Trout feels anxiety, letdown in postseason debut

ANAHEIM -- Plenty of hype surrounded Game 1 of the American League Division Series between the Royals and Angels.

One highly anticipated event was the postseason debut of Mike Trout, the presumptive American League MVP.

Trout took the field Thursday night at Angel Stadium feeling excited, but also a little nervous. The biggest occasion the 23-year-old could relate it to was his first Major League at-bat.

"You are just a little anxious and don't really know what to expect," Trout said. "After that first at-bat I was fine. It is just a baseball game with just more people."

He finished the night 0-for-4 with a walk in a 3-2 extra-innings loss.

"A couple of at-bats, after I got that first one out of the way, I felt better," Trout said. "I just missed some pitches."

Trout grinded out an at-bat against Royals fireballer Wade Davis in the eighth inning, taking an eight-pitch walk after fouling off high-90s fastballs.

"That was a good at-bat and I laid off some tough pitches," Trout said. "He's one of the best out of the bullpen. I just have to control my emotions a little bit better."

While Trout usually has no issues in center field, he lost a ball in the lights in the fifth inning, which proved costly. The misplay allowed Alex Gordon just enough time to race into second for a leadoff double. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Omar Infante.

"I had a bead on it and thought I could catch it, I just didn't see it," Trout said. "It tailed away from me. I'm just happy I kept it in front of me."

Come Game 2 on Friday, Trout is confident he'll find more success with the experience of Game 1 under his belt.

"The emotions are high and you want to do so much," Trout said. "That can be when you get in trouble. You just have to go out again."