By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengie Molina jumps into the arms of pitcher Troy Percival along with World series MVP Troy Glaus, right, after the Anaheim Angels won their first World Series. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

ANAHEIM, Calif. - There was no real drama, no offensive fireworks, no stirring comeback. No, the Anaheim Angels let their pitchers do the heavy work in clinching their first World Series championship.

Four Anaheim pitchers shut out the San Francisco Giants in the final eight innings of a 4-1 victory in Game 7 on Sunday.

None of the Angels or the 44,598 ThunderStix-toting fans at Edison Field had any complaints about the lack of offensive dramatics. Remember, the Angels were down 5-0 and nine outs from elimination in Game 6 on Saturday night.

And when you wait 42 years for a World Series appearance - as the Angels' faithful have - you don't quibble about style points in the clinching game.

The highest-scoring World Series (84 runs between the two teams) came down to pitching. Garret Anderson gave the Angels the lead in the third with a three-run double. Anaheim starter John Lackey and relievers Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez and Troy Percival then made it stand up.

The Angels and their fans carried the emotion of Game 6's victory into Game 7.

"They came back last night," San Francisco manager Dusty Baker said. "That was the big game for them. That got the fans into it. They pitched great tonight."

Anaheim third baseman Troy Glaus, one of the heroes of Game 6, was the Series' Most Valuable Player.

"No matter who we played all year, we played hard and left it all out there," Glaus said.

Percival gave up a hit and a walk in the ninth, bring the tying run to the plate with one out. But he struck out pinch-hitter Tsuyoshi Shinjo, then Kenny Lofton hit one to the left-center wall. Center fielder Darin Erstad settled under the fly ball, caught it, and the Angels were world champions. The team poured out of the dugout for a wild celebration on the pitcher's mound.

And why not? A team that finished 75-87 and in third place in the American League West last year, a team that only made the playoff as a wild card, a team that started the season 6-14, was world champions.

"I've been around this game a long time," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I've never been around a group of guys so passionate. That's what this team is about. It's the 25 guys in the clubhouse."

The Angels, founded in 1961 by legendary cowboy entertainer Gene Autry, hadn't been to the World Series before.

"Somewhere, he's smiling down on this," Autry's widow, Jackie, said. "He loved every fan."

Anaheim became the 13th team to win the Series in its first appearance. The last four teams making their first appearance - Toronto (1992), Florida (1997), Arizona (2001) and Anaheim (2002) - have won the world title.

The Giants got on the board in the second - an inning that began with a rare out from Barry Bonds. But Benito Santiago singled and moved to third on J.T. Snow's lined single into right-center.

That brought up Reggie Sanders, who started the Series 4-for-5 but was 1-for-15 since. Sanders got the job done, driving a fly ball to deep left for a sacrifice fly that made 1-0.

The Angels got the run back in their half of the second. Saturday's hero, Scott Spiezio, walked with two out and scored when Bengie Molina doubled into left-center.

San Francisco starter Livan Hernandez was coming off his first postseason loss in Game 3. He allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Hernandez looked to be headed in the same direction in the third inning of Game 7. He gave up back-to-back hits to David Eckstein and Darin Erstad to start the inning. He then hit Tim Salmon on the hand with a pitch to load the bases.

Anderson rifled a double into the right-field corner to unload them and make it 4-1.

The Giants had Hernandez intentionally walk Glaus, then brought in left-hander Chad Zerbe to face Brad Fullmer. Fullmer hit into a fielder's choice, eliminating Glaus, but the Angels still had first and third with one out.

San Francisco third baseman David Bell made a great play to get the next out and squelch the rally. Spiezio hit a high chopper right over the bag. As Bell fielded it, his momentum carried him well into foul territory. But he set himself and threw home to get Anderson. Molina then grounded out to end the inning.

The Angels had a 4-1 lead, but the Giants had to feel fortunate because it could have easily been worse.

The game was now Lackey's to win. Lackey started Game 4 on his 24th birthday and pitched well (five innings, three runs) in the Angels' 4-3 loss.

Zerbe was done after pitching the third. Kirk Rueter, who pitched six strong innings in Game 4, took over the fourth.

The Giants had to feeling like things weren't going to go their way when center fielder Erstad robbed Bell of a hit with a diving catch to start the fifth.

Lackey was gone after five strong innings. He allowed one run on four hits, striking out four and walking one.

Former Reds farmhand Brendan Donnelly took over for Anaheim in the sixth. He got the first out routinely, then walked Santiago and gave up a double to Snow.

San Francisco manager Dusty Baker sent up left-handed hitting Tom Goodwin, 0-for-7 in the postseason, to pinch-hit for Sanders. Goodwin struck out.