It looked like deja vu all over again for the Angels.
With the bases loaded in the third inning, Vladimir Guerrero struck out to end the threat. One wondered if this would be another lowlight of the Angels' failures against the Red Sox in the postseason.
They finally figured out how to get to Jon Lester with runners in scoring position in the fifth inning. Lester grooved up a pitch that was easy for Torii Hunter to hit, and the ball went to the stands.
Just like that, they took a 3-0 lead over Boston, and it was game over after that.
John Lackey pitched great from the beginning, and that lead was good enough for Lackey to finish up the rest.
Hunter's hit symbolizes many things in this playoff contest.
His hit loosened a tight team up that was bogged down from hearing about Boston's dominance over them.
It puts the Angels in the catbird seat this time around instead of being the team that needs to catch up to Boston as they have done in the last few years.
It provides hope that they got a player that won't be afraid to face a big bully in Boston.
This should get Hunter's teammates going for the rest of this series, and a good example of that came late in the game when everyone started to hit.
Want to know what's cool about that hit? It sets Red Sox fans into a frenzy.
Nothing gets them going than a loss in October or a loss to the Yankees at anytime. It's funny to hear Red Sox Nation whine about how everything is going to fall apart for their team.
It's one game, but a win like this could get the Angels going. They can be even better, and the Red Sox rotation is nothing to talk about after Lester and Josh Beckett.
Had the defending AL West Champion lost this one, everyone would rip them for failing to drive runners home and playing tight once again against the AL Wild Card team.
The Angels would fare worse in the next game.
They talked about how the past does not matter, but who cares what they say. It's about doing it on the field, and last night, an Angel did something about it.
The home team must perform another encore tonight for Boston to know they are for real this time.
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