Hunter Goes 'Nuts' as Angels Take First Step Toward Ending Boston Hex

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- What did Torii Hunter mean when he said last month the Angels needed to "show nuts" against the Red Sox?

He gave a glimpse on Thursday night, socking a fastball from Jon Lester onto a rock pile 430 feet away for three runs in the fifth inning, and propelling the Angels, finally out from under Boston's thumb, to a 5-0 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Division Series.

"That's what I'm talking about," Hunter screamed as he ran toward first base.

"Do what you do," he hollered as he ran to the dugout.

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There, the former high school quarterback spiked his helmet as the crowd banged red sticks at Anaheim Stadium.

"The adrenaline was unbelievable," Hunter said. "I wish you guys could taste and feel some of that."

"Trust me, it's not like we enjoy facing them. They're no fun to play"
-- Boston GM Theo Epstein on his team's playoff success against the Angels Three weeks ago, pained by a tough defeat at Fenway Park, Hunter publicly questioned the Angels' ability to cope with the mighty Sox.

"To win," he said on Sept. 17, "we've got to show nuts."

Boston had won nine of 10 playoff games between the clubs dating to 2004. The Angels answered behind Hunter's fourth career playoff home run and 7 1/3 scoreless innings from John Lackey.

Hunter, who joined the Angels two years ago, said "nuts" is "street" for "guts" and that his verbal challenge pleased his teammates.

"Everybody said, 'Yeah, you're right,' " said the center fielder, best known for his eight Gold Gloves. "I had a lot of people tell me that was the right thing to say. That usually doesn't happen over here, I heard."

Lackey is one Angels player who no one will confuse with a California wimp. He's the hombre from Texas who pitched the Angels to their only World Series title in 2002, when he beat the Giants in Game 7. He'd gone winless in the postseason since that night, often because the Angels gave him little or no help.

Thursday, he led the Angels to the first postseason shutout in franchise history.

"Lackey threw the hell out of the ball," said Lester, who out-pitched Lackey in Anaheim in Game 1 of last year's Division Series.


Jason Bay was the only leadoff man to reach against Lackey, and he was rubbed out on Mike Lowell's double play in the fifth. Sox cleanup man Kevin Youkilis said he doesn't rate Lackey "the most difficult guy" to hit against, but he was good enough in Game 1.

Lackey's pitching coach from 2002, Padres manager Bud Black, watched from San Diego. "John's still the same guy he was in 2002 -- more of a power style," Black said. "He's evolved. He's become a better pitcher."

FanHouse sought out Red Sox GM Theo Epstein before the game to ask if the Sox were tired of picking on the Angels in October. Epstein chuckled.

"Trust me," he said, "it's not like we enjoy facing them. They're no fun to play."

The Angels had lost Games 1 and 2 of their previous three playoff series against Boston, starting in 2004. These Angels, though, have borrowed from the Boston playbook. They've become more discriminating in the batter's box. Bobby Abreu, who joined the Angels last offseason, is a patient, well-rounded player comparable to Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew. Abreu drew four walks on Saturday night. After the third of those walks, Lester teed up an 0-1 fastball for Hunter, who blasted it for the 3-0 lead.

This Angels offense is an AL East offense -- deep. Youngsters such as Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick are savvier hitters than they were last October, when Boston ousted the Angels in four games. Leading off the fifth, Aybar pulled a double, only the second hit against Lester. Chone Figgins bunted him to third, bringing up Abreu.

Doing to the Sox what they've done to so many others, Abreu worked the count. He became the first player since David Ortiz in 2007 to draw four walks in a postseason game.

"I threw a lot of good pitches to Bobby," Lester said. "He's just a really good hitter."

Abreu, trying to steal second base, got a good jump on Lester's 0-1 pitch to Hunter. Didn't matter, because Lester's pitch went down the middle. "I was trying to get a double play," Lester said.

Unlike last year, when they coasted after mid-July, the Angels this year had to scrap for most of the summer. Hunter, for one, said the adversity of playing tight games at Fenway Park last month was good for the Angels.

Nutty, too.

"In Boston, three weeks ago, I was pissed," he said. "I was upset and I'm pretty sure everybody was upset."

Hunter said he was unable to sleep on Thursday night and had so much adrenaline leading up to first pitch that he had a "little headache that felt good."

When Hunter nailed Lester's 79th pitch, he added to the queasy feeling that Red Sox manager Terry Francona had been feeling, caused by the Mexican food that had disagreed with him.

"Probably Del Taco," he said. "They don't support MLB, do they? They just support the Angels? Yeah, it was Del Taco."

Maybe the Angels should have the Mexican food chain cater the visiting clubhouse. They hadn't won a playoff game in Anaheim since a victory over the Yankees in 2005.

Hunter's seven previous trips to the playoffs all left him short of the World Series. He said the prospect of facing Josh Beckett on Friday would bring him back into focus quickly. "It's a big home run, but it's the first game," he said. "Anything can happen. I don't want to be here four days from now saying I don't know what happened."