Made-for-TV clincher a thrill for Angels, who celebrate into the night

Circumstances prevented the Angels from partaking in the traditional dogpile around the mound in celebration of their American League West title Wednesday night, but that hardly detracted from the festivities.

It was about an hour after their 5-0 victory over Seattle that the Angels, gathered around their clubhouse televisions in Super-Bowl-party-viewing fashion, watched the end of a Texas 6-1, come-from-behind victory over Oakland that clinched the Angels’ first division title since 2009.

Champagne corks popped, beer cans opened and victory cigars were lighted, the clubhouse erupting into a wild party that eventually made its way onto the field, where players sprayed fans with alcohol on a victory lap around Angel Stadium, and returned to the clubhouse, where it raged on past midnight.

Sure, it would have been a blast to clinch on the field and jump into a mass of sweat-soaked, red-clad humanity, but the Angels will have a chance to do that in the playoffs. Besides, with all those bodies and spikes flying around, and this team’s recent injury history, somebody may have gotten hurt.

“It was different, but at the same time, think about how those moments happen,” closer Huston Street said late Wednesday night amid a clubhouse reeking of alcohol and cigar smoke. “You’ve got guys in the bullpen, a guy on the mound, nine guys spread out on the field.”

“This time, we all got to be in here together. Everyone was side by side, like a family watching a big moment. We celebrated every strike, every ball of the A’s-Rangers game. Maybe it’s good to avoid those dogpiles. A few of us have hammies, groins and whatnot.”

All around Street, music blared, players and coaches hugged and danced and poured booze over each other’s heads and into each other’s mouths. Mike Trout grabbed Manager Mike Scioscia from behind and dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. Albert Pujols threw a bucket of water at a group of players’ wives and girlfriends.

Infielder Luis Jimenez, and later bench coach Dino Ebel, were lifted and then submerged in a 6-foot tub of ice water where the bottles had been. Plastic tarps covered the lockers and carpet, but within an hour, an inch or two of standing alcohol had puddled on the floor.

“These are the moments you dream of growing up as a little kid,” said Street, who was acquired from San Diego in a July 18 trade and solidified a once-shaky bullpen that has been a second-half force.

“Every cliché feeling you can imagine, put it in a little ball and multiply it by a billion. It’s a long year, it’s lot of hard work. I was only here for half of it, but these guys become your brothers. You win together, you pull for each other, you spend more time with these guys than your family.”

Third baseman David Freese, the 2011 World Series most valuable player for St. Louis, has experienced a number of these celebrations and has grown accustomed to that distinct alcohol-and-smoke-filled smell of achievement.

“It means you’ve done good,” Freese said. “It’s a great feeling. I’ve said this before, but the group you do it with is the most incredible part about it. You’re around all these guys so much, day in and day out, you’re battling, and it’s a game of failure.

“To succeed at the highest level is an incredible feeling. This is not an easy division to win. Having a nice lead is big, it’s comforting, but we still have work to do. We’re still fighting for home-field advantage, and we’re going to keep playing.”

That was the theme of Scioscia’s speech at the start of the celebration. The Angels, who overcame injuries to pitchers Garrett Richards and Tyler Skaggs to win the AL West, have clinched home-field advantage for the division series, which begins Oct. 2 in Anaheim, but there is still a long road to the World Series.

“He said congratulations on a long season’s hard work, on sticking together,” Street said of Scioscia. “He mentioned us getting down, picking each other up. He said we still have work to do, but to enjoy this moment because he, of all people, recognizes how special this is.

“He’s won a couple of World Series himself. He’s one of best managers in game, arguably one of the best managers of all time. For me, to be able to share this moment with him and these players was pretty cool.”