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Scioscia, Valenzuela reunited before Dodgers-Angels game

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Former Dodgers battery mates Fernando Valenzuela and Mike Scioscia will be reunited Friday night when Valenzuela, now a member of the Dodgers’ broadcast team, throws out the ceremonial first pitch to Scioscia, the Angels manager, before the Dodgers-Angels game in Angel Stadium.

Asked whetherhe was going to stand up or get in a crouch to catch the pitch, Scioscia said, ‘If I go down, they’re going to have a crane here to pick me up.’

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What will Scioscia call, fastball or Fernando’s famous screwball, which baffled opponents during the left-hander’s famous ‘Fernandomania’ of a rookie year in 1981? ‘I just want the pitch in the air, that’s it,’ Scioscia said.

The pitch is part of the Angels’ 50th anniversary celebration, in which a different former Angel throws out the first pitch before each home game. Valenzuela made two starts for the Angels in 1991.

As Dodgers teammates, Valenzuela made 239 starts with Scioscia behind the plate, going 104-87 with a 3.31 earned-run average, including a no-hitter, in those games. The Angels are 20-9 against the Dodgers since July 1, 2006, and their interleague record of 130-83 since 2000 is the best in baseball. They are also a major league-best 11-4 against the National League this season and won two of three games when the teams met in Dodger Stadium last weekend.

The Angels lineup: 3B Maicer Izturis, RF Torii Hunter, DH Bobby Abreu, LF Vernon Wells, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS Erick Aybar, 1B Mark Trumbo, C Hank Conger, CF Peter Bourjos, P Tyler Chatwood.

The Dodgers lineup: LF Tony Gwynn Jr., 3B Casey Blake, RF Andre Ethier, CF Matt Kemp, 1B James Loney, 2B Aaron Miles, DH Trent Oeltjen, C A.J. Ellis, SS Dee Gordon, P Hiroki Kuroda.

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-- Mike DiGiovanna

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