NEW YORK -- Troy Percival got in the game in the eighth inning this time -- and got the job done despite a few bumps along the way.

After being left in the bullpen while the New York Yankees rallied to win Game 1 of the AL Division series, Percival came in to preserve Anaheim's 8-6 victory Wednesday night.

Just get me three outs

Troy Percival rarely enters a game before the ninth inning or with runners on. He pitched more than one inning just four times all season (four outs on each occasion) and entered with runners on base just eight times. He didn't do particularly well when inheriting those runners, as seven of 13 baserunners eventually scored. Especially interesting was August 3, when he entered with a three-run lead and two on with outs in the eighth ... against the Yankees. Bernie Williams hit a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch to tie the game (Percival would get the win when the Angels scored a run in the bottom of the inning). Perhaps Mike Scioscia was thinking of that home run on Tuesday night when he summoned Brendan Donnelly to face Williams instead of Percival. Over the course of the season, Percival actually pitched better with runners on base (whether his own or a teammate's). He allowed a .170 average and .499 OPS with runners on as opposed to a .202 average and .631 OPS with the bases empty. Also, it should be noted that last season, Percival stranded 13 of 14 inherited runners. -- ESPN.com

One of baseball's best closers, Percival threw a called third strike past Derek Jeter with the bases loaded to end the eighth to keep the Angels ahead by two.

The hard-throwing right-hander then survived a jam in the ninth to close it out as the Angels evened the series at one game apiece.

"I know crazy things happen here, but not tonight," Percival said. "You script it out hoping nobody gets on base. With this team, you take what you can get."

Jeter, who had three hits to give him five in the series, took a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner for strike three.

"I was trying to get a pitch up in the zone to get a popup," Percival said. "Once I got two strikes, I was going to throw it as hard as I could over the outside corner."

Jeter thought the pitch was clearly outside.

"No secret what he's going to throw. He's just going to rear back and throw it is hard as he can," Jeter said.

Percival allowed three hits in the ninth for one run, but struck out Nick Johnson and retired Raul Mondesi on a popup with the tying runs on base to end it.

Game 3 in the best-of-5 playoff will be in Anaheim on Friday night.

While it might have appeared Mike Scioscia learned his lesson -- better to have Percival on the mound when the game is on the line than watching from the bullpen -- the Angels manager said the circumstances were different.

"Tonight it made a lot more sense for us to use him," Scioscia said. "It was a matchup that was different than last night."

Said Percival: "If I had been in the game in the eighth inning last night, who knows what would have happened. I was chomping at the bit to get in there tonight."

Troy Glaus homered to give Anaheim a lead in the eighth inning, just as he did Tuesday night.

As was the case in Game 1, Ben Weber began the eighth with the Angels holding a narrow lead -- two runs this time compared to one a night earlier.

Weber had to come out after Mondesi's infield single off his pitching hand put runners at first and second with one out.

Scioscia opted for 31-year-old rookie Brendan Donnelly, who gave up a go-ahead three-run homer by Bernie Williams a night earlier.

Donnelly gained some redemption by throwing a called third strike past pinch-hitter John Vander Wal for the second out of the inning.

"It's huge for me," Donnelly said. "I wanted nothing more than to get in the game.

"It felt good afterward. It felt better to win."

Scioscia then called on Percival to face Alfonso Soriano, whose two-run homer in his previous at-bat off winner Francisco Rodriguez gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead.

Percival, who had 40 saves in 44 chances this season and has 12 in 13 career opportunities against the Yankees, hit Soriano with his first pitch to load the bases.

Then came perhaps the most important out, at least to date, in Angels history, considering this is a team that's never won a postseason series and is in the playoffs for the first time since 1986 and only the fourth time in their 42 years of existence.

Two more wins and they'll beat the mighty Yankees.

Glaus' homer off Ramiro Mendoza in the eighth inning of Game 1 gave the Angels a 5-4 lead, but the Yankees rallied for four runs in their half off Weber, Scott Schoeneweis and Donnelly for an 8-5 win.

Percival watched from the bullpen while Jason Giambi hit a two-out RBI single off Schoeneweis to tie it and Williams followed with his homer.

Percival did more than watch this time.