“I’ve never seen four horses like that that come out of the gate,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “You might have to go back to Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, that group, or the group Baltimore had in, I guess, ‘66.”

Los Angeles was leading 3-2 when Joe Crede hit a leadoff homer in the seventh against loser Kelvim Escobar.

Escobar struck out four in a row, and five overall, before walking Aaron Rowand with two outs in the eighth.

Then, Pierzynski found himself in the middle of another contested call.

In Game 2, he struck out with two outs in the ninth but reached when umpires ruled catcher Josh Paul didn’t catch the ball. Crede followed with a winning double that tied the series.

In Game 4, Pierzynski admitted his mitt nicked the bat of Steve Finley, who hit into an inning-ending double play that ended an Angels’ rally attempt as umpires failed to make the call.

This time, he hit a comebacker that bounced off Escobar, who instead of throwing to first ran to toward the foul line to make a tag play. He tagged Pierzynski with his glove — but the ball wasn’t there, it was in his bare right hand.

“I tried to get the ball in the glove. I didn’t have a chance,” Escobar said. “Everything seemed to go their way.”

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Pierzynski initially was called out, but Guillen argued and umpires conferenced and reversed the call, bringing Scioscia out for a dispute.

“They got the call right,” Scioscia admitted.

Los Angeles then brought in closer Francisco Rodriguez to face Crede. K-Rod threw a 1-2 breaking ball that the crowd thought was strike three but was called a ball by plate umpire Ed Rapuano.

“I think it was close enough to call the pitch,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez threw another ball, pushing the count to 3-2, and Crede hit a perfectly placed slow grounder up the middle as many fans in the crowd of 44,712 gasped.

Second baseman Adam Kennedy dived on the shortstop side to stop it and threw home from a half-sitting position, but the throw was off-line and late as Rowand scored the go-ahead run.

ALCS MVP Paul Konerko (2.86, two homers, seven RBIs) added a run-scoring double in the ninth and Rowand boosted the margin with a sacrifice fly.

It was the sixth AL pennant for the White Sox, who have won the Series just twice.

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Chicago took the initial lead for the fourth straight game, on Crede’s second-inning sacrifice fly off starter Paul Byrd.

Kennedy’s RBI single tied the score in the third, but Jermaine Dye made it 2-1 Chicago with an RBI double in the fifth that chased Byrd.

The Angels then brought out that scoreboard Rally Monkey who became famous during their run to the 2002 World Series title — and the monkey business worked.

Chone Figgins, hitting just 1-for-15 in the series, doubled into the right-field corner and Kennedy, who was at first, was allowed to score because a fan reached over the low wall and touched the ball. Garret Anderson’s sacrifice fly put Los Angeles ahead 3-2.

After the opener, the Angels held a lead at the end of only two innings.

“They took it to us pretty good,” Kennedy said. “Whatever the controversy, they took advantage of it. They took advantage of everything they got.”

Notes: The White Sox hadn’t pitched four straight complete games since Sept. 21-26, 1974, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, when Wilbur Wood, Jim Kaat, Kaat again (following a three-day layoff) and Bart Johnson strung them together. ... The fan who interfered with Figgins’ double was ejected but not arrested, Angels spokesman Tim Mead said. The Angels would not disclose the fan’s name.

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