ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Torii Hunter rocked Angel Stadium with a three-run home run off Jon Lester in the fifth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 3-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox in their playoff opener on Thursday night.
Hunter drove an 0-1 pitch off the front of the giant rock fountain beyond the center field fence, setting off a short burst of fireworks and giving the fans something to cheer about two innings after Lester struck out Vladimir Guerrero on three pitches with the bases loaded to end the third.
Angels right-hander John Lackey held the Red Sox to just three singles and a walk through six innings.
The AL West champion Angels are trying to end Boston's playoff domination, which began nearly a quarter-century ago and has included division series wins for the Red Sox in three of the last five seasons. The Red Sox won in four games last year after sweeping the Angels in 2004 and 2007 en route to winning the World Series.
Erick Aybar started the Angels' rally in the fifth when he hit a leadoff double that landed just inside third base and skipped down the left-field line. Chone Figgins sacrificed and Bobby Abreu walked ahead of Hunter, who connected for his fourth career playoff homer.
The Red Sox had a chance to cut into the lead when they put two runners on ahead of Kevin Youkilis with two outs in the sixth. Lackey fell behind 3-0 before working the count full. Youkilis hit a chopper to third, Figgins fielded and touched the bag for the force to end the threat.
Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a nice diving catch of Figgins' fly ball to end the sixth with a runner on second.
The same two pitchers started Game 1 in last year's division series, also at Anaheim, with the left-handed Lester beating Lackey 4-1.
The AL West champion Angels loaded the bases against Lester in the third with a leadoff single up the middle by Jeff Mathis and consecutive two-out walks by Abreu and Hunter. Guerrero fouled off the first two pitches before swinging and missing at a neck-high fastball.
The Red Sox had runners on first and second and two outs in the third after Alex Gonzalez singled to center and Ellsbury reached on catcher's interference. The threat ended when Dustin Pedroia flied to right.
The Red Sox made Lackey work in the first. Although the right-hander retired the side, he threw 21 pitches.
Lackey was making his 12th career playoff appearance and 10th start. He is 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA in three career postseason starts against the Red Sox, thanks in large part to poor run support.
Los Angeles won the season series 5-4, but six of those games were played in the season's first six weeks, before either team really got itself together for another playoff run.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
