Remembering the 2002 World Series

The 2002 World Series is best known for being the only World Series championship in Angels' history. In fact, the Anaheim Angels won their first-ever postseason series in their 41-year history when they defeated the New York Yankees in the 2002 ALDS. Anaheim beat the Twins in the American League Championship Series in five games before defeating the San Francisco Giants in a 7-game World Series. Since then, they've won just two playoff series and have never been back to the World Series.

Of course, the franchise was known as the Los Angeles Angels during its first four seasons before becoming the California Angels from 1965 to 1996. In 1997, the team was known as the Anaheim Angels until 2004, when they were fitted with the awkward Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim moniker. In 2016 the name was shortened back to the Los Angeles Angels that we know today. 

Barry Bonds, baseball's all-time home run leader, only reached one World Series in his illustrious yet controversial career. Despite being on those great Pittsburgh Pirates teams of the early 1990s and strong Giants teams at the turn of the century, Bonds not only hadn't reached a World Series until 2002 -- he never even won a playoff series! That all changed in '02 when San Francisco defeated the Atlanta Braves in five games and then eliminated the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.

It was Bonds' lone World Series appearance, as he would reach one more postseason (a loss to the Florida Marlins in 2003) before retiring in 2007. 

The wildcard was added in 1994 (though it first occurred in the 1995 playoffs). The 1997 Florida Marlins were the first wildcard team to not only reach a World Series but win it.

The 2002 World Series was the first to feature two wildcard teams. The Anaheim Angels finished four games behind the Oakland Athletics in the AL West, while the San Francisco Giants ended the season 2.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. The Angels became the second wildcard team to win a World Series (it has happened five more times since then).

The only other time two wildcard teams faced off in a World Series was in 2014 when the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals. 

Prior to 2002, Bonds was absolutely dreadful in his postseason career. He had hit just one home run and driven in six RBIs in his first 27 playoff games while rocking a .196 batting average. The 2002 postseason was different, as Bonds hit .286 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in the NLDS and NLCS. But he was outstanding in the World Series.

Bonds went 8-for-17 (.471) against the Angels, hitting 4 home runs and 6 RBIs. He also walked 13 times, a World Series record, with 7 of them intentional walks. That means he reached base 21 times in 30 plate appearances. One of the best efforts by a player on the losing team. 

In what could be the most iconic moment in this Series, Dusty Baker's 3-year-old son, Darren, was nearly run over at home plate. In the bottom of the 7th inning of Game 5, the Giants J.T. Snow scored on a Kenny Lofton triple, but Darren Baker ... who was San Francisco's bat boy ... ran out to collect the bat before the play was over. Snow grabbed Darren with one hand as he crossed home plate and dragged him out of the way before his teammate David Bell scored. Little Darren was okay, though it could've ended a lot worse.

Darren Baker was drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2017 and has been playing in the minor leagues ever since. 

The Angels and Giants combined for 21 home runs, setting a World Series record that stood for 15 years. It would be broken in 2017 when the Astros and Dodgers combined for 25 home runs.

Barry Bonds (4), Troy Glaus (3), Jeff Kent (3), Rich Aurilla (2), Tim Salmon (2), David Bell, Shawon Dunston, Darin Erstad, JT Snow, and Scott Spiezio all went yard in this series. Bonds' four dingers trail only Reggie Jackson, Chase Utley, and George Springer ... who all hit five in a single series.

Home-field advantage in the World Series used to alternate between the National League and American League. That held true up to 2002 but changed after that season's All-Star Game ended in a tie. Beginning in 2003, the winning league of the All-Star Game earned its champion home-field advantage in the World Series. The rule change was very controversial as it attached possibly the most important game of the season (Game 7 of the World Series) to the least important game (an exhibition game). That ended in 2017 when home-field advantage was given to the World Series team with the best record.

Even if the current rule were in place back in 2002, the Angels would have still owned home-field advantage in the World Series. Anaheim's 99 wins were greater than San Francisco's 95. In the 2002 Series, the home team won five of seven games, including Anaheim winning pivotal Games 6 and 7 to win their first championship. 

The Angels and Giants combined for 85 runs in the 2002 World Series, which remains the most in World Series history.

The Giants' 16-4 win in Game 5 is tied with the 1960 New York Yankees for most runs scored in a World Series game by a winning team who would go on to lose the series. The Yankees beat the Pirates 16-3 in Game 2 of that World Series, but the Pirates won the title in seven games. 

The Angels' Rally Monkey first became a thing in the middle of the 2000 season when a clip of a monkey jumping from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was played on the video board. It was nothing more than an in-the-moment idea that turned into a popular ... well ... rallying cry. The Angels came back to win that game, and a legend was born.

It got national attention during the Angels' run to a World Series title. Its most prominent moment was in Game 6 when Anaheim trailed 5-0 in the 7th inning and was down 3-2 in the series. As fans waived their stuffed monkeys and signs, the Angels would score 6 runs over the 7th and 8th innings and stave off elimination. While the Rally Monkey still lives on, its biggest moment remains a crisp October in 2002. 

While we're on the subject, that bottom of the 7th inning in Game 6. Again, the Giants led the World Series three games to two and held a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th. With one out, the Giants were just 8 outs away from winning their first World Series since 1954 and their first since moving to San Francisco in 1958. Starting pitcher, Russ Ortiz gave up consecutive hits, which prompted Dusty Baker to give him the game ball as he replaced him with Felix Rodriguez. As the pitching change was happening, the Rally Monkey whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The first hitter Rodriguez faced, Scott Spiezio, hit a three-run home run and gave Anaheim life. In the bottom of the 8th, Darin Erstad led off with a home run. After a couple of hits that put two Angels in scoring position, Baker replaced Rodriguez with the Giants' closer, Rob Nen, so he could face Troy Glaus. Glaus doubled to left, scoring both runners and giving Anaheim an improbable 6-5 lead. Angels' closer Troy Percival retired the Giants in order and Anaheim tied the Series 3-3 and set up a winner-take-all Game 7. 

After a 19-year Major League career as a player, in 1993 Dusty Baker was hired to be the San Francisco Giants' manager where he began a successful 10-year run. In that first season, the Giants acquired Barry Bonds and went 103-59 but missed the playoffs since the NL West-winning Braves won 104 games. Baker would guide San Fran to three postseasons which culminated in the 2002 World Series.

Game 7 of the series, however, would be his last with the Giants. He had a contentious relationship with owner Peter Magowan, and his contract was not renewed. Baker would become the Chicago Cubs manager nearly three weeks after the World Series ended. He would take the Cubs to the playoffs, where they'd beat the Braves in the NLDS ... which was the Cubs' first postseason series win since 1908. Of course, in the NLCS, his Cubs lost to the Florida Marlins in the series where the infamous "Bartman" play happened. He has since managed the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals and is currently managing the Houston Astros.

Former Montreal Expos skipper Felipe Alou took over as manager of the Giants and took them back to the playoffs in 2003, where they also lost to the Florida Marlins in the playoffs. Alou was replaced by Bruce Bochy in 2007, who would go on to win three World Series championships in San Francisco and passed Baker as the franchise's all-time winningest manager. 

While the World Series matching up two teams that hail from the same state isn't an extremely rare occasion, 2002 is still the most recent World Series to have that honor. All seven games of the 2002 World Series were played in California, the first time that had happened since 1989 (Athletics-Giants).

While it hasn't happened since 2002, it was a bit more frequent around that time. In 2000, the New York Yankees and New York Mets did it. Since 1956, it also happened in the aforementioned 1989, 1988 (Dodgers-Athletics), 1985 (Royals-Cardinals), and 1974 (Athletics-Dodgers). From 1956 and earlier, it was a much more common thing since several cities had teams in both leagues (New York Yankees routinely faced either the Brooklyn Dodgers or New York Giants).

Technically, the 2020 World Series is the last World Series where every game was played in the same state. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 World Series between the Dodgers and Rays was played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. 

High-definition was becoming more commonplace in American homes, and the 2002 World Series was the first to be shown in HD. FOX's Joe Buck and Tim McCarver made the call as FOX was in the third year of their exclusive coverage of the World Series (which remains to this day). 

Giants manager Dusty Baker and Angels manager Mike Scioscia were teammates on the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers World Series championship team. The 32-year-old Baker was the Dodgers' left fielder, while Scioscia, 22, was the catcher in his second Major League season.  Baker made his MLB debut in 1968 with the Atlanta Braves and would join the Dodgers in 1976, where he played for 8 seasons. The two were teammates for four seasons in LA, winning that 1981 World Championship together.  That team was most notable for "Fernandomania" of rookie Fernando Valenzuela and who would go on to beat the New York Yankees in six games. Other teammates on that Dodgers team were Steve Garvey, Pedro Guerrero, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey, Steve Howe, Bob Welch, Steve Sax, Dave Stewart, and Rick Monday.

This is the only time the two World Series managers were teammates on a World Series championship team. 

In the top of the 9th inning of Game 2, Barry Bonds came to the plate with two out and the Giants trailing 11-9. Bonds swung at a 1-0 pitch from Troy Percival and sent it deep into the bleachers in right field for a home run. The telecast picked up Tim Salmon sitting in the dugout saying, "that's the farthest ball I've ever seen hit."  Even with the telecast now in High Definition, it was difficult to see where that ball actually landed with the lights shining on the mist in the air. Salmon had hit a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning to give the Angels that two-run lead. Percival would retire Benito Santiago to close out the game and tie the series 1-1. That solo home run was the only run scored in the 9th inning all series.

Years later and Salmon still talks about that home run and the Bonds-Percival matchup that you just had to "stop and watch this one."