ANAHEIM, Calif. — David Murphy looked around at the loaded bases, the drawn-in infield and the left-handed Oakland pitcher on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning of a crucial game for the Los Angeles Angels' playoff hopes.
Murphy saw nothing but a chance to be a star — and to send the Angels' improbable playoff surge into another day.
He drove a pinch-hit single into left field to end it, and the Angels kept the pressure on in the AL wild-card race with their sixth consecutive victory, 5-4 over the Athletics on Monday night.