Torii Hunter Calls Out Halos for 'Choking'

BOSTON -- Mike Scioscia was perfectly happy to rip the men in blue for the Angels' loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday (and he had good reason to do so).

Torii Hunter preferred to question the men in red. Angels red.

"You don't change nothing because it's the Red Sox, or the Yankees, or whoever it may be," Hunter said after a 9-8 loss on two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning at Fenway Park. "You play nervous, you're going to make mistakes.

"Show some nuts."

The Angels are 0-3 on their Eastern swing, losing Monday at Yankee Stadium on a bad throw on a steal attempt, Tuesday by messing up two Red Sox bunts and Wednesday on a number of defensive lapses before some questionable calls resulted in a Brian Fuentes blown save.

"We choked every time," Hunter said. "So it's not good.

"But it's good to see, see who's going to choke, see what's going on. I hope it's not because of what I'm thinking."

"There's some sick talent in here. I love this team. I love 'em. I love 'em to death. To win, we've got to show nuts."
-- Torii Hunter Meaning, he hopes it's not because his teammates are intimidated or tight because they're playing powerhouse teams on the road late in the season.

But he certainly strongly suspects it.

This is only Hunter's second season in Los Angeles, but he knows this is a team that has lost in the first round of the playoffs the past two years. He saw his 100-win team nearly get swept by Boston a year ago, losing the first two ALDS games at home and bowing out in four.

In Wednesday's game the Angels let a 3-0 lead get away in the fifth because shortstop Erick Aybar dropped the ball on a force play at second and second baseman Howie Kendrick bobbled a possible double play ball.

L.A. rallied to take the lead in the seventh, then gave it away in the eighth as Kevin Jepsen and Darren Oliver combined for two walks and a wild pitch.

And after Bobby Abreu's tie-breaking single in the top of the ninth, Fuentes loaded the bases on a two-out walk and two infield hits. Light-hitting infielder Nick Green, pinch-hitting for Casey Kotchman, might have gone around on his 0-2 checked swing, and then he took a 3-2 pitch that looked like a strike but was called a ball by Rick Reed, forcing in the tying run.

Alex Gonzalez finished off the rally with a soft single that fell in front of left fielder Juan Rivera, who never left his feet.

Scioscia said he "didn't need a replay, did not need a replay, did not need a replay" to know the last pitch to Green was a strike.

"What was the count at the end," the Angels' manager said, "three-and-four to Green?"

Fuentes said, "It seems like sometimes, especially here and some other places, [umpires] get a little bit timid to make the call. ... It just seems like the way it is. You hear it time and time again from other guys. They get the same thing happen when they come through."

Hunter wouldn't go there.

He directed his second-guessing inside his clubhouse.

"We lost that game a long time ago [before the ninth]," he said. "We made too many mistakes. You make mistakes to a veteran team like Boston that knows how to play the game, you're going to lose the game. I'm pissed. I'm pissed off.

"Hopefully you can learn from that. That's part of baseball. If you can't learn from that, you shouldn't be in the big leagues. That's what I say.

"You don't let a crowd or an atmosphere change anything."

Hunter said the defensive lapses are "very new." Not so new -- and of concern come October -- are the bullpen issues. Somewhat new are some offensive shortcomings.

In these three games, the Angels have left 30 men on base (14 on Wednesday) and hit .200 with men in scoring position.

"Tonight we had more offensive opportunities that we didn't cash in on and opened the door for them defensively," Scioscia said. "So I think the game's bigger than that ninth inning where all that focus is."

The he added, "I don't think we're that far out of kilter."

With the Rangers unable to muster any runs, the Angels are going to make the playoffs. And Hunter said there's enough time for the Angels to get straightened out.


The problem, he repeated, is inside the jock strap.

"There's some sick talent in here," Hunter said. "I love this team. I love 'em. I love 'em to death.

"To win, we've got to show nuts."

This is why Hunter is one of baseball's best leaders. He wants his teammates to read these quotes, to know he suspects them of getting tight in the spotlight. He has earned credibility in the game, and in his clubhouses in Minnesota and Anaheim.

So much so that he could give voice to the question that almost anyone else would leave unspoken:

"If you do this in the regular season," Hunter said, "what's going to happen in the playoffs?"