#10 – Aug 21, 2007: GA has a night to remember | Top-50 Greatest Moments in Angels Baseball

Garret Anderson’s may be one of the quietest careers in the history of baseball considering all that he has accomplished with so little fanfare. He is one of only 92 MLB players to date to have at least 2,500 hits in their career and his 522 doubles rank him No. 38 all time. His three-run double in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series was the difference in a 4-1 Angels victory. He even has Home Run Derby and All-Star Game MVP trophies to his name.

Yet for all these accolades, Anderson has never received the widespread recognition one might think he would garner. Garret has never been seen as a player who has sought out public attention in any manner. He has always presented a very professional, guarded demeanor when talking to the press or to fans. Even among his own team’s fan base, players such as Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad and later Vladimir Guerrero frequently overshadowed Anderson. On Aug. 21, 2007, however, for one night at least, he made the entire baseball world take notice; and he did it against baseball’s flagship franchise, no less — the New York Yankees.

Taking the mound that night for the Yankees was a possible Hall of Famer in Mike Mussina. The Big A was sold out, as was customary for any game the Yankees were in town. The Angels were in a tight division race against the Mariners while the Yankees were fighting for the Wild Card spot. Little did anyone know at the beginning of the game, one that would feature Alex Rodriguez hitting two home runs, that all the attention would end up being focused on Garret Anderson. His night started with a trademark two-run double in first against Mussina. In the second inning, he added another run-scoring double. Most players would consider it a great night with those two hits. Garret’s night was just beginning, however.

In the third inning, with Mussina chased from the game, Anderson faced reliever Edwar Ramirez. His rampage on Yankees pitching continued as he launched a three-run shot into the right field seats — three at-bats, six RBI.

Leading off the fifth inning, he relented briefly in the form of a ground out to second, but the offensive onslaught culminated in the sixth when he faced reliever Sean Henn with the bases loaded and sent an 0-1 offering into former bullpen in right field for his sixth career grand slam. With that hit, Anderson tied the American League mark with 10 RBI in one night and bested teammate Guerrero’s previous team-high of nine.

The fans in Anaheim urged their normally reserved player out for his first curtain call. Anyone watching the game knew, however, that this was more than a mere sign of appreciation for a good night’s work. This was a chance for a fan base and a player to acknowledge what their decade-plus long relationship meant to each other.

Amazingly enough, Anderson had a chance in the eighth inning to tie or even break the all-time record of 12 RBI in one game. With runners on first and third, he hit a ball up the middle that found the glove of shortstop Luis Vizcaino, who was cheating toward second.

Still, Anderson now owned at least a share of history; he is on an elite list of players with double-digit RBI games: Mark Whiten, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Fred Lynn, and perhaps Garret’s greatest antithesis when it comes to seeking and accepting adoration, Reggie Jackson. But for one night, the quiet superstar made so much noise everybody had to take notice.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALA/ALA200708210.shtml