They Angels will beat the Yankees again. Why? Mike Socia

There are not many teams that beat up on the Yankees in recent years. That’s not surprising. With the ability to have a payroll like the Yankees have had, you would think that they would have the better players the majority of the time.

But that’s not the case with the Angels. For whatever reason, they are not intimidated. During the legendary Joe Torre era of Yankee baseball that began in 1996 and included four World Series championships and 12 straight trips to the playoffs, only the Angels held a winning record against New York. Including Joe Girardi’s tenure the Angels hold a 79-66 advantage against the Yankees since 1996.

For whatever reason, this combination of management and players for the Angels has been able to do what no other team in baseball does. Routinely beat the Yankees.

One Of The Very Best

With a third consecutive AL West crown, Mike Scioscia became the first manager in history to bring six clubs into postseason play in his first 10 seasons. It’s not like he doesn’t know how to get past the Yankees either. The Socia let Angels and Yankees have some history in October, and the memories are not warm and fuzzy for the Bronx Bombers and their fans.

- In 2002 and in '05, the Angels eliminated the Yanks in ALDS showdowns.

- En route to the franchise's lone World Series championship in '02, the Halos knocked out New York in four games, splitting the first two in the Bronx and then taking two in Anaheim.

- Three years later, in a rematch, the Yankees again split their two home games before going west and losing the decisive fifth game at Angel Stadium.

This year The Angels and Yanks split 10 games this season with the Bombers taking three of four in their new home ballpark.

The Yankees haven't been to an ALCS since 2004, when the Red Sox chased away all their ghosts with their implausible dream of a comeback from a 3-0 deficit. The Angels' most recent visit to an ALCS also was less than satisfying. The White Sox took them out in five games in '05, winning the last four.
With each team sweeping their AL Division Series and having four days off, each team having fully rested rotations. Some would argue too much time.

With the storied history of the Yankee, there aren’t any teams that they feel they have to prove something against, except the Angels. The Yankees have the stars, the Angels have the guts.

Who remembers Mike Scioscia’s dramatic, ninth inning, game-tying home run against the New York Mets' Dwight Gooden in Game 4 of the 1988 National League Championship Series (Click to watch)? The ‘88 Mets do. Take a look at Doc Gooden in the picture. It was the start of the downfall of a “what was supposed to be a Hall of Fame career.”

Scioscia was a key player on the Dodgers' 1981 and 1988 World Series champion teams, and is the Dodgers' all-time leader in games caught (1,395.) He was a winner as a player and a winner as a manager.

The Angels will beat the Yankees again. Why? Mike Socia. - Blake Kearny

Blake Kearny is a retired baseball scout from Los Angeles, California. He currently runs a baseball school for children in Los Angeles

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