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The angels' Darin Erstad plays hard to win: left-handed hitting first baseman comes up big when game is on the line and has the bruises to show for it.
IF THE INSINUATIONS WERE UGLY, THE charges were ridiculous. Two weeks after that bone-rattling collision at the plate in Atlanta late last spring, the overriding conclusion remains the same.
The only thing dirty about Darin Erstad is his uniform.
When the Angels' intense first baseman leveled Braves catcher Johnny Estrada, knocking the ball loose and scoring the run that turned the night, and maybe the season, around for his team, he wasn't trying to hurt anybody. He was just trying to win the game.
"You have to understand," said teammate Adam Kennedy, "he (Erstad) is not a regular athlete. He's got something else inside him. We needed that game. We needed that run. If there was one guy you wanted to see coming around third in that situation, he's that guy."
Erstad is always that guy. Look it up. Whenever the Angels need it the most, he's the one who delivers. He's the one who stepped up, even before the arrival of Vladimir Guerrero.
Whether it is setting a post-season record for hits (25), slugging a dramatic World Series home run with a broken hand or delivering the key blow in the game that clinched a division championship a year ago, Erstad is at his best in clutch situations.
He is the unofficial captain and the driving force of this Angels team, further igniting the club's steady glide into first place in the A.L. West at the end of June by extending his hitting streak to 21 games.
- ERSTAD PLAYING IT HEAD FIRST; ANGELS FIRST BASEMAN SHUNS THE SPOTLIGHT THAT HIS...
- Newspaper article from: Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) May 12, 1998 700+ words
...everything I do,'' Erstad said. ``That...tried harder.'' Erstad said he learned...into tonight's game in Chicago against...streaks of 15 and 11 games. He has a four-hit game and a grand slam...Watson and move Erstad to first. Erstad...
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- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Bisheff, Steve October 3, 2004 700+ words
...bat, or another game. This was the...And this was Erstad, the team's...Scioscia said. "In games perceived as big...play," said Erstad, smiling as his...sitting three games down, playing...We lose that game and we're basically...t lose it. Erstad wouldn't let...
- ERSTAD'S HIT BEATS TEXAS SELE HAS SOLID OUTING FOR ANGELS ANGELS 6, TEXAS...
- Newspaper article from: Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) April 17, 2002 700+ words
...of him, it's what Erstad thinks of me after I...walls for you.'' Said Erstad: ``I'd do that every...when I faced him.'' Erstad said his neck was a little...You live for these games.'' The Angels went...Glaus, who left the game after three innings because...
- ERSTAD 'JUST DOESN'T STINK ANYMORE'.(Sports)(Statistical Data Included)
- Newspaper article from: Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) August 6, 2000 700+ words
...season marks. Including Saturday's game, Erstad is on pace for 255 hits. With 175 hits in 111 games, Erstad needs 82 hits in the Angels' final 51 games - or 1.61 hits per game - to tie the mark. The other records...
- Erstad getting in the swing of things with White Sox.
- Newspaper article from: Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL) March 3, 2007 700+ words
...found a hole." Erstad has finished on...recover from a three games-to-two deficit...third strike in Game 2. "We could...in looking for Erstad to improve the...played more than 66 games in the outfield...right ankle. But Erstad is a man on a...an intrasquad game _ going down ...
- Erstad leaving Angels just doesn't fit.
- Newspaper article from: Orange County Register (Santa Ana, CA) January 23, 2007 700+ words
Byline: Jeff Miller So Darin Erstad's days here appear over, and the only way this could feel less appropriate is for Erstad to take one final dash on the Angel Stadium...for the details to be finalized. Darin Erstad of the Chicago White Sox? Sounds about...
- ERSTAD PROVIDES LATE-NIGHT THRILLS GAME-SAVING CATCH, HOME RUN LIFT ANGELS...
- Newspaper article from: Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) August 19, 2000 700+ words
...got to hit,''' Erstad said. Even after Erstad's homer gave the...the 11th. Had the game been tied, Angels...victory in four games on the current trip...Nelson entered the game and got the first...who has 26 saves. Erstad hit a sharp grounder...
- Erstad is Angels' version of Derek Jeter.
- Newspaper article from: Orange County Register (Santa Ana, CA) October 2, 2004 700+ words
...bat, or another game. This was the...And this was Erstad, the team's...Scioscia said. "In games perceived as big...play," said Erstad, smiling as his...sitting three games down, playing...We lose that game and we're basically...t lose it. Erstad wouldn't let...