ANAHEIM — The year began with concerns over injuries weakening the club's starting pitching foundation and the seemingly improved Mariners, picked by many insiders to wrest control of the American League West from the defending champion Angels.
Undaunted, manager Mike Scioscia and his staff methodically set about the task of building a winner — and made it happen with remarkable success, driving the club to a Major League-leading 100 wins, a franchise record, despite opening the season without John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar at the top of their rotation.
With Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana pitching like the All-Stars they would become and new center fielder Torii Hunter providing brilliance on the field and clubhouse leadership, the Angels led the A's by a game at the end of April. Getting Lackey back six weeks into the season — Escobar would be lost for the year with shoulder surgery — the Halos began pulling away from the pack with a fireworks-filled July when they were 21-6. In an effort to beef up the offense, first baseman Mark Teixeira was acquired from Atlanta on July 29 in exchange for Casey Kotchman and Steve Marek.
The Halos entered August with a 12 1/2-game lead over second-place Texas and came into September with a 17-game cushion, clinching the division on Sept. 10 against the Yankees at home. Three days later, Francisco Rodriguez set the single-season saves record with No. 58, finishing with 62. But the postseason once again brought frustration at the hands of the Red Sox, who eliminated the Angels in four games in the AL Division Series.
January
A pair of big moves in November by new general manager Tony Reagins, succeeding Bill Stoneman, had the roster set as the calendar turned. Shortstop Orlando Cabrera was sent to the White Sox in exchange for veteran right-hander Jon Garland, fortifying the rotation, while Hunter signed a five-year, $90 million deal to become the club's new center fielder.
On Jan. 7, Reggie Willits, a rookie spark plug in 2007, had surgery to remove his gall bladder. The club avoided arbitration with Juan Rivera, Kotchman and Maicer Izturis by securing contracts with all three players. But they could not reach an agreement with their closer, K-Rod, and would take his case to an arbitrator.
February
The first bad news of the spring arrived when Escobar, an 18-game winner in 2007, reported a shoulder injury that would turn out to be serious. After several efforts to pitch through pain, he eventually underwent surgery and would be lost for the season.
Seeking $12.5 million, K-Rod lost his arbitration case and was awarded $10 million for 2008. Hunter quickly showed his adaptability — and how happy he was to be with the Angels — with two hits in his first preseason game.
March
With Opening Day approaching, pitching concerns heightened. Lackey was diagnosed with a strained right triceps on March 15 and was expected to miss at least a month. He would make his first start two months later. Additionally, setup man Scot Shields, known for his remarkable durability, discovered he'd open the season on the 15-day disabled list with a forearm strain. This created an opening for unheralded reliever Darren O'Day, who enjoyed a brilliant spring.
Revved up for his return to Minnesota for Opening Day, Hunter was mobbed by his former fans. But all the buzz surrounded Livan Hernandez, who pitched the Twins to a 3-2 win at the Metrodome, outdueling Angels starter Jered Weaver, on the final day of March. Better things were coming … very soon.
April
The Angels took the final three games of that opening series with the Twins, lost their home opener to the Indians, but quickly began to see what Hunter could do for them. His walk-off grand slam against the Indians on April 7 was the first of his many season highlights.
Saunders (5-0, 2.08 ERA) and Santana (5-0, 2.48) quickly dispelled concerns about the rotation with sensational starts, and Garland (3-3, 5.94) also was effective. Shields returned in his setup role, and K-Rod, despite early ankle problems and a modification of his delivery, nailed down 11 saves, starting his march toward 62.
The offense, with Kotchman and Mike Napoli each unloading six homers, was lively and productive, and the defense — with Izturis capably replacing Cabrera at shortstop — was solid. One down note: Howie Kendrick, batting .500, suffered a left hamstring strain on April 13 that would dog him for the rest of the season.
May
Injuries continued to surface, with Izturis (lower back strain) and leadoff catalyst Chone Figgins (right hamstring strain) taking trips to the DL. The Angels' superior infield depth would pay off with Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez producing in support of Erick Aybar, whose play at shortstop in Izturis' absence was stellar, until he, too, went on the DL on May 21 with a dislocated right pinky.
The offense slumped, with Vladimir Guerrero's struggles particularly baffling. The big bopper would end the month with his lowest average of his career — .249 — entering June. Garret Anderson (.343, 16 RBIs) and Napoli (four homers) kept the offense afloat, and the pitching was good enough to produce a winning month (15-13). Lackey's return on May 14 lifted the staff, and the big right-hander set off on a superb run. K-Rod found a nice groove with 10 saves and a 0.73 ERA in 13 appearances.
June
With Lackey (5-0, 1.16) and K-Rod (11 saves, 1.59) dominant, the Angels continued their solid mound work with an unexpected boost from rookie Jose Arredondo (1.35 ERA in 12 games). Napoli and Jeff Mathis were getting high marks for their defensive work behind the plate.
Guerrero busted out with six homers and 15 RBIs, batting .375, and Izturis returned to add balance to the attack as the infield continued to be a revolving door. With a solid defense and timely hitting, the Angels continued to win close games, going 16-10 despite averaging fewer than four runs a game for the month (3.8).
July
This would be the best month of the season for the Angels, winning 19 of 25 games to forge into command of the AL West. Hunter (nine homers, 21 RBIs) had a huge month, and Anderson (.384, five homers, 22 RBIs) was in top form with Rivera (six homers, 16 RBIs, .311) taking full advantage of extended playing time.
The big jolt came on July 29 when a rumored deal for Teixeira, one of the game's premier performers, was completed. Going to Atlanta were Kotchman, emerging as a first-rate first baseman, and pitching prospect Marek. The day the Teixeira deal was announced, Lackey took a no-hitter into the ninth inning at Fenway Park. He settled for a 6-2 win when Dustin Pedroia broke it up with a single and Kevin Youkilis homered. The Angels won their last eight regular-season games against Boston, going 8-1 in the season series. The rousing month ended with a 12-6 pounding of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium with Hunter, Guerrero and Rivera each launching three-run homers, a first for the Angels since 1978.
August
Teixeira quickly showed his flare for the dramatic with a grand slam at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 3, setting off a hot streak that would carry him through the next two months. The first baseman delivered eight homers and 23 RBIs in 28 games, batting .386. Guerrero had five homers and 20 RBIs. Mike Napoli returned after missing a month with shoulder problems.
The Angels maintained their comfortable AL West lead with a 15-13 month. Santana (3-0, 2.49) was brilliant, while Arredondo won three games in relief and K-Rod zeroed in on Bobby Thigpen's record of 57 saves with 11. A three-game sweep of the Yankees at home was one highlight of the month, along with Anderson's 23-game hitting streak, the second longest of his career.
September
Nursing a big lead, the Angels celebrated their fourth AL West title in five years with a victory over the Yankees at home on Sept. 10. Three days later, K-Rod broke Thigpen's record with his 58th save and would get four more, finishing with 62.
As Scioscia tried to strike a balance between keeping the club competitive and resting key players, the Angels went 17-9, with Saunders (3-0, 2.14) enjoying a big month. The big noise was made by Napoli, who erupted with six homers and 16 RBIs while batting .453 in 18 games.
Batting .412 for the month, Guerrero became only the second player in history — joining Lou Gehrig — with 11 consecutive seasons of batting at least .300 with at least 25 homers. Guerrero finished at .303 with 27 homers and 91 RBIs. Kendrick and Aybar came back late in the month from their hamstring injuries, and the club looked set for its ALDS showdown with the Red Sox.
October
With home-field advantage and the Majors' best record overall (100-62) and on the road (51-31), the Angels felt they were ready for the Red Sox, who'd swept a diminished Angels club the previous October. But it was more of the same frustration.
Boston took the first two games at Angel Stadium before the Angels rallied for a dramatic Game 3 victory in 12 innings, highlighted by Napoli's career night. The big catcher homered twice and singled and scored the decisive run on Aybar's hit in a 3-2 win. Hoping to take the series back home for a Game 5, the Angels came up empty, despite a dramatic, game-tying single by Hunter in the eighth inning of Game 4. The Red Sox won it in the bottom of the ninth after Aybar was unable to execute a critical squeeze bunt in the top half of the inning.
Beginning to address what would be a busy winter, the Angels exercised 2009 options to retain Guerrero for $15.5 million and Lackey for $9.5 million but did not pick up Anderson's $11 million option. Joining Anderson as free agents were Teixeira, Rodriguez, Garland, Rivera and Darren Oliver. Guerrero (left knee), Napoli (right shoulder) and Gary Matthews Jr. (left knee) had surgeries. Matthews was not expected to be ready for the start of the 2009 season but Guerrero and Napoli figure to be healthy by Spring Training.
November
Rodriguez finished third in the AL Cy Young Award balloting and sixth in the AL Most Valuable Player voting. Hunter, errorless all season in center field with a series of highlight-reel catches, captured his eighth Rawlings Gold Glove.
Arbitration was offered to Teixeira, Rodriguez, Oliver and Garland, but not to Anderson. Oliver accepted and remained with the club while the others began to field offers in free agency. The Angels will receive two Draft picks as compensation for another club signing Teixeira or Rodriguez, Type A players, and one Draft pick if another team signs Garland, a Type B free agent.
December
At the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, K-Rod agreed to terms with the Mets for three years at $37 million with a vesting option for a fourth year at $14 million. The Angels retained their focus on signing Teixeira as their highest priority.
The team tendered contracts to all five of their arbitration-eligible players, keeping their rights to Figgins, Robb Quinlan, Izturis, Santana and Napoli. The club lost three pitchers — right-handers O'Day, Robert Mosebach and Miguel Gonzalez — when they were selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft at the cost of $50,000 by the Mets, Phillies and Red Sox, respectively.
