Facing the Red Sox in October has been a series of horrors for the Angels. But they got a real fright in the third inning of Game 2 Friday.
Upset over a close call at first base, Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter leapt into the air in frustration, spinning around toward umpire Kerwin Danley – and then crumpled to the ground, reaching for his left knee.
“It buckled on me,” Hunter said later.
“That’s scary,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “This guy’s an important part of everything we’re doing out there on the field.”
“I didn’t actually see it,” Angels third baseman Chone Figgins said. “But I heard the crowd get quiet.”
After back-to-back two-out singles by Mark Teixeira and Vladimir Guerrero in the third, Hunter came up as the tying run with a chance to wipe out the early advantage the Red Sox had taken.
He hit a ground ball to shortstop Alex Cora and ran hard down the line but Danley called Hunter out on a very close play, prompting Hunter’s airborne response.
“At the time, the adrenaline is flowing,” Hunter said. “I’m pretty pumped up. I’m an intense player. I play the game like a football player.
“It was a bang-bang play and it’s pretty deflating to have it go against you.”
After several nervous moments for the Angels, Hunter got up and eventually walked gingerly out to his position in center field for the next inning.
“Right now, it looks like it’s just a bit of a tweak, nothing more than a little hyperextension and he’ll be able to play Sunday,” Scioscia said.
Hunter stayed in the game but appeared to be running at less than full strength at times. He misplayed Mark Kotsay’s drive for an error in the sixth inning – Hunter’s first error in an Angels uniform. He went errorless in 137 games (354 chances) during the regular season.
“I’ll be fine,” Hunter said. “Adrenaline is all the medicine I need.”
