Bronx Bummer

NEW YORK —  Their best pitcher had been removed from the game. Their closer sat in the bullpen, waiting for the call that never came. And, as the game-winning home run sailed over his head and into the bleachers, the right fielder pounded his fist against the outfield wall in frustration.

“I couldn’t believe it was happening to us,” Tim Salmon said.

Nothing personal, against Salmon in particular or the Angels in general. Four outs away from victory in Tuesday’s playoff opener, the Angels were stung by the New York Yankees’ latest October magic trick.

With two out in the eighth inning, and none on, the Yankees got two walks, a score-tying single from Jason Giambi and the game-winning home run from Bernie Williams, as a 5-4 Angel lead turned into a stunning 8-5 defeat, in a fashion dramatically quick and utterly painful.

The Angels lost the first game of this best-of-five American League division series, with ace Jarrod Washburn on the mound, and they must somehow fend off Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina to have the chance to use Washburn again.

In their previous two postseason games at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees tied both on home runs with two out in the ninth inning, one by Tino Martinez and one by Scott Brosius. Those men don’t play here any more, but the mystique carries on for the men wearing pinstripes. This time, Williams was the hero, winning the game in the Yankees’ final at-bat.

“I’ve seen too many Yankee games in the postseason where they hit those kinds of home runs,” said Salmon, playing in the first postseason game of his 11-year career. “I’ve been watching them for years on TV, and now it was happening to us.”

The Angels, resilient so often this season, bravely vowed to shake this one off too.

“We’re not devastated,” closer Troy Percival said. “It’s a game we could have won and probably should have won, but we’ve had games like that this year. We’ll come back.”

Said Washburn: “It’s not the end of the world.”

No, but the Angels can see the end of the season from here. It’s two losses away, and the Angels already have played their ace.

The Angels played so well, for so long, and still lost. They came from behind three times. They exhausted Roger Clemens, forcing the venerable Yankee starter from the game in the sixth inning, after 113 pitches. They turned four double plays. Third baseman Troy Glaus hit two home runs, one off Clemens that tied the score, 4-4, in the sixth and one off Ramiro Mendoza that gave the Angels a 5-4 lead in the eighth.

In franchise history, the Angels have played 17 postseason games; Glaus is the first Angel to hit two homers in one of them. And, in a play reminiscent of his days as the UCLA shortstop, Glaus was the middleman on a rarely seen 3-5-3 double play. With Giambi up in the sixth, Glaus was in the shortstop spot, with the other three infielders shifted to the right side.

If not for the Yankees’ magic show, Glaus would have been the hero, with an assist to Washburn.

Washburn closed the regular season by giving up three home runs in his last 45 innings. He gave up three in five innings Tuesday--to Giambi, Derek Jeter and Rondell White--but he breezed through seven innings, in an economical 81 pitches. That allows the Angels to start him in Game 4 of the series, if they get there.

Manager Mike Scioscia insisted he did not remove Washburn after seven innings so he would be better prepared to start Game 4, on three days’ rest. Scioscia said he was playing to win this game, that Washburn had started to appear tired on a hot and humid night, that he had confidence in the bullpen with the best earned-run average in the league.

Washburn said he “felt great” and “lobbied a little bit” to remain in the game but also said he backed his manager. The Angels never got the three outs they needed to get to Percival.

Ben Weber got two outs, then walked Alfonso Soriano, then walked Jeter. Scott Schoeneweis, whose sole role in this series is to get Giambi out, replaced Weber and gave up a game-tying single to Giambi, a hard-hit ground ball that deflected off the glove of first baseman Scott Spiezio.

In his last four at-bats against Schoeneweis, Giambi has reached base every time, on three singles and a hit-by-pitch. In five career at-bats against Percival, Giambi has struck out every time.

Brendan Donnelly replaced Schoeneweis, and Williams homered.

As three relievers failed to protect the lead, Percival watched from the bullpen. He had warmed up, but he never got into the game.

“I’ve been doing this too long to get frustrated over something like that,” Percival said.

The Angels needed Percival to get the last out of the eighth inning, a situation in which Scioscia has employed Percival four times this season. But he passed on Percival against Jeter, opting to preserve the Schoeneweis-Giambi matchup.

And after Giambi’s single tied the score, Scioscia chose not to use his closer in a tie game.

While their playoff-tested manager was second-guessed from here to California, the Angel players--none of whom had ever played in a postseason game--acquitted themselves nicely under pressure.

They enjoyed the festivities, the incessant noise, the military fly-by, the pregame introductions by legendary Yankee public address announcer Bob Sheppard--”the voice of God, basically,” Angel coach Joe Maddon said.

Rudy Giuliani was here, and Donald Trump, and Regis Philbin too.

The Angels got the final-inning answer wrong Tuesday. They get another chance tonight, with no margin for error.

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Full coverage of the Angel-Yankee series, including photo galleries and postgame audio, can be found at latimes.com/angels.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

PLAY BY PLAY

FIRST INNING

ANGELS: Angels 0, Yankees 0--David Eckstein hit a line drive off third baseman Robin Ventura’s glove and beat the throw to first. Darin Erstad sacrificed, though replays showed he beat the throw to first. Tim Salmon struck out looking. Garret Anderson hit a fly ball to left. No runs, one hit, one left.

YANKEES: Yankees 1, Angels 0--Alfonso Soriano popped out to second. Derek Jeter homered above the 399 sign in left-center. Jason Giambi singled to right. Bernie Williams hit a hard smash to Troy Glaus, who made a nice play to start the 5-4-3 double play. One run, two hits, none left.

SECOND INNING

ANGELS: Yankees 1, Angels 0--Brad Fullmer grounded back to the pitcher. Glaus struck out swinging. Scott Spiezio walked. Bengie Molina hit a ground-rule double that bounced into the stands next to the left-field foul line. Adam Kennedy grounded to the pitcher. No runs, one hit, two left.

YANKEES: Yankees 1, Angels 0--Jorge Posada flied to right. Raul Mondesi struck out looking. Ventura flied to center. No runs, no hits.

THIRD INNING

ANGELS: Angels 1, Yankees 1--Eckstein tried to beat out a bunt, but was thrown out by Ventura. Erstad hit a line drive down the right-field line and Mondesi played the carom perfectly to hold Erstad to a single. Erstad stole second and took third when Posada’s throw went into center. Salmon singled to left, Erstad scoring. Despite the fact Salmon was going on the pitch, Anderson grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. One run, two hits, none left.

YANKEES: Angels 1, Yankees 1--Rondell White popped to short. On a 3-and-2 pitch, Juan Rivera walked. Soriano grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. No runs, no hits.

FOURTH INNING

ANGELS: Angels 1, Yankees 1--Fullmer popped to shallow center. Glaus also popped to shallow center. Spiezio grounded weakly to second. No runs, no hits.

YANKEES: Yankees 3, Angels 1--Jeter walked on a 3-and-2 pitch. Giambi homered to deep right-center. While Yankee Stadium was still roaring from the two-run homer, Williams grounded a single to left. Angel pitching coach Bud Black visited the mound to calm down Jarrod Washburn. It must have worked, because Posada grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Mondesi popped to short. Two runs, two hits, none left.

FIFTH INNING

ANGELS: Angels 3, Yankees 3--Molina flied to center. Kennedy walked. After saving an out by fouling off a pitchout attempt with the runner going, Eckstein fouled off several two-strike pitches before grounding a single to left, Kennedy taking third. Erstad struck out swinging. Eckstein stole second. Salmon fouled off several two-strike pitches before walking, loading the bases. Anderson reached for an outside pitch and doubled down the left-field line, Kennedy and Eckstein scoring, with Salmon stopping at third. Fullmer grounded to first. Two runs, two hits, two left.

YANKEES: Yankees 4, Angels 3--Ventura popped to short. White homered to center. Rivera flied to center. Soriano grounded sharply down the third base line and was thrown out by Glaus. One run, one hit.

SIXTH INNING

ANGELS: Angels 4, Yankees 4--Glaus homered to left. Spiezio struck out swinging on three pitches. Molina struck out swinging and was thrown out at first after the ball got away from Posada. Kennedy lined a single to right-center. Yankee Manager Joe Torre removed Roger Clemens and replaced him with Ramiro Mendoza. Eckstein popped to second. One run, two hits, one left.

ANGELS: Angels 4, Yankees 4--Jeter singled to center. On a 3-and-0 pitch, Giambi grounded into a 3-5-3 double play (Glaus was shifted to short because Giambi was up). Williams flied to center. No runs, one hit, none left.

SEVENTH INNING

ANGELS: Angels 4, Yankees 4--Erstad singled to center. Salmon lined to third. Anderson singled to right, but Erstad, not wanting to test Mondesi’s arm, held at second. Fullmer grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. No runs, two hits, one left.

YANKEES: Angels 4, Yankees 4--Posada struck out swinging. Mondesi flied to right. Ventura popped to the catcher. No runs, no hits.

EIGHTH INNING

ANGELS: Angels 5, Yankees 4--Glaus homered to left, his second of the game. Steve Karsay replaced Mendoza. Spiezio popped to second. Molina grounded to second. Kennedy struck out swinging. One run, one hit.

YANKEES: Yankees 8, Angels 5--Ben Weber pitching. White grounded to third. John Vander Wal, batting for Rivera, lined sharply to left. Soriano walked. Soriano stole second. Jeter walked. Scott Schoeneweis replaced Weber. Giambi singled off Spiezio’s glove, Soriano scoring when the ball deflected behind Kennedy. Brendan Donnelly replaced Schoeneweis. Williams homered to right, a three-run blast. Posada flied to left. Four runs, two hits, none left.

NINTH INNING

ANGELS: Yankees 8, Angels 5--Mariano Rivera pitching. Shane Spencer in left field. Eckstein grounded to short. Erstad singled to right. Salmon flied to center. Anderson lined to first. No runs, one hit, one left.