Cooper Puts a Smile on Angel Faces : Baseball: He gives up leadoff home run against White Sox but hangs tough and wins his major league debut, 14-1.

Brian Cooper walked to the mound Tuesday at Edison Field with 31 family members and friends watching. Chris Singleton spoiled that moment when he buried Cooper’s fourth pitch in the right-field seats.

By the end of the evening, those from the Cooper contingent could hardly have cared less.

Cooper left the White Sox hanging in a 14-1 Angel victory in front of 16,867. It was the same type of fresh-face appearance in this stale season that rookie pitcher Ramon Ortiz provided three weeks ago.

“When you’re in the situation we’re in, you try to end the season on a positive note and not let it carry over into the winter,” third base coach Larry Bowa said. “I’ve grabbed onto something, watching Ortiz. He’s been great. He really battles. Chuck Finley has been a positive. If Troy Glaus hits 25-30 home runs, that would be a positive. When you’re in last place, you need to make the picture rosier than it is.”

Add Cooper, who started the season at double-A Erie, to the glass-is-half-full list.

A year ago, he wondered if his baseball career was over, after being smacked around at Midland, then the Angels’ double-A affiliate. A change-up later, he was in the big leagues.

“This is everything you dream about,” said Cooper, a fourth-round draft pick from USC in 1995. “I felt a little more calm by the third inning. By the fifth, I felt right at home.”

It might become a permanent residence. Developing the change-up helped get Cooper to the major leagues. That the Angels rocketed to the bottom of the American League West helped, too--they were officially eliminated from postseason contention when Boston beat Oakland Tuesday.

“Unfortunately we’re in this situation, but it allows us to evaluate some young players,” said Joe Maddon, Angel interim manager. “If you can have young pitchers making progress, that gives you something to build on.”

Cooper joined Ortiz--who also started the season in Erie--as the second Angel pitcher this season to win his major league debut, and the second to do so against Chicago. It may also be a statement about the White Sox, but Cooper, like Ortiz, won in impressive style.

He gave up four hits and struck out three in seven innings.

“Ramon and I used to joke in the outfield at Erie,” Cooper said. “He would say, ‘Grande Ligas this season,’ and I would say, ‘Sure, I’ll meet you there.’ ”

He met him and matched him. They’re the first Angel pitchers to win their major league debuts in the same season since Minnie Rojas and Clyde Wright in 1966.

“Ramon throws a little harder, but Brian has the funky delivery,” Maddon said. “The change-up he developed is very important. The best pitch in baseball is a good fastball. The second best is a good change-up off the fastball, because hitting is all about timing.”

Singleton, though, timed Cooper’s change-up well, hammering his 1-2 pitch for a 1-0 White Sox lead.

“I went for the punch-out and left it up there,” Cooper said.

He walked Liu Rodriguez, the next batter, but got out of the inning, thanks to a diving catch by center fielder Jim Edmonds on Paul Konerko’s looper with two outs and a runner on second.

“About the third inning, Brian put it in another gear,” Maddon said.

It helped that Cooper didn’t have to be perfect. The the Angels sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth and scored six runs to break a 1-1 tie.

Darin Erstad had four hits--his first four-hit game since last season--scored twice and drove in two runs.

The Angels scored six more in the eighth, three on Tim Salmon’s home run.