Oct 14, 2002 3 min read

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Sixteen years later, the Angels are once again just one win away from their first World Series. Rookie John Lackey outpitched Brad Radke with seven shutout innings, Troy Glaus broke up a scoreless tie with a go-ahead single in the seventh and Anaheim beat the Minnesota Twins 7-1 Saturday night for a 3-1 lead in the AL championship series.

It was another electric night at Edison Field, with the crowd of 44,830 nearly all in red. Fans banged their inflatable plastic Thunder Stix from start to finish, waved their stuffed “rally monkeys” and even wore feathery halos on their heads.

“One cloud away,” read one hope-filled sign behind the Twins’ dugout.

For 42 years, the theme of this franchise has been “Heaven Can Wait,” with painful memories lingering from 1986, when Donnie Moore and the Angels had a 3-1 lead over Boston in the ALCS and were one strike away from advancing to the World Series that founding owner Gene Autry had dreamed of for decades.

Kevin Appier can end the waiting Sunday when he starts against Joe Mays, the pitcher he lost to in the opener at the Metrodome.

Both starters were remarkably efficient on a cool, gray night, with Lackey holding the Twins to three singles in seven innings, striking out seven, walking nine and not letting a runner past first base.

Radke, who beat Oakland in Games 1 and 5 of the first round, allowed just two hits in the first six innings, went to just one 2-0 count and didn’t go to three balls on any batters.

Darin Erstad singled leading off the seventh, becoming Anaheim’s third runner of the game, and when he broke for second on a steal attempt, Minnesota’s defense cracked again. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s throw bounced into center for the Twins’ seventh error of the postseason, and Erstad took third.

Tthe New York Yankees, when he pitched three shutout innings, and he hadn’t started since Sept. 26.

Francisco Rodriguez, Anaheim’s 20-year-old rookie sensation, gave up a bloop double to Doug Mientkiewicz leading off the eighth, then struck out Dustan Mohr, gave up a grounder to second that advanced the runner to third, then fanned pinch-hitter Brad Kielty.

Ben Weber finished the six-hitter, giving up an RBI single to David Ortiz.

Now, the wild-card Angels have three chances for that elusive pennant-winning victory. In 1986, when they were one strike away, Boston’s Dave Henderson hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Moore, the Red Sox went on to win in extra innings, then won the next two games at Fenway Park.

Three years later, Moore shot his wife and killed himself, and lingering memories were cited as part of the cause.

Autry died four years ago, after The Walt Disney Co. took control of the team, but his memory lives on for the players and fans.

NOTES: California Gov. Gray Davis sat with Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Actor John Travolta also watched from a box. … As Twins 2B Luis Rivas backpeddled to catch Salmon’s pop to short right field in the fourth, RF Mohr plowed into Rivas’ back. Rivas held onto the ball, and Mohr playfully put a hand on Rivas’ head when they trotted to their dugout at the end of the inning. … Mientkiewicz fouled a pitch off the left wrist of Molina, Anaheim’s catcher, in the fifth.

… Fullmer jogged up the first-base line and had just crossed the bag when his high fly to the right-field warning track was caught in the fifth.