Revisiting the Angels' only championship and World Series appearance

Evan Roberts

2002 World Series GM7 - San Francisco Giants v Anaheim Angels / Focus On Sport/GettyImages

ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote an article in which he ranked all of the World Series matchups since 2000. He went through each series and classified them "on hype, the quality of the teams and their star power heading into the World Series. It's not a ranking of the quality of the World Series itself."

The Los Ange-sorry, the Anaheim Angels vs. San Francisco Giants World Series of 2002 landed at 8th out of 25. Schoenfield lauded World Series MVP Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon, Silver Slugger Garret Anderson, and, of course, the Rally Monkey. He condemned the now-defunct ThunderStix. After the 2002 regular season Mike Scioscia won Manager of the Year, Bengie Molina and Darin Erstad won Gold Gloves, Anderson was 4th place in MVP voting, David Eckstein was 11th, and Troy Percival was 15th.

Not mentioned was the player who spearheaded the Game 6 comeback, and reinvigorated the entire team. Trailing 3-2 in the series, 5-0 in the 7th inning, with 2-men on, and in a full count, Scott Spiezio cranked a home run to right field on the 8th pitch of his at bat. Erstad, more known for his outfield defense, hit a solo home run in the next inning. Glaus laced a double over Barry Bonds' head to score Chone Figgins and Anderson, giving the Angels a 6-5 lead in the 8th. Percival went 3-up, 3-down in the next frame to extend the series to 7 games.

The main contributors on the run prevention side in Game 7 were the rookies. The 23-year-old John Lackey took the mound, and only allowed one run over five innings while cementing himself as a bona fide postseason ace. He also struck out Barry Bonds during his star performance. K-Rod, AKA Francisco Rodríguez, struck out the side in the 8th inning. Despite only throwing 5.2 innings in the regular season, K-Rod struck out 28 batters in 18.2 innings during the playoff run. On the run production side, Molina drove in Spiezio for the Angels' first, and tying run of the game, then Anderson later drove in 3 with a bases clearing double that put Anaheim up for good.

The current iteration of the Angels is trying to replicate the magic that took place over 20 years ago. They have tried to replicate 2002's pitching and lineup depth for years. From unsung heroes like Brendan Donnelly to Scott Schoeneweis to Adam Kennedy, the Angels showed that it takes every member on the roster to go over-the-top.

“We were world champions, and that was forever,” Spiezio said. “Banners never fade. … It was something that nobody could ever take away from us.” 2002 is the Angels' crowned jewel, the only example they have that this team in Orange County has what it takes to win it all and slay giants. While it will take a lot of time before the Angels hoist another trophy, the MLB world can never forget 2002.

Evan Roberts

Evan Roberts worked in professional baseball for 5 years, after pitching collegiately at Davidson College for 4. After graduating in 2018, he worked with the Boston Red Sox at their Pawtucket affiliate for the 2019 season as a Player Development Intern. He picked up with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, but after the Minor League season was canceled he worked with Team USA Baseball at their National Training Complex as a Trackman Stringer/Operator. From 2021-2023, he worked with the Los Angeles Angels as a Game Planning Strategist at their Arizona (ROK League), Salt Lake (AAA), Rocket City (AA) affiliates. He attended the Angels' last 2 Major League Spring Trainings. During Rookie Ball games, he coached 1st base and assisted the players & coaches in the dugout.