Angels Deny Pitcher's Death Fueled Rage vs. Sox

The emotionally raw Los Angeles Angels had four ejections in a stormy 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox yesterday, but refused to blame Nick Adenhart's fatal car wreck last week for their hair-trigger tempers, the Orange County Register reports. A beanball from Josh Beckett is what set them off, they say. "Whatever happened right there, that was blatant," said Angels center fielder Torii Hunter.

The pitch whizzed by Bobby Abreu's head after he had asked for, and was granted, time in the first inning. Both benches cleared, leading umpires to toss two Angels players, a coach, and manager Mike Scioscia—but no Red Sox players. “We had an issue with that, too,” said Scioscia. Beckett denied throwing a beanball: “I've never hit anybody in the head and it's not really on my list … to accomplish."
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