Mexican Billionaire Interested in Team

Carlos Peralta, a billionaire who owns a Mexican League baseball team, is pursuing the purchase of the Angels from the Walt Disney Co., two sources close to the sale process confirmed Friday.

Peralta is one of Mexico’s richest men. His Grupo Industrias Unidas is a diverse conglomerate whose companies own real estate and hospitals and produce electricity conductors, armored plating for cars, bullfighting magazines, tequila, cattle, cellular phones and shoes.

In March, Forbes magazine listed him among the 400 richest people in the world and estimated his net worth at $1.3 billion.

He runs the Tigers de Angelopolis, a Mexico City-based team that is one of 16 in the Mexican League. His late father Alejo, patriarch of a business empire, founded the Tigers and helped create the Mexican Baseball Academy.

Major league rules do not prohibit foreign ownership. The majority owner of the Seattle Mariners, Nintendo owner Hiroshi Yamauchi, lives in Japan.

Disney officials declined to comment. Tigers de Angelopolis officials, quoted in the Mexican newspaper Reforma as saying Peralta intended to meet with Disney executives, could not be reached for comment Friday.

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With the wild-card berth clinched and the American League West championship out of reach, Manager Mike Scioscia decided to rest his entire starting rotation this weekend. As a result, Jarrod Washburn will start the first game of the playoffs against the New York Yankees on Tuesday on eight days’ rest, Kevin Appier the second game Wednesday on seven days’ rest and Ramon Ortiz the third game Friday on eight days’ rest.

Ortiz has thrown 217 innings this year, Washburn 206 and Appier 188, with rookie John Lackey combining for 210 between the Angels and triple-A Salt Lake. Lackey is tentatively scheduled to start the fourth game, though the Angels have not ruled out bringing back Washburn on three days’ rest.

Rookie reliever Scot Shields made his first major league start Friday. Mickey Callaway will start today. Aaron Sele, who has not pitched since Aug. 20 because of a partially torn rotator cuff, will start Sunday.

September call-up Francisco Rodriguez, 20, who dazzled the Angels with his 95-mph fastball and wicked slider, is expected to join Shields, Brendan Donnelly, Scott Schoeneweis, Ben Weber and closer Troy Percival as relievers on the playoff roster. Among the reserves expected to be on the playoff roster are designated hitter Shawn Wooten, infielders Chone Figgins and outfielders Orlando Palmeiro and Alex Ochoa.

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The Angels will sell tickets for possible league championship series games at Edison Field starting Tuesday at 9 a.m. Tickets range from $30 to $75 per game and will be sold at the ballpark, via the Web site angelsbaseball.com and via the Ticketmaster phone line at (714) 663-9000. Tickets will not be available at Ticketmaster retail outlets. If the Angels beat the Yankees, they would play league championship series games at Edison Field Oct. 11, 12 and, if necessary, Oct. 13.

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TODAY

ANGELS’

MICKEY CALLAWAY

(1-1, 4.44 ERA)

vs.

MARINERS’

RYAN FRANKLIN

(7-4, 4.06 ERA)

Edison Field, 1

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

Update--Garret Anderson received the Gene Autry Trophy, awarded to the Angel voted most valuable by his teammates, for the second season in a row.