ANAHEIM, Calif. - Somewhere in heaven, an Angel in a cowboy hat was singing Sunday night.

Perhaps Gene Autry, the late owner of the Anaheim Angels, even got together with Queen's Freddie Mercury and belted out that hit he never got to sing during his days on Earth.

You know the one: "We Are the Champions."

That's what the Anaheim Angels are for the first time since Autry made the team an expansion reality in 1961.

After staging a remarkable rally in Game 6 on Saturday night, the Angels received brilliant work from a trio of rookie pitchers and a three-run double from Garret Anderson in Game 7 on Sunday night to claim the World Series with a 4-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Rookies John Lackey, Brendan Donnelly and the incomparable Francisco Rodriguez covered the first eight innings for Anaheim, holding the Giants to one run on five hits.

The Giants, who 24 hours earlier had watched a 5-0 lead disappear, remained winless in three trips to the World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1958.

Troy Glaus, whose two-run double the night before had completed the Angels' rally, was named the World Series MVP.

Barry Bonds, despite putting together one of the greatest postseason and World Series performances in history, still does not have a ring. Bonds, 38, has been to the playoffs six times.

Though he did not win it all, he silenced all the critics who said he never had come up big in the postseason.

Bonds, who went 1 for 3 on Sunday night, batted .356 in 17 postseason games and set a postseason record with 27 walks - 13 intentional - and eight home runs. In the World Series, he batted .471 with four home runs and six RBIs. He set a World Series record with 13 walks - seven intentional - and posted an incredible .700 on-base percentage. He was on base 21 times in 30 at-bats.

Yes, the Giants definitely had the best player, but the Angels had the better team.

Lackey, with five strong innings, became the first rookie to win Game 7 of the World Series since Pittsburgh's Babe Adams in 1909.

Donnelly followed with two scoreless innings and Rodriguez, 20, completed a postseason that was every bit as amazing as Bonds' by striking out the side in the eighth inning.

Rodriguez, who made his major-league debut in mid-September, finished the postseason 5-1 with a 1.93 earned run average. He allowed just 10 hits and struck out 28 batters in 182/3 innings.

Veteran Troy Percival recorded the final three outs for his seventh save of the postseason. Darin Erstad clutched a Kenny Lofton fly ball in center field to end the World Series and trigger a wild red-and-white celebration.

While answering questions about Saturday night's devastating defeat, Giants manager Dusty Baker was asked whether he at least had confidence in sending the veteran Livan Hernandez to the mound with a 6-1 career playoff record.

"We feel comfortable with Livan," Baker said without conviction. "But we're going to go with everybody. I'm curious to see who they're going to go with."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia took a slight gamble by sending a rookie to the mound on three days' rest for Game 7 of the World Series.

Lackey made his manager look brilliant, covering five innings and allowing just one run on four hits and a walk before giving way to fellow rookie Donnelly, who had picked up the win in Game 6 by pitching a scoreless eighth inning.

This time, Donnelly got himself into a jam by issuing a two-out walk and allowing a double to J.T. Snow. But Donnelly, a 31-year-old rookie who spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues, left the runners stranded at second and third with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Tom Goodwin.

Hernandez left his manager open to every second-guesser in San Francisco from now until the start of the next millennium.

The veteran who had pitched so well in so many big games dating to his days in Cuba came up small. Hernandez retired just six batters and allowed four runs on four walks and four hits. Only 24 of his 53 pitches were strikes.

To make matters worse, lefthander Kirk Rueter came on after Chad Zerbe pitched out of Hernandez's third-inning jam and gave Baker four scoreless innings, allowing just two baserunners.

The Giants scored first for the fifth time in the seven games and they did so even after Bonds opened the second inning by making a rare out on a liner to second base.

Benito Santiago and Snow followed with consecutive singles and Reggie Sanders lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, putting San Francisco in front, 1-0.

That lead did not last through the bottom of the second.

Hernandez retired the first two batters, then walked Scott Spiezio.

Bengie Molina followed with an RBI double into left-center field, and the game was tied.

Adam Kennedy made the final out of the second inning and became the final batter retired by Hernandez.

Lackey pitched a perfect third for the Angels and David Eckstein started the bottom of the inning by dropping a single into left field. After Erstad singled, Hernandez hit Tim Salmon in the right hand with a 2-2 pitch.

The bases were loaded with nobody out.

Up stepped Anderson, who had a major-league-leading 56 doubles during the regular season, but just eight singles in the World Series.

With the count at 1-1, Hernandez delivered a fastball up and in. Anderson jumped on it and sent it down the right-field line for a three-run double.

Thundersticks rocked the ballpark.

Baker ordered an intentional walk to Glaus, then walked to the mound himself and stripped Hernandez of the baseball.

By then, it was too late for the Giants.

The damage was done, and unlike the Angels the night before, Baker's team was unable to recover from its early deficit.