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Mays keeps the underdogs rolling

TWINS 2, ANGELS 1: Starter stifles red-hot Anaheim offense as man who tried to end club watches.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published October 9, 2002

MINNEAPOLIS -- This, Bud, was for you.

With commissioner Bud Selig in the packed house that his contraction plan would have left empty, the Twins opened the American League Championship Series on Tuesday with a pulsating 2-1 win over the Angels.

Selig, who watched from the safety of the suite of Twins owner Carl Pohlad, who had volunteered his team for contraction, had only nice things to say about the team and the fans.

As for the Twins?

"He should be here, it's a playoff game," first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz said. "I'm not going to say bad things about him; he's still our commissioner."

Bradenton product Joe Mays, taking his coaches' advice to spend less time thinking about what he was doing, came through with a dominating eight-inning outing, holding the Angels to one unearned run and four hits while retiring his final 13 batters.

"I set my head up in my locker and went down there and pitched what I think was the game of my career," Mays said.

The Twins couldn't say enough about Mays, especially the way he delivered after a disappointing season and a terrible postseason debut last week in Oakland.

Tuesday, Mays -- the first pitcher to start an ALCS opener with as few as four regular-season victories since 3-2 Bob Wolcott did it for Seattle in 1995 -- didn't walk a batter and didn't allow the leadoff man to reach in any inning.

"I don't know what you can say about Joe," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "It was incredible. It was great. It was awesome."

Centerfielder Torii Hunter said the movement on Mays' pitches was almost hard to believe.

"Some people might even think he was cheating," Hunter said.

Mays had a breakthrough season in 2001, going 17-13 with a 3.16 ERA that was third best in the American League.

But he was unable to repeat his success this season, spending 31/2 months on the disabled list in the middle of the season because of inflammation in his right elbow and finishing 4-8 with a 5.38 ERA.

What was Mays, who played at Bradenton's Southeast High and Manatee Community College, doing so well Tuesday?

"It might take less time if I tell you what wasn't working," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "This is what we envisioned with Joe Mays right there."

The Angels, who hit a postseason record .376 against the Yankees, managed just four singles against the 26-year-old right-hander.

"He changed speeds well, worked in and out, we really couldn't get a lot of things going," Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia said. "Obviously when you're not getting any leadoff guys on in an inning, it makes it tough. He pitched a terrific game. That's one of the best games we had pitched against us all year."

The runs all were scored early. The Twins got one in the second when Hunter led off with a double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Pierzynski's sacrifice fly. The Angels came right back, as they have done most of their magical season, tying it in the third when they got a pair of two-out singles and Minnesota shortstop Cristian Guzman booted a routine ground ball.

The Twins hit the ball hard repeatedly off Anaheim starter Kevin Appier but didn't score again until the fifth. Luis Rivas drew a leadoff walk, Guzman slapped a one-out single and third baseman Corey Koskie delivered a run-scoring double to right.

With Mays dealing and Koskie and Mientkiewicz playing tidy defense, the Twins took the 2-1 lead to the ninth and handed it to closer Eddie Guardado, who struggled so to get the final three outs in Sunday's division clincher.

Guardado, with the sellout crowd of 55,562 chanting his name and waving its white Homer Hankies, put the tying run on with a one-out walk to Tim Salmon, then retired Angels MVP candidate Garret Anderson on a fly to right and, with the fans so loud second-base umpire Brian Gorman was seen covering his ears, went to a full count and then caught Troy Glaus looking at strike three.

"We live and die with Eddie," Mientkiewicz said. "He's going to give you a heart attack, but that's Eddie. We tease him about not going 1-2-3, but if he went 1-2-3, we'd probably have a heart attack."

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