ANAHEIM - For Alex Ochoa, the seventh time was a charm. Ochoa, a former Red, Met, Twin, Brewer (twice) and Rockie, is playing with the American League champion Anaheim Angels.

        The trade that sent Ochoa from Milwaukee to Anaheim was the seventh of his career.

        “I knew one of them would be magic,” he said.

        The fact that Ochoa is playing for the Angels against the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, which opened Saturday night, proves that No.7 trade was the magical one.

        Ochoa had a pretty good idea the move would be a good one. It came on July 30, the trade deadline, and spared Ochoa the pain of playing out the string for the National League's worst team. And it gave him a chance to play for an American League contender.

        But he didn't know how good until it would be until Angels' postseason run. But he knew from the start that it was going to be a lot better than his stint with Milwaukee.

        “It was a good bunch of guys in Milwaukee,” he said. “But things weren't going well.”

        Ochoa, a 30-year-old o utfielder, knew he would be getting a lot less playing time with Anaheim.

        “That was tough,” Ochoa said. “But the guys here have been awesome. (Manager) Mike (Scioscia) was up-front. The guys made me feel part of the time.”

        Ochoa is the fourth outfielder for the Angels. He has been getting the bulk of his playing time in the postseason as defensive replacement/pinch-runner for Tim Sa lmon.

        He entered Saturday's World Series opener hitless in four postseason at-bats.

        “Everyone wants to play every day,” he said. “But Mike has played me a lot. He has a lot of confidence in me as a defensive player. He has confidence in me overall. But, with Tim Salmon, Garrett Anderson and Darin Erstad, it's tough.”

        Ochoa hit .277 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 37 games (16 starts) for the Angels during the regular season.

        Ochoa had his best season as a Red, hitting .316 with 13 home runs and 58 RBI - all career highs - in 2000. He was playing well in 2001 as the everyday right fielder - .289, seven homers, 35 RBI - when he was traded to the Rockies for Todd Walker and Robin Jennings on July 19.

        Ochoa was the guy moved to make room in Cincinnati's outfield for Adam Dunn.

        Of all the trades Ochoa has been involved in, that one might have been the hardest for him to take.

        “Going to Colorado was tough,” he said. “I really liked it in Cincinnati. I made a lot of good friends there.”

        Ochoa has heard from some of them this week. Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin. Dmitri Young and Michael Tucker have called.

        E-mail jfay@enquirer.com

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