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Angels' Anderson bombs Yankees with 10 RBI

OF gets first curtain call from hometown fans, overcomes A-Rod's 2 homers

Garret AndersonAP
The Angels' Garret Anderson waves to crowd after his grand slam against the New York Yankees during the sixth inning of Tuesday's game.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Garret Anderson got the first curtain call he can remember, going to the top step of the Angels’ dugout and doffing his helmet to a roaring crowd.

After setting a club record with 10 RBIs, he certainly deserved it.

Anderson’s grand slam in the sixth inning gave him 10 RBIs and kept 44,264 fans on their feet until one of the most reserved players on the team grinned shyly and took his bow.

The 34-year-old Anderson earlier hit a three-run shot, drove in two runs with a double, and doubled home another run in Los Angeles’ 18-9 rout of the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.

“It’s nice when the fans appreciate you,” Anderson said. “I think it’s the first one I’ve had, and it was kind of a shock.”

Although he became only the 12th player in major league history to reach double-digit RBIs in a game, he was surprised when the fans stood and cheered until he stepped out of the dugout.

A-Rod rounds bases
Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images
Alex Rodriguez rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning.

Asked if there might be more curtain calls to come, Anderson smiled and said, “It took me 13 years to get that one. I don’t see myself playing for 26 years.”

Anderson became the first player with 10 RBIs in a game since Yankees star Alex Rodriguez also had 10 against the Angels on April 26, 2005.

Rodriguez hit a pair of solo shots Tuesday, with his 42nd homer of the season coming in the ninth inning off Marc Gwyn.

The major league record of 12 RBIs is shared by the St. Louis Cardinals’ Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993). The AL record of 11 was set by Tony Lazzeri of the Yankees on May 24, 1936.

Anderson had a chance to break the major league mark when he came up in the eighth inning with runners at the corners and two outs, but he grounded out to shortstop.

The home runs were his seventh and eighth of the season.

“It was an incredible night for Garret,” Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said.

The first-place Angels, who improved to 6-2 against New York this season, roughed up Mike Mussina (8-9) and stayed two games ahead of Seattle in the AL West.

The Yankees were rolling along for more than a month and closing fast in the playoff chase before visiting the Angels, a longtime nemesis. New York, which has lost the first two in a three-game series, fell six games behind first-place Boston in the AL East and 2½ back of Seattle in the wild-card race.


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