Angels’ Success Sustained by the Defense : Baseball: Fielding is the cornerstone of the team’s continued stay at top of AL West.

ANAHEIM — It’s not as if the Angels have been sticking their gloves out and hauling in victories this season.

Wait a minute, that’s exactly what it seemed like in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals Tuesday night at Anaheim Stadium.

Holding a one-run lead with no outs, closer Lee Smith on the mound and Royal third baseman Gary Gaetti at the plate, it appeared as if the Angels once again held the advantage. After all, Smith entered the game in search of his major league record 18th save in his 18th appearance.

But Gaetti slammed a pitch from Smith deep into the gap in left-center field.

Smith thought it was a double for sure and ran to back up second base. Center fielder Jim Edmonds screamed instructions to left fielder Garret Anderson.

Anderson didn’t have time to think. He was running too fast, hoping to get to the ball before it either crashed into the fence or sailed over it.

On the dead run, closing in on the wall, Anderson stuck his glove into the air and somehow came up with the ball. Incredibly, he seemed to have his back turned to home plate when he gloved the ball.

Smith retired the next two batters to earn that 18th consecutive save, but the assist in preserving the Angels’ 3-2 victory went to Anderson.

“I thought I had a chance on it,” Anderson said of Gaetti’s drive. “But I didn’t realize I was going to catch it until I got close to the wall.”

Said Smith: “I didn’t see him catch it, but I didn’t see it on the ground either.”

Presumably, this was what the Angels had in mind last week when they moved Tony Phillips from left field to third base to get Anderson into the lineup.

Anderson’s ninth-inning catch wasn’t his only contribution to Tuesday night’s highlight reels. It was merely one of two outstanding defensive plays.

In the seventh, with one Royal run already in, Anderson picked up Keith Lockhart’s single off the turf and threw a strike to catcher Jorge Fabregas to retire Pat Borders, running hard from second base, at the plate.

Borders might have been safe with a slide, but went in standing up and Anderson’s throw was perfect.

“I’ve thrown out a lot of guys,” Anderson said. “It’s nothing new for me. Before [Lockhart] hit the ball, I was thinking about making a nice throw and keeping it down. I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty good defensive player. Making plays like that makes you feel good about yourself, about contributing to the team.

“It’s not like you can strike out everybody. You have to buck up and play good defense.”

Certainly, the Angels have caught the American League by surprise with their front-running play. Solid pitching and strong hitting, especially from Edmonds, Chili Davis, Gary DiSarcina, Tim Salmon and J.T. Snow, have pushed the Angels into the lead in the AL West.

But what’s kept them there has been their defense.

“A lot of times it’s not even mentioned,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “But there have been a lot of great plays. If I had to pick one [reason] why [the Angels are in first], it would be defense.”