Page 322 - 2020 Angels Media Guide

ANGELS IN THE POSTSEASON (2008)

2008 DIVISION Series RecaP
For the third time in five seasons and fourth time in eight total playoff appearances (1986, 2004, 2007 & 2008), the
Angels faced off against the Boston Red Sox (A.L. wild card entrant). The Halos entered the series with home-field advan-
tage throughout the playoffs with the Majors’ best record (100-62). The Angels also entered the 2008 postseason having
dropped their last seven overall playoff games and last nine postseason affairs against Boston.
In Game 1 at Angel Stadium, the Angels offense sputtered at the hands of Red Sox starter Jon Lester (7 IP, 6 H, 1 R,
0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO) in the 4-1 setback. John Lackey (6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 SO) suffered the loss despite a solid
outing. The Angels held a 1-0 lead through five innings, courtesy of a Torii Hunter RBI single, before Jason Bay put the Red
Sox up for good with a two-run shot off Lackey in the top of the sixth. The Angels’ 2 thru 5 hitters were 8-for-15 (.533)
but the team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine baserunners.
In Game 2 at Angel Stadium, the Angels clawed back from an early four-run deficit to knot the game at 5-5 in the
eighth inning. The momentum quickly evaporated as J.D. Drew’s two-run home run off Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth
proved to be the game-winner, giving the Red Sox a commanding 2-0 series lead. The loss was the ninth consecutive
playoff setback for the Angels and 11th straight playoff loss to Boston. Chone Figgins’ triple to lead off the eighth inning
was the Angels’ first extra-base hit of the series (first 19 hits were singles). The Angels were 3-for-14 with RISP while
stranding 11 runners. Hunter logged RBI singles in the first and fifth innings and drove in three of the Angels’ six runs
over the first two games.
In Game 3 at Fenway Park, the Halos beat the Red Sox in the playoffs for the first time since Oct. 11, 1986 (Game 4
of ALCS), snapping an 11-game skid to Boston. The 5-4, 12-inning win (5 hr., 19 min.) marked the longest postseason
game in club history. Erick Aybar’s 12th-inning RBI single scoring Mike Napoli was the game-winner. Napoli connected
for two home runs marking the fifth time an Angel logged a multi-HR playoff game. Napoli became just the sixth MLB
catcher with a multi-HR game in the playoffs. Jered Weaver (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 SO) earned the victory in the first relief
appearance of his career.
Game 4 at Fenway Park would end in a fashion all too familiar to the Angels - a walk-off, series-clinching win for the
Red Sox. A clutch two-out, two-run single by Hunter in the bottom of the eighth inning tied the game a 2-2. In the top of
the ninth, the Halos looked poised to take the lead after a leadoff double from pinch-hitter Kendrys Morales. However,
the scoring threat was foiled after a botched suicide squeeze ended the rally. In the ninth, Jed Lowrie’s two-out RBI single
plated Jason Bay from second base with the winning run. For the third time in five seasons, the Angels were eliminated
from the first round of playoffs by the Red Sox.
2008 ALDS Recap
LOS ANGELES ANGELS VS. BOSTON RED SOX
Oct. 1-6, 2008

GAME 1 - Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at Anaheim (N)
BOSTON 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 — 4 8 1
LOS ANGELES 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 9 1
LOB: BOS 9, LAA 9. HR: Bay (off Lackey) E: Lowrie, Matthews SB: Ellsbury (2) HBP: Lowrie (by Lackey)
WP - Lester, LP - Lackey T: 3:14. A: 44,996.
GAME 2 - Friday, October 3, 2008 at Anaheim (N)
BOSTON 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 — 7 14 0
club postseason
LOS ANGELES 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 — 5 11 2
LOB: BOS 10, LAA 11. HR: Bay (off Santana), Drew (Off F. Rodriguez) E: Aybar, Hunter SB: Ellsbury. SF: Teixeira. GIDP: Varitek.
WP - Papelbon, LP - F. Rodriguez T: 3:51. A: 45,354.

GAME 3 - Sunday, October 5, 2008 at Boston (N)
LOS ANGELES 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 5 16 0
BOSTON 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 4 7 0
LOB: LAA 16, BOS 8. HR: Napoli (2 off Beckett) SB: Figgins, Guerrero, Crisp. CS: Ellsbury SH: Kendrick HBP: Pedroia (by Saunders), Napoli (by
Delcarmen) GIDP: Varitek. Outfield Assist: Bay.
WP - Weaver, LP - Lopez T: 5:19. A: 39,067.
GAME 4 - Monday, October 6, 2008 at Boston (N)
LOS ANGELES 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 — 2 6 1
BOSTON 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 — 3 9 0
LOB: LAA 7, BOS 6. E: Figgins. CS: Willits. SH: Kendrick. GIDP: Kotsay, Ellsbury. PB: Varitek
WP - Delcarmen, LP - Shields T: 2:50. A: 38,785.

321 2020 ANGELS MEDIA GUIDE