It has been five years since the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made the postseason. The wait is over and the weight is off their shoulders after clinching the AL West last night. Their record last year was an abomination given the superstars on the roster, but their victory and an Oakland Athletics loss makes last year fade away. As one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Angels want to ride this momentum deep into the playoffs.
The Angels took care of business against the Seattle Mariners first. C.J. Wilson pitched seven dominant innings to move to 13-9 on the year. Wilson struck out seven and allowed just one hit. Joe Smith and Huston Street each pitch a perfect inning to finish off the game.
C.J. Cron added most of the offense for the Angels hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh. All five Angels runs were scored in the seventh as they made the most of limited chances. The Angels only had six hits of their own.
After the game the players were in front of the clubhouse TVs with the plastic taped over the lockers waiting for the outcome of the Athletics game. As many as 10,000 fans, some that left and came back, stayed in the lower level of the stadium watching the game on the Jumbotron also hoping to celebrate winning the division. The Texas Rangers six-run outburst in the top of the ninth due in large part to a three-run shot from J.P. Arencibia sent the fans and the players into a frenzy.
In the locker room as the celebration wore down, reporters were asking questions with the words World Series in them. The Angels know that celebrating the division win is a start, but they are arguably the hottest team in baseball. There are some associated with the team that are trying to keep everyone grounded. When general manager Jerry Dipoto was asked about what is the next step by Fox Sports he said, "We just go win (Thursday)."