Angels pitcher Adenhart killed in car accident

By Bernie Woodall

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a traffic wreck caused by a drunken motorist early on Thursday, police said, just hours after hurling six shutout innings against the Oakland Athletics.

Adenhart, 22, was among three people who died after the car they were in was struck broadside by a minivan that ran through a red light in Fullerton, California, a few miles from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, where the team plays.

Police said the man behind the wheel of the minivan was driving drunk at the time and tried to flee the scene on foot but was arrested a short distance from the crash site.

The suspect, identified as Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, will be booked on suspicion of felony hit and run, driving under the influence of alcohol, vehicular manslaughter, and possibly murder, according to Fullerton police Lt. Kevin Hamilton.

Formal charges will be determined by the district attorney, he said. An arraignment was set for next Monday.

Adenhart, who was a passenger in the car that was rammed by the minivan, died shortly after the crash at a nearby hospital.

Two other people in the car, including the driver, a 20-year-old woman who police said was believed to have gone dancing with Adenhart earlier in the evening, were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth person from their car was hospitalized in critical condition.

The driver of a third automobile caught up in the collision between the first two was not seriously hurt, police said.

YOUNGEST PITCHER

Adenhart, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, was playing in only his fourth Major League Baseball game on Wednesday night. The Angels were leading 3-0 when he left the game after six innings, but they eventually lost 6-4.

He threw 12 innings in three games last year for the Angels. When he made his Major League debut on May 1 2008, he was the youngest pitcher in the majors.

Team officials said they were devastated by the tragedy.

General manager Tony Reagins remembered Adenhart as a "poised and professional" athlete whose "life's goal was to be a major league pitcher.

"He would deal with the peaks and valleys of his development, and last night we saw one of his peaks (against Oakland)," Reagins told a solemn news conference, seated behind a table adorned with Adenhart's No. 34 jersey.

His agent, Scott Boras, said Adenhart showed grit and determination as he rose from the minor leagues. "He just wasn't some extreme talent ... he fought to get here," he said.