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Sad news out of Orange County, California today. Rookie Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Nick Adenhart, 22, was killed in an auto accident in Fullerton a little after midnight Thursday morning, just hours after his first start of the year. Two others also died in the accident.

A man driving a maroon minivan ran a red light and slammed into the Mitsubishi that Adenhart and three others were riding in. Adenhart died at around 6 a.m. today when emergency surgery at a local hospital could not save him.

The driver of the minifan, Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside, ran the red light fled the scene on foot, but was captured an hour later by police. Gallo, according to police at a press conference held a little before 11 a.m. today, was intoxicated, had a history of driving drunk (a 2006 DUI conviction), and was driving with a suspended license. Gallo will be arraigned Monday, and will likely be charged with murder. Gallo’s judge in the 2006 DUI conviction reportedly told him that if he’s ever involved in a drunk driving incident again, and someone dies, he could be charged with murder.

Adenhart was one of the top prospects in the Angels organization — and, indeed, was one of the top high school pitching prospects in the country before he hurt his arm in his senior season. The Angels got him in a bargain in the 14^th round in the 2004 draft with an eye on getting him healthy and then seeing if his great potential would finally appear.

It looked like that plan was coming together last night when Adenhart pitched the best game of his career in just his fourth appearance in the big leagues. With his father in attendance, the Silver Spring, Maryland native tossed six shutout innings with five strikeouts in a game the Angels lost 6-4 to the Oakland A’s.

Tonight’s game against the A’s has been postponed.

Some quotes from Adenhart’s coaches, teammates:

Tony Regins, Angels General Manager:

“We’re all in shock. Such a bright future, such a bright kid. We’re going to deeply miss him. It’s just so difficult to put into words how much Nick will be missed.”

Torii Hunter, Angels Outfielder:

“This is real life. This isn’t about baseball. This is his whole life, he had his whole life ahead of him. He’s only 22. He’s still a kid. He was a great kid. He was funny, he was very popular in the clubhouse and off the field. People loved him.”

Agent Scott Boras (broke down and cried when he started his remarks):

“He’s a great kid. As a young ball player, you come here and .. told his dad the day before, you’d better come here because something special is going to happen.”

Boras said he spoke with Adenhart after the game, and “he was so elated because of what Scoicia had to say to him about his performance. He felt like a major leaguer.”

“Some of the most exciting things about what we share in this game is to see the glow of a young man after he takes a huge step in his life, matures. It’s something that all of us in the game can share. To focus on this loss is not what we need to do here today, but focus on Nick’s life and his achievement.”

“His life’s goal was to be a major league baseball player, and he certainly achieved that standard.”

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia

“I can’t tell you how proud we are of the growth we have seen of a youngster who was a tremendous pitcher and had major arm surgery before he threw one pitch in professional baseball. His family should be very proud of where Nick was at age 18 and the person he grew into. That’s the memory we’re going to move forward with.”

“It was a privilege to be around Nick. He was an outstanding young man. It’s a tragedy that won’t be forgotten.”

What a tragedy. Tens of thousands of people are killed in auto accidents each year, many of them involving drunks behind the wheel. And Adenhart and two others in that Mitsubishi have now become a part of those statistics. Three young lives and promising big league career snuffed out in an instant.

Angels fans, and all baseball fans in the Los Angeles area, have heavy hearts today.

Jim Lakely (jlakely@sbcglobal.net) is the Los Angeles Dodgers Examiner at Examiner.com

Most casual baseball fans outside of Cleveland probably never heard of Score, especially if they were born after the 1950s.

If Score would have been able to play the length of a normal career, he would have no doubt been the talk of the league for years to come. He was a hard throwing left hander who made his debut in 1955 with the Indians.

During that season, he ran away with the American League Rookie of the Year award and went 16-10.

During just his second season in the league, he won 20 games and was named to the All-Star team.

He was such a talent that during the 1957 season, the Indians turned down an offer of one million dollars for Score.

His career was derailed, however, by a moment that happened on the field. On May 7, 1957, Score was facing the New York Yankees when Gil McDougald hit a sharp line drive back to the pitchers mound. The ball hit Score directly in the middle of his face, leaving him with a broken nose and a number of other broken bones in his face.

Many at the stadium that day thought Score might have died as he lay motionless on the pitcher’s mound after the play.

Before the injury, Score was known for being the hardest throwing left hander in the game, but he could never get that form back after that fatal day.

Many experts have claimed that if Score would have stayed healthy for his entire career, he would be at the top of this list of the best left handed pitchers ever to play the game with Sandy Koufax.

Although he did go on to play a few seasons after the injury, he finished his career in 1962 with an overall record of 55-46.

He did receive other accolades later in life as he was named one of the 100 greatest Indians of all time and was inducted to the Indians’ Hall of Fame in 2006.

Score was not out of work for long though as he signed on as the television voice of the Indians just two years later. In 1968, he would move to the Tribe’s radio booth where he would stay until 1997.

Many recent Tribe fans can better relate to the voice of Herb Score than his great pitching. Score was the voice of the Tribe during a two and a half decade streak where they didn’t even make the playoffs.

While he sometimes stretched the truth to make the fans feel better about their pitiful team, he would always say whatever happened straight and to the point.

Score will no doubt be missed by those in the Indians community and all of those ears who will no longer be able to hear his subtle New York accent across the radio waves.

As a lifelong Northeast Ohioan, I have a strong connection with Mr. Score. Although I never met the man in person, I heard his voice over the radio many nights during the heyday of the Tribe during the 1990s.

My father also grew up in Cleveland, and was a resident of the city during the years Score pitched for the Indians. About five years ago, I gave my father an autographed Herb Score baseball for Christmas, which to this day, proudly sits on the family mantle place.

The last game Score ever called was the Indians 1997 World Series game seven loss to the Florida Marlins. If the Tribe would have won the game, there would have been no better way to go out, but Score didn’t focus on that during his last minutes in the booth.

He simply thanked the Indians’ fans for all of their support over the years and reassured the city that he had no regrets. Sweet, simple and to the point. Nothing could have been more telling of his career and relationship with the fans.