Red Sox, 2. Angels, 0.

Come October, the Angels can't beat the Red Sox; not in Fenway, in Anaheim, in Williamsport, in Omaha, anywhere.

If last night's 7-5 was lost any indication of the Angels future - the Angels better switch leagues.

The 2008 American League West Champions took the field last night down 0-1, needing to win Game 2 in order to stay alive (35 teams have gone down 0-2 in a best-of-five series and only five have come back to win the series). With Ervin Santana (16-7) taking the mound, every Angel fan longed for the Ervin Santana of October 4, 2005. Almost three years to the day in Game 5 of the ALDS, Santana (a rookie at the time) replaced the eventual American League Cy Young award winner, Bartolo Colon after Colon injured his right shoulder in the first inning. In five and a third innings Santana limited the dangerous Yankees lineup to just three runs on five hits and collected the win in the Angels' 5-3 victory, which sent them back to the ALCS for the first time since their championship run of 2002.

In the top of the first, when excitement was still at an all-time high, Ervin recorded two quick outs. Then, he gave up a knock to Big Papi, then Kevin Youkilis singled, then J.D. Drew doubled, scoring David Ortiz. Then game 1 hero Jason Bay stepped to the plate. Bay, who put the Red Sox ahead for good in game 1 with a two-run bomb, added another dinger to his postseason resume, sending this one to the deepest part of the ballpark. An interesting fact: the Angels don't have a home run in 60 some odd playoff innings, Jason Bay had two in a span of three.

Finding themselves down in a hole, the Angels clawed their way back into the game, answering the four spot the Sox put on the board in the first, with a run of their own.

After allowing another run in the top of the fourth, the lead was stretched to 5-1. In the home half of the 4th, a Chone Figgins single scored Juan Rivera which made the score 5-2 Sox. The Angels seemed to be back in the game as they had been able to get runners on, but struggled immensely to get them in. A run in the 5th made the score 5-3 and sparked an Angels rally.

Santana settled down after allowing five consecutive 2-out hits in the first, only allowing one more run in the next four and a third innings. After a botched catch by Torii Hunter and a single by Red Sox captain Jason Varitek, Santana was relived by rookie phenom and potential 2009 Angel closer Jose Arredondo. Arrendondo, who went 10-2 as a reliever for the Angels this year, walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. After striking out Jacoby Ellsbury, he was able to get MVP candidate Dustin Pedroia to pop out to third, holding the score at 5-3 going into the bottom of the 6th.

The Angels scored individual runs in the 7th, and 8th to tie the game at 5. However, the top half of the 9th inning shut the door on not only any Angels rally, but any hopes of making it to the World Series.

After allowing a walk after tallying two outs in the 8th, Scot Shield was lifted for 62 save, 10-million-dollar closer Francisco Rodriguez. After getting out of the 8th unharmed, K-Rod came back for the 9th. After giving up a double to Big Papi, Rodriguez was able to settle down and get dangerous clean-up hitter Kevin Youkilis to ground to third for the first out of the inning. Up walked J.D. Drew.

When the ball left J.D. Drew's bat, everyone in the stadium knew it was gone. Everyone saw Torii Hunter run to wall, but everyone knew he wasn't going to be able to scale it and retrieve the ball, bringing it back along with the Angels' season. Half an hour later we were down 0-2 staring another inevitable sweep at the hands of the Red Sox in the face.

A devastated 45,354 fans filed out of the Big A for the last time this season.

So this is what it feels like to win 100 games yet not see mid-October. So this is how the 2001 Seattle Mariners (116 wins) and the 2002 Oakland A's (103 wins) felt after holding the best record in baseball, securing the American League West title, yet failing to reach the World Series.

The Red Sox' eleventh straight - yeah, eleventh straight - playoff victory over the Angels sealed the fate of the 'best team in baseball.' All that's left is the inevitable game 3 shutout via the arm of Boston ace Josh Beckett. Beckett, who boasts a career postseason record of 6-2 with a 1.73 ERA, takes the mound Sunday night at Fenway to put the final nail in the Angels 100-win coffin. Last year, Beckett threw a complete game, 4-hit shutout in Game 1 of the ALDS, against who? You guessed it, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

On a positive note, at least we're not going through the same torture as Cubs fans - yet.