A 5-3 start through Saturday night fuels the hope of a beleaguered fan base – but there’s a long way to go.
ANAHEIM — Yes, it’s a small sample size, one early-season crowd out of a potential 81. But the sense I got from the 44,534 at Angel Stadium Saturday night is that these are fans who are desperate to shout with joy.
The stadium is serviceable but aging. The plan to develop the surrounding property and pay for serious renovation is in limbo following the corruption allegations that led to Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu’s resignation, but there is optimism that new mayor Ashleigh Aitken – a fan and season ticket holder – can help revive the project after the city council scuttled it last year amid the political firestorm.
And they were in full voice Saturday evening, when their team spotted Toronto a 4-0 lead and rallied. When Mike Trout sent a 3-1 pitch in the general direction of the rocks in left-center, for a three-run homer and a 7-4 lead in the fifth, the place was rocking. When Hunter Renfroe added a two-run homer for insurance in the eighth inning of an eventual 9-4 victory over the Blue Jays, it might have been even louder.
“I think any time you have a drought, and you have such a great team on paper,” that fan anxiety can mount, newcomer Renfroe said. “Obviously the seasons haven’t been going as well as they thought would in the past, and obviously we have a lot of talent this year and we want to go as far as we possibly can.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Texas Lottery Saturday jackpot grows to $63.25 million for Saturday's drawingAccording to a release, the jackpot is the game's largest jackpot in more than 12 years.
Read more »
Angels manager Phil Nevin looking to protect his relievers early in the seasonLast season the Angels collapsed after a hot start, in part because three of their key relievers went into slumps at the same time. Some around the organization suspect overuse was at least partly …
Read more »
Blue Jays vs Angels Prediction, Picks, Odds — April 7Toronto's Chris Bassitt had a brutal Blue Jays debut, but our free MLB picks have reason to believe he'll bounce back — while the Angels' Patrick Sandoval continue his strong stretch of good baseball dating back to last season.
Read more »
Angels give up late lead to drop home opener to Blue JaysJimmy Herget gives up a three-run home run to Bo Bichette in the seventh inning of a game the Angels led by two runs. Starter Patrick Sandoval had allowed one run in six innings.
Read more »
Mike Trout's 441-foot blast can't save Angels in home-opening loss to TorontoMike Trout gives the Angels an early lead and Patrick Sandoval pitches a strong game, but a three-run home run by Bo Bichette lifts Toronto to a 4-3 win.
Read more »
Shaikin: Shohei Ohtani's star power transforms Angels into international tourist attractionThe Angels' home opener underlined the popularity of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. Will that be enough to secure their future together in Anaheim?
Read more »