Garret Anderson has performance for the ages on this day in 2007
Garret Anderson had one of, if not the best game in Angels history on this day 16 years ago
The Los Angeles Angels have a rich history of really good outfielders. Some of the franchise's best players were outfielders including Mike Trout, Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad, and Vladimir Guerrero just to name a few.
Another one of these outstanding outfielders is Garret Anderson, a left fielder who I feel is one of the more underrated players in this franchise's history. Not only is he the best Angel to wear number 16, but he's one of the best players period.
Anderson showed his offensive prowess with a game to remember on this date, August 21, in 2007.
Garret Anderson has one of the best offensive performances in LA Angels history on this date in 2007
The 2007 regular season was a great one for the Angels. They went 94-68 and won the AL West. That postseason is one we don't need to discuss. Anderson played a huge role in their regular season success.
The outfielder slashed .297/.336/.492 with 16 home runs and 80 RBI. It wasn't his best season with the Halos, but he was still rock solid as always at the dish.
Anderson's 2007 season was highlighted by one particular game against the New York Yankees in Anaheim on August 21. This was a really fun high-profile series with the Angels taking the opener 7-6. The second game of the series was the memorable one.
Facing off against Yankees starter Mike Mussina, Anderson grounded a double down the right field line to plate the first two runs of the night. In the bottom of the second, the doubles machine found the gap in right center for his second two-base hit of the night to plate another run. This gave the Angels a 5-1 lead. Anderson would then score on a Gary Matthews RBI single.
Mussina was done after recording just five outs on the night, and Anderson saw the Yankees bullpen for the rest of the night. That clearly didn't bother him, as in his third at-bat of the night, he socked a three-run homer off of Yankees reliever Edwar Ramirez to give the Angels a 9-5 lead in the third inning. If you're keeping score, that's three extra-base hits and six RBI through three innings for Garret Anderson.
Anderson would ground out in the bottom of the fifth but he'd take his fifth at-bat of the night in the sixth with the Angels up 14-5 and the bases juiced against left-handed reliever Sean Henn. Of course, he drilled a no-doubter. A grand slam to right to give the Angels an 18-5 lead, and give Anderson ten RBI on the night.
The Angels legend entered the night with six home runs, 40 RBI, and a .714 OPS through 75 appearances that season. He ended the night with eight home runs, 50 RBI, and a .753 OPS. It's incredibly difficult to raise your OPS by 40 points in one night in August, but Anderson did just that thanks to his four extra-base hits.
GA also set Angels franchise history by driving in ten runs in a single game. The MLB record is 12, so he wasn't so far off. It's fitting that the franchise's RBI leader would also drive in the most runs in a single game.