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AL: Season takes Fasano from Rays to riches

NEW YORK -- Sal Fasano started his season in spring training with the Rays. He's ending it in the playoffs with the Angels.

"A pretty wild ride," Fasano said. "I went from one of the worst teams to one of the best teams."

The Rays sent Fasano to Triple-A Durham at the end of spring training, and he played for the Bulls until requesting his release when the Rays passed him over and called up Paul Hoover to replace Toby Hall in late May.

Fasano signed with Milwaukee's Triple-A team and played there until being traded to the Angels on July 31, and assigned to their Triple-A team.

Good for the team but bad for Fasano, the Salt Lake club played for the Pacific Coast League title, delaying his promotion to the majors until Sept. 16. He got in a couple games and now is the Angels third catcher, though he is inactive for the first round.

"It's been hectic, frustrating, a whole bunch of terms," he said. "It's such a funny game. I can't play on teams like Tampa Bay and Milwaukee, and I end up getting called up by a team like Anaheim."

HE CAN RELATE: Besides the game, the hottest topic at Yankee Stadium was the Mets' decision to fire Bobby Valentine. Yankees manager Joe Torre had a unique perspective on managing in New York. "It's the highs and the lows," Torre said. "The highs are very high, as we both experienced a couple years ago in the World Series. When things don't go well, you get fired. I mean, we've both been fired by the Mets."

SO CAN HE: The Angels have one active player who has been in the playoffs, pitcher Kevin Appier, who starts tonight. But manager Mike Scioscia had plenty of experience during his career with the Dodgers, including the 1981 World Series against the Yankees.

"It was an incredible experience," Scioscia said. "We really had a veteran club at the time, with some of the guys like myself, who was a rookie. These guys handled it the way I think you have to.

"They went out and played their game, even after getting down 2-0 in the first two games. We went back to L.A. and the whole focus was 'Hey, let's play our game. Let's stay within ourselves.' There were a lot of cliches floating around, but they're cliches for a reason: they're important."

A'S LOSE SAENZ: Reserve infielder Olmedo Saenz ruptured his right Achilles' tendon in the eighth inning against the Twins.

-- MARC TOPKIN, Times wires

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