OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Anaheim Angels capped a stirring comeback with one final rally, and now they're champions of the AL West for the first time in 18 years.<br>
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Chasing Oakland and Texas for most of the season, the Angels scored three times in the eighth inning to beat the Athletics 5-4 Saturday and clinch the division title.<br>
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Darin Erstad hit a tying, two-run double and scored on Garret Anderson's single as the Angels earned their first playoff berth since 2002, when they won the World Series as the wild-card team.<br>
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Vladimir Guerrero homered for the Angels, who trailed Oakland by two games last Monday. But after beating the A's 10-0 Friday night, Anaheim won again to wrap it up going into Sunday's season finale. <br>
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It's still not sure who the Angels will face in the first round of the playoffs - it will either be the New York Yankees or Boston.<br>
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The A's had won the division in three of the past four years, and made the playoffs in all of those seasons. They had lost in the first round each time.<br>
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Oakland's Eric Byrnes grabbed his helmet in disbelief and frustration when he flied out to left to end it, and a celebration ensued on the mound by the Angels.<br>
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The A's realigned their rotation to have their "Big Three" pitchers of Mark Mulder, Barry Zito and Tim Hudson on the mound for the final weekend, but it didn't work out.<br>
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The Athletics dropped to 12-18 in September - a shocking development for a team that's been the best in baseball in the final month the past four years.<br>
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After seven strong innings by Barry Zito, A's relievers Jim Mecir, Ricardo Rincon (1-1) and Octavio Dotel couldn't hold a 4-2 lead.<br>
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Erstad lined a two-run double off the right-field wall against Rincon, who entered after Mecir allowed singles to Bengie Molina and Chone Figgins.<br>
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A's manager Ken Macha then turned to Dotel, the closer who has been fighting elbow tendinitis. Anderson, playing with knee tendinitis, got his second hit of the game.<br>
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Brendan Donnelly (5-2) pitched 1 2-3 innings for the win and Troy Percival finished for his 33rd save in 38 chances.<br>
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The A's held a team meeting before the game, and Eric Chavez hit a two-run double in the third to give them the lead. Oakland did not do much at the plate, managing only 19 hits in its last four games.<br>
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Guerrero hit a tying, two-run homer off Zito with two outs in the sixth. It was Guerrero's 39th homer and career-high 206th hit.<br>
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The A's took back the lead in the bottom half. Jermaine Dye hit a leadoff single, then Damian Miller doubled two batters later to center and the ball got past a diving Anderson when he tried to backhand the ball and rolled to the wall.<br>
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Dye scored with a headfirst dive and touched the plate with his left hand - then jumped up and threw his arm in the air in excitement. Miller's hit chased Angels starter Kelvim Escobar.<br>
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After David Eckstein reached on shortstop Bobby Crosby's error, Zito got 11 straight outs.<br>
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Zito was winless in his last four starts and six of seven. Oakland has lost six of eight and nine of 12<br>
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Angels fans lined the front-row seats behind the team's dugout and down the first-base line and began chanting "Let's Go, Angels!" about an hour before first pitch.<br>
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Zito couldn't stand still during the national anthem, fidgeting with a towel around his neck and pacing just a bit.<br>
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Notes:@ Miller returned to the lineup after missing three straight games with a bruised left thumb. DH Erubiel Durazo, who sat out two games with a sore wrist, also was back in the lineup and finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. ... The A's committed fielding errors in the second and third innings.<br>
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