Angels Play Tag Perfectly

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia called it “flat-out incredible,” pitcher John Lackey said it was “one of the best plays I’ve ever seen,” and there wasn’t an ounce of hyperbole in either statement.

Not only did it save a game, preserving a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in front of 26,208 in Jacobs Field on Sunday night, but if the Angels slip into the playoffs by one game in October, they will look back on it as the play that saved their season.

The Angels completed a three-game sweep of the Indians and moved to within three games of Oakland in the American League West, the first time since Aug. 22 they have gained ground on the red-hot A’s. They remained 3 1/2 games behind the equally torrid Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race.

And for that, they can thank catcher Bengie Molina and reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who teamed on a no-look-flip, block-the-plate-and-tag duet that evoked memories of New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter’s improbable shovel-toss to catcher Jorge Posada to nail Oakland’s Jeremy Giambi at the plate in the 2001 AL division series.

“Jeter’s play happened on a bigger stage because it was in the playoffs,” Angel first baseman Darin Erstad said, “but you’re not going to see many better plays than this one. It was just pure instincts and athleticism. That’s what it boiled down to.”

With the Angels leading, 2-1, in the bottom of the eighth, Cleveland’s Ronnie Belliard led off with a pinch-hit double, only the second hit Lackey had given up.

Matt Lawton grounded to first, advancing the speedy Belliard to third, and Scioscia summoned Rodriguez, who struck out veteran shortstop Omar Vizquel on three consecutive sliders for the second out.

Rodriguez jumped ahead of No. 3 hitter Travis Hafner with two strikes and went for the kill with his trademark slider in the dirt, the wicked pitch that so many before Hafner have flailed at.

But Hafner held, the pitch bounced in the dirt and caromed off Molina’s chest protector, about 12 feet up the third-base line in foul territory. Belliard broke for the plate as soon as the ball bounced away and appeared to get a great jump.

Molina is not known for cat-like quickness, but he pounced on the ball, grabbed it with his bare hand and made a no-look flip behind his back to Rodriguez, who blocked the diving Belliard, applied the tag to end the inning and sparked a new Olympic sport among the Angels: synchronized fist-pumping.

“I felt like a little kid back in the days when you’d make a play like that and just go crazy,” Molina said. “I didn’t see the tag. I waited for the umpire to say yes or no, and he called out. Then I went downstairs to watch a replay. I had to watch it.”

Scioscia is a former Dodger catcher who has made short flips to pitchers covering home plate, “but I’ve never seen a combination like that, with a flip behind the back and the blocking of home by Frankie,” he said.

“What was unbelievable was Bengie’s field awareness. That flip has to be in a good area and soft enough for the pitcher to handle it. I don’t know how Bengie was able to do it, but he did. And Frankie ... I don’t know if I like to see a pitcher put his body on the line blocking the plate like that, but the game was on the line, and he made a great play.”

Rodriguez, who retired the side in order in the ninth for his 11th save, said the play was pure instinct.

“I didn’t see how close the runner was -- I was trying to sit on the plate and tag him,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t really think in that situation. We had a one-run lead, and I wanted to save the run, no matter what. In my mind, that run cannot score.”

Scioscia said the Angels practice the play in spring training, but when asked whether they practice it with a no-look, behind-the-back flip from the catcher, Rodriguez said, “Absolutely not. That’s what makes the play that much better. The throw was right on top of the plate. Credit Bengie with the save.”

Lackey got the win, giving up one unearned run on two hits in 7 1/3 innings to improve to 12-11. Troy Glaus, with a home run, and Chone Figgins, with a run-scoring double, had the big hits in the fifth inning, but Molina and Rodriguez were the stars of the game.

Molina, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, said there have been times in spring training when he’ll jokingly flip a no-look pass to a pitcher during drills for the play, “but this time it happened to happen,” he said. “This was no joke. It was a game.”