ANAHEIM, Calif., Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Adam Kennedy hit three home runs Sunday, one of them coming in an explosive 10-run seventh inning that propelled Anaheim to a 13-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins and earned the Angels a berth in the World Series for the first time in the franchise's 41-year history.
The Angels will host Game 1 of the World Series Saturday night against either the San Francisco Giants or St. Louis Cardinals.
Anaheim sent 15 men to the plate in the seventh to wipe out a two-run Minnesota lead and end the Twins' hopes for a dramatic conclusion to what has been a remarkable season. Having been originally targeted for extinction by Major League Baseball last winter, the Twins won the AL Central title and then eliminated the Oakland Athletics in the opening round of the playoffs.
Minnesota also won the opening game of the AL Championship Series only to see the Angels capture four in a row and reach the World Series as a wild card team.
The big inning for the Angels blasted open a tense struggle in which the Twins had rallied to go in front in a bid to send the series back to Minnesota.
Going into the bottom of the seventh, Kennedy had already delivered a solo homer in the third and a two-run blast in the fifth to account for all of Anaheim's runs in what was a 5-3 game.
Anaheim's seventh began with Johan Santana on the mound for the Twins, but he gave up singles to Scott Spiezio and Bengie Molina to start the inning. Chone Figgins came oan to run for Molina and Kennedy came to the plate with orders to lay down a sacrifice bunt.
Kennedy tried to do so and failed, but with an 0-2 count, he crushed a pitch over the middle of the plate into the right field seats for a three-run homer that put Anaheim in front. He equaled the most home runs hit in a playoff game and was named MVP of the series.
"On the first pitch the bunt was on and I fouled it off," Kennedy said. "I took a couple of bad swings on the first couple pitches after that. Then, Santana left one over the plate and I got it."
"In that situation, we were trying to get a bunt down," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Once he got a strike, we looked at the configuration, they were pitching for a bunt. We thought it was good to let Adam turn it loose and see if he can get a pitch to hit. A couple pitches later, he did."
LaTroy Hawkins relieved Santana after the homer and promptly gave up three singles in a row to David Eckstein, Darin Erstadt and Tim Salmon, who was lifted for pinch-runner Alex Ochoa.
Hawkins was replaced by J.C. Romero and he walked Garret Anderson to force in Eckstein with the fourth run of the inning. Troy Glaus then fanned for the first out of the inning, but Shawn Wooten singled in another run. With the bases still loaded and Spiezio at the plate, Romero uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Ochoa to score and Spiezio then lashed a single to left that scored Anderson and Wooten.
Romero was finally lifted for Bob Wells, who surrendered singles to Figgins and Kennedy to again load the bases. Eckstein, the 13th batter of the inning, was hit by a Wells curve ball to force in Spiezio and when Erstadt hit a grounder to first base for an out, Figgins came in to score the 10th run of the seventh. Ochoa ended the frame by striking out.
The inning set League Championship Series records for most hits (10), most consecutive hits (six) and most runs.
Trailing by a run after six innings, Minnesota temporarily went in front by producing three runs against reliever Francisco Rodriguez.
Rodriguez gave up consecutive singles to Doug Mientkiewicz, Dustan Mohr and A.J. Pierzynski before walking Luis rivas to force in a run. A wild pitch by Rodriguez accounted for another run and a sacrifice fly by Jacques Jones delivered the third run of the inning.
Despite his struggles, Rodriguez got the win thanks to the 10-run bottom of the seventh. Rodriguez has never won a regular-season game, but he has four victories in these playoffs.
"We couldn't stop them today," Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It just got down to that. They're on a roll. We threw everything we had at them. We took a lead and felt pretty good about it.
"Those guys just keep playing. And they keep swinging, and goodness gracious, I don't know I've ever seen an inning like that. We couldn't get anybody out."
"It's such a great achievement for these guys," Scioscia said. "I know they're honored and they're having a good time now, but what an effort they gave. I congratulate them."
Kennedy, who joined Bob Robertson of the Pittsburgh Pirates and George Brett of the Kansas City Royals as the only players to hit three homers in an LCS game, was just one for 10 in the opening four games.
"I got a couple pitches to hit and on some days you get those pitches, you miss them," he said. "I had my swing working today and I didn't miss those pitches."
