Thursday, October 24, 2002
Angels' table setters go hitless
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — In baseball lingo, David Eckstein and Darin Erstad set the table for the Anaheim Angels. That only begins to describe what they are doing in the World Series.
They served up an 11-course feast in Game 2 and a 10-course binge in Game 3. In Game 4 on Wednesday night, they were stopped and so were the Angels. Eckstein gave the Angels their first run with a sacrifice fly, but he and Erstad went hitless as the San Francisco Giants evened the series with a 4-3 victory.
Singles and doubles, walks and stolen bases. Whatever it takes, Eckstein, the leadoff man, and Erstad, in the No. 2 spot, usually deliver.
The 27-year-old Eckstein looks like a baby-faced busboy, a 5-foot-8 dervish with short, blond hair and lively eyes. He doesn't stroll to first on a walk, he sprints.
Erstad, bearded and brawny at 6-2, 220 pounds, looks like a football player, which is what he once was, a kicker and punter at Nebraska when it won the national title in 1994.
Neither one makes a lot of noise in the clubhouse. They save that for the game.
“Erstad's a table setter and he takes his job very seriously,” Angels first baseman Scott Spiezio said. “He's got a football mentality and that's hard to do, playing all the games we've played this year into the postseason. There's not too many people who are able to be that intense for a whole baseball season. But he does it. He's a motivator without having to open his mouth.”
Eckstein calls the 28-year-old Erstad “the most influential guy on the club,” the kind of player who shows up at the ballpark early, stays late and works hard every inning.
“That's who every kid who wants to play should watch and try to be like,” Eckstein said.
Two years ago, Erstad was the kind of leadoff batter that every other one wanted to be. He hit .355 with 240 hits, 121 runs scored, 100 RBI, 25 homers and 28 stolen bases. He was the first leadoff hitter to drive in 100 runs.
Last year, after hurting his knee during the winter, picking up other nagging injuries and going through a divorce, he dropped to .258. This year, batting behind Eckstein, he bounced back to .283.
All the while, Erstad remained the Angels' leader in the clubhouse and on the field.
“When you're young, your job is to keep your mouth shut and go out there and work hard and play,” he said. “As you get more time and see more things and get to know the guys better, you just get a feel for what works for them. If something's not right, you can try to help them get in the right frame of mind.”
Erstad provided the perfect illustration of how a leader takes charge on the field when he initiated a double steal in Game 3.
Eckstein's walk leading off the third inning and Erstad's double had sparked a four-run rally that put the Angels ahead 4-1. But Erstad wasn't going to let them think they could just sit on that lead.
After he singled to center with one out in the fourth and advanced on a walk to Tim Salmon, Erstad got the green light to steal third. He didn't hesitate, surprising the Giants and reaching third without a throw.
“He got a great jump,” Salmon said. “It happened so quickly. Fortunately I was ready on the back side. My eyes were focused on him. I didn't know which pitch he was going on, so I was looking at him the whole way, reading him to see what he'd do.
“He sets the tone with his aggressive style of play. Even when he's not getting hits. He still sets the tone with the way he goes about it, battles and does whatever it takes. He'll sacrifice himself.”
That steal allowed Erstad to score when Garret Anderson grounded to first and it also kicked off a game-busting, second four-run rally that gave the Angels an 8-1 lead.
“We don't hit a lot of home runs,” Spiezio said. “We rely on guys like Eckstein and Erstad getting on base and the guys behind them either getting them over or getting them in. Sometimes getting them in means hitting a ground ball to second or hitting a sac fly or squeeze bunt. Every guy on this team can do just about everything, and that's why we're able to score a lot of runs.”
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Angels' table setters go hitless
