When the then-Anaheim Angels defeated the San Francisco Giants in 2002 to win their first world championship, it was said they had finally lifted the curse that had haunted them with a slew of untimely deaths and tragedies throughout the 41 years of their existence.

But sadly that's not the case.

The horrible death of 22-year old Angels pitching prodigy Nick Adenhart on Wednesday night - victim of an alleged drunk driver just a few hours after pitching an inspiring six scoreless innings against the Oakland A's - cast a new pall over an organization beset by so much heartbreak for so many years. The Adenhart tragedy, in which the rookie pitcher and two companions, 20-year-old Courtney Francis Stewart and 25-year-old Henry Pearson, were killed when the Mitsubishi Eclipse Stewart was driving was plowed into by a Toyota minivan running a red light at 50-60 miles per hour, is almost too horrific to fathom. The kid had just pitched the game of his life, with his dad in attendance, and was on his way to a local club to celebrate his "arrival" as a big leaguer with friends. Adenhart never reached the party. Behind the wheel of the other car was a 22-year-old man whose license was suspended from a previous drunk driving conviction, who cowardly fled the scene of the accident. Andrew Thomas Gallo was charged with three counts of murder on Friday. Why is it the drunk driver who causes the death of others always seems to be the one to walk away without a scratch?

Adenhart's story had gone from heartwarming to heartbreak in a matter of hours. Tabbed as Baseball America's high school player of the year in 2004, he suffered a major elbow injury two weeks before the draft which required Tommy John ligament transplant surgery. Although the Angels selected him in the 14th round, they were able to dissuade him from going to college with a $710,000 signing bonus and the opportunity to rehabilitate under their care. Their faith in him appeared to pay off when he advanced quickly through the organization until hitting a bit of a wall at Triple-A Salt Lake City last year, where he struggled with his command going 9-13 with a 5.76 ERA, and a 9.00 ERA in three starts for the Angels. But Adenhart, who had a 3.2 grade-point average in high school to go along with a 1240 on his SAT, knew what the problem was: his delivery. So, Adenhart sought to correct his problems over the winter by studying film of Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven. Adjustments were made and this spring he pitched himself onto the Angels' rotation. In anticipation of his first start Wednesday, Adenhart had called his father, Jim, in Maryland and said confidently: "I think you better come out here, something special is going to happen." He didn't disappoint, leaving after six innings with a 4-0 lead, having struck out five and pitched out of two bases-loaded jams.