the win. They carried on the momentum for a 4-1 victory in Game 7 for their first championship.

Managers: Mike Scioscia (Anaheim), Dusty Baker (San Francisco)

Umpires: Jerry Crawford, Mike Reilly, Tim McClelland, Tim Tschida, Mike Winters, Angel Hernandez

Series MVP: Troy Glaus (Anaheim)

Television: FOX (Joe Buck and Tim McCarver announcing)

Series summary
The series was played as a best-of-seven playoff with a 2-3-2 site format (standard in Major League Baseball).

Game 1
October 19, 2002

San Francisco won 4-3 at Edison Field (now Angel Stadium) to take a 1-0 lead

Game 2
October 20, 2002

Anaheim won 11-10 at home in a game where the lead kept fluctuating between the two teams, tying up the series

Game 3
October 22, 2002

Anaheim won 10-4 in the first game at Pacific Bell Park (now AT&T Park)

Game 4
October 23, 2002

San Francisco scored a 4-3 victory for a split series

Game 5
October 24, 2002

San Francisco took a 16-4 blowout win in a game in which the Angels never led. The most well-known moment in this game was when Giants first baseman J.T. Snow scored off a Kenny Lofton triple then 3-year-old Darren Baker, who was the batboy ran to home plate to collect Lofton's bat before the play was completed and was quickly pulled off the field by Snow as he crossed homeplate. Had Snow been a few steps slower and the play at home closer Darren could have been seriously injured.

Game 6
October 26, 2002

The turning point in the series came in Game 6. Leading 5-0 and 8 outs away from the Giants' first World Series title in San Francisco, Giants manager Dusty Baker pulled starting pitcher Russ Ortiz after he had given up consecutive singles to third baseman Troy Glaus and designated hitter Brad Fullmer to start the bottom half of the 7th inning, with one out. In a widely publicized move seen by the Angels as arrogant, Baker gave Ortiz the game ball as he sent him back to the dugout. Angel first baseman Scott Spiezio came to the plate and fouled off pitch after pitch before finally hitting a 3-run home run that barely cleared the wall in right field. The rally continued in the 8th inning, as Angel center fielder Darin Erstad hit a leadoff line-drive home run, followed by consecutive singles by Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson. (Chone Figgins pinch ran for Salmon.) When Bonds misplayed Anderson's shallow left field bloop single, Figgins and Anderson took third and second respectiviely. With no outs, two runners in scoring position and now only a 5-4 lead, Baker brought in closer Robb Nen to pitch to Glaus, hoping that Nen could induce a strikeout that might yet preserve the Giants' slim lead. However, Glaus slugged a double to the left-center field gap to drive in the tying and winning runs. In the 9th inning Angels closer Troy Percival struck out swinging Rich Aurilia to preserve the 6-5 victory in front of the deliriously jubilant home crowd.

The Angels' rally to overcome a five-run deficit was the largest comeback in an elimination game in World Series history.

Game 7
October 27, 2002

Game 7 proved to be anticlimactic after the drama of Game 6. The Giants scored the first run on a sacrifice, but the Angels responded with a run-scoring double from catcher Bengie Molina and a 3-run double to right field from left fielder Garret Anderson to open a 4-1 lead. Rookie starting pitcher John Lackey maintained that lead. In the 9th inning, closer Troy Percival provided some tense moments as he opened the inning by putting two Giants on base, with only one out. But Tsuyoshi Shinjo - the first Japanese player in a World Series game - struck out swinging, and Kenny Lofton, also representing the tying run, flied out to Darin Erstad in deep right field to end the Series. The Angels won Game 7, 4-1, to claim their franchise's first and so far only World Series Championship.

Series scoring summary
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the inning numbers are replaced by game numbers.

Note that the Giants were defeated by the Angels despite scoring more runs over the course of the series; many of these runs occurred in the 16-4 blowout that was Game 5.

Quotes of the Series
"That's the furthest ball I`ve ever seen hit." - Tim Salmon reacting to Barry Bonds' home run in Game 2. Cameras caught him saying it in the dugout.

"We'll see you tomorrow night!!" - Joe Buck of FOX exclaims when Rich Aurilia swings and misses Troy Percival's high fastball to end Game 6, and complete the greatest comeback in World Series history for a team facing elimination.

"Swung on and missed! He struck him out on a high fastball. The Angels win the game, 6-5! Oh, what a ballgame for the Anaheim Angels!!" - shouts Angels radio announcer Terry Smith, calling the end of Game 6.

"Driven into right-center field, Erstad says he has it...The Angels, World champions!" - Joe Buck calling the final out of the Series.

Trivia

 * The Angels lost the first game in all three rounds of the playoffs (Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series), yet rebounded to win each time. They were the first team to do this since the new postseason format was created in 1994.
 * The Angels came back from five runs down to win game 6, the largest deficit ever overcome by a team facing elimination.
 * Mike Scioscia and Dusty Baker played together on the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. This was the first World Series to feature opposing managers who had been teammates on a World Championship team as players.
 * There was considerable controversy regarding Glaus' selection as Series MVP. Despite being on the losing team, Barry Bonds was, by most accounts, the biggest star of the Series, hitting .471 for the Series with 4 homers, 6 RBI, and a mind-boggling 13 walks versus Glaus' 7 runs, 8 RBI, 3 homers and a .385 average. Thus Bobby Richardson of the 1960 Yankees remains the only Series MVP in a losing cause.
 * Giants play-by-play voice Jon Miller called the World Series on ESPN Radio.