ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Nobody's second-guessing Mike Scioscia now.

	Mike Scioscia might have been second-guessed after the first game, but his Angels won three in a row after that.

After being heavily criticized for not using All-Star closer Troy Percival in a series-opening defeat to the New York Yankees, the Anaheim manager stayed calm and stayed the course -- and the Angels won a playoff series for the first time in their 42-year history.

In the postseason for the first time in 16 years, the wild-card Angels wrapped up the American League Division Series with a 9-5 victory Saturday. Anaheim ace Jarrod Washburn, sent out by Scioscia on three days of rest, got the victory.

The Angels' big boss, chairman and CEO Michael Eisner of The Walt Disney Co., was impressed by Scioscia's resolve and leadership.

''Mike Scioscia is the kind of leader you want in any business. He has absolute confidence in his direction and plows through any naysayers. There will always be second-guessers,'' Eisner said, barely finishing the sentence before a grinning Tim Salmon sprayed him with champagne in the jubilant Anaheim clubhouse.

Also among the soaked visitors was former Angels owner Gene Autry's widow, Jackie.

''This is great to see. The fact that these guys still remember and still love Gene is very heartwarming to me,'' she said.

With bold decisions that mirrored the Angels' aggressiveness at the plate and on the basepaths, the third-year manager turned to rookie relievers Francisco Rodriguez and Brendan Donnelly in key moments against the Yankees.

''He believes in me, believes in all of us,'' said the 31-year-old Donnelly, who spent 10 years in the minors before making his major league debut this season. ''He didn't change anything during the playoffs, stayed with what worked for us all season.''

Scioscia, as usual, deflected credit to the players.

''We did it the way we had to. Our guys just played a great series. We beat a great team, and that gives us a lot of confidence,'' he said. ''We got it done.''

The 20-year-old Rodriguez, who had pitched only 5 2/3 innings in the majors heading into the playoffs, got two of Anaheim's victories in the best-of-five series. Donnelly gave up a go-ahead, three-run homer to Bernie Williams in a Game 1 defeat, but came back to get an important out in the Game 2 victory.

After being second-guessed for using Ben Weber, Scott Schoeneweis and Donnelly instead of Percival in the first game, Scioscia came right back the next night with Weber and Donnelly late in the game. Then, with two outs in the eighth, the manager went to Percival -- as planned.

''He doesn't care what anybody thinks, Mike's going to do what he wants to do, what he thinks will work,'' Percival said, champagne dripping down his face.

A 6-foot-2, 245-pound Dodgers catcher who was known for his toughness as a player, Scioscia also was a steadying influence in 1988 -- when Los Angeles upset the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series and the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.

This time, among his moves that panned out was bringing Washburn back for Game 4.

Washburn, who gave up four runs on six hits in seven innings in New York on Tuesday, held the Yankees to two runs, one earned, and six hits in five innings Saturday.

''I know people second-guessed him after the first game, but he was aggressive with his decisions the same way he wants us to be aggressive on the field,'' Washburn said.

Pitching wasn't the only area where Scioscia's strategy paid off. Although Adam Kennedy had three hits in Game 3 and designated hitter Brad Fullmer had two, the Angels' manager opted to replace them with Shawn Wooten and Benji Gil against left-hander David Wells.

Wooten responded with three hits, including a leadoff homer and a run-scoring single in the Angels' eight-run fifth inning, and Gil also had three hits.

Earlier this season, Scioscia showed the same type of resolve he's exhibited in the playoffs. The Angels stumbled to a franchise-worst 6-14 start, but finished with a club-record 99 victories.

''He keeps everything positive in the clubhouse,'' Salmon said. ''He doesn't want people to get down on themselves.''