It had been 16 long years since Dave Henderson's home run cost the Angels their first American League pennant. In 2002, they were faced with a harder task than that of the '86 club, which required only one postseason series win for a trip to a World Series.

To make the challenge even harder, the Wild Card-winning Angels would open the playoffs against a Yankees club that had been to four consecutive World Series and had Mariano Rivera ready to save any lead. That is exactly what he did in the AL Division Series opener, keeping Troy Glaus -- who had homered twice -- in the dugout, and preserving an 8-5 lead that had come courtesy of Bernie Williams' three-run homer off reliever Brendan Donnelly.

This, however, was the Year of the Wild Card. On their way to a World Series victory over a Giants team that was the National League Wild Card entry, the Angels would proceed to slug nine homers in the four-game ALDS.

The Angels beat big-game starter Andy Pettitte in Game 2 for an 8-6 victory at Yankee Stadium that evened the ALDS at a game apiece. Glaus hit his third homer of the first two games.

In Anaheim for Game 3, the Yankees were in control with a 6-1 lead, but starter Mike Mussina gave up four earned runs in four innings, and the bullpen was no better. Anaheim's bullpen locked down the Yankees the rest of the way, and the result was a 9-6 comeback win for the Angels.

Yankees manager Joe Torre sent David Wells to the mound for Game 4 facing elimination on the road, and he had a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth. But an eight-run inning doomed the Bombers' hopes of a fifth straight Fall Classic, despite Derek Jeter's performance (8-for-16, two homers and six runs scored). The Angels, meanwhile, were going back to the ALCS for a chance at the elusive first pennant.

Path to the ALDS: Anaheim (99-63) won the AL Wild Card; New York (103-58) won the AL East by 10.5 games

Managers: Mike Scioscia, ANA; Joe Torre, NYY