LOS ANGELES -- David Eckstein just can't stop smiling. And no wonder -- the Anaheim Angels shortstop is having the time of his life.

It's not just that he's playing in the World Series, although that certainly has a lot to do with it.

It's that he's playing, period.

"I'm having a lot of fun, it's been a blast," Eckstein said before the Angels worked out Monday at Pacific Bell Park. "It's like a dream, and I don't want to wake up, I can tell you that."

The 27-year-old Eckstein was at his best as the Angels beat the San Francisco Giants 11-10 on Sunday to even the Series entering Game 3 on Tuesday night:

He opened the game with a single, the first of four straight Anaheim hits off Russ Ortiz to trigger a five-run first inning.

He bunted for a hit in the second inning and scored on a two-run homer by Tim Salmon to give the Angels a 7-4 lead.

He came through again in the eighth with his biggest hit, a one-out single off Felix Rodriguez down the right-field line. One out later, Salmon hit another two-run homer to snap a 9-9 tie.

"I try to go with the pitch," Eckstein said. "He threw a slider away, I hit it. I'm thinking double with one out in a tie game in the eighth inning."

It was only a single because the Giants had Eckstein shaded to right, but it was exactly what the Angels needed.

"He's been doing that all year, whether it's working counts, starting rallies, dropping bunts down," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's been as good a leadoff hitter as anybody in our league. He showed it last night."

Eckstein is listed at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, but even he acknowledges he's not that big.

Released a little over two years ago by the Boston Red Sox, Eckstein said he never gave up hope of playing in the majors.

The Angels claimed him and he became their everyday shortstop early last season despite having played second base most of his life.

Scioscia loves to play small ball -- putting pressure on the opposition with the bunt, hit-and-run and stolen base.

It's right up Eckstein's alley.

"That's my game, I'm just very fortunate to be on a club with that type of game plan," he said.

Eckstein is an excellent fielder, but watching him throw, especially from deep short, is almost painful.

Even so, he gets the job done.

"I take the crow hop, I make sure and get my feet underneath me," he said. "That's the way I need to do it. I hate the way I throw because it looks so awkward. It looks bad.

"My brother was trying to change the way I threw growing up."

Eckstein's older brother, Rick, is an assistant coach at the University of Georgia who attended the first two games of the Series.

Rick's efforts didn't work, but it hasn't mattered.

Eckstein got his chance to play shortstop early last season and made the most of it. He played second base when Adam Kennedy was injured, and moved over to short when Kennedy returned.

"I became a believer after his first few weeks of playing," Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said. "He just said, 'Nobody's going to take this from me.'

"He grows on you, man. I'm telling you, he's like a disease that won't go away. He just loves to play the game."

Eckstein hit .293 with 21 stolen bases, 107 runs scored and 63 RBIs, a high total for a leadoff batter. He walked only 44 times, but was hit by a league-leading 27 pitches and led the majors, believe it or not, with three grand slams.

And he had an AL-leading 14 sacrifice bunts.

"He ignites things," Kennedy said. "You can go up and down our lineup, each guy has served his purpose. It all starts with him."

Giants leadoff batter Kenny Lofton said he doesn't notice Eckstein's size when he watches him play.

"He's a ballplayer, he wants to get the job done just like all of us," Lofton said. "They come in all shapes and sizes. He's a baseball player -- he's doing what I do, he gets on base."