True grit: Angels' Adam Kennedy makes hard work pay off; Anaheim's hard-nosed second baseman takes care of business with consistent defensive work and clutch hitting.

HE TALKS WITH A SLIGHT LISP, hits ninth in the batting order, and generally shuns the spotlight.

Last October 13 when Anaheim clinched its first American League pennant in the club's 41-year history, was, for Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy, just another chance to do his job.

This was not only the day the Angels made history, but it was when fans other than Kennedy's father, Tom; his friends in Riverside, California; a neighbor or two in Newport Beach and the thousands who regularly show up at Edison Field noticed the sterling season Kennedy produced in 2002.

"He epitomizes," said Anaheim reliever Troy Percival, "what we're about."

Quietly and efficiently, Kennedy played a pivotal role in Anaheim's pennant-winning season in which they set a franchise record for wins with 99.

In Game 5 of the ALCS, Kennedy tied a major league record with three home runs in one post-season game, a feat accomplished by only four other players--Babe Ruth, Bob Robertson, Reggie Jackson and George Brett.

In the third inning of that game, Kennedy hit a solo home run to cut the Minnesota Twins lead to 2-1. In the fifth, Kennedy added another solo blast to tie the score at two.