I had this bonus." Arm feeling better in 1972, he pitched for the Single-A Quad Cities Angels, posting a 7–2 record. In 1973, he spent most of the season with the Double-A El Paso Sun Kings. "He struck out 14 in his first game for us," El Paso (and later Angel) manager Norm Sherry said. "Right then, I knew he could pitch." Tanana also pitched a couple games for the Triple-A Salt Lake City Angels before getting called up in September and added to the Angels starting rotation. Major league career California Angels Along with Nolan Ryan, Tanana anchored the pitching staff of the California Angels from 1973 to 1979. This led to the saying, "Tanana and Ryan and two days of cryin'", an indication of just how much the two meant to the rotation. (This was a variation on "Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain," referring to the pitchers of the Boston Braves of the late 1940s.) The duo were considered two of the toughest pitching teammates in history, drawing comparisons to Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tanana described pitching with Ryan as "exciting," saying, "He was just an amazing athlete, and you know we both wanted to be the best pitcher on the team, so it was good for both of us—that good, healthy competition. We had a wonderful staff." Tanana made four starts with the Angels in September 1973. His major league debut was September 9, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. Tanana only lasted four innings, giving up four runs and taking the loss. His next start, on September 14, also was against Kansas City—Tanana threw a complete game this time, only allowing two runs (one earned) to earn his first major league victory. He threw a complete game shutout in the Angels' last game of the year on September 30, allowing just two hits in a 3–0 win over the Minnesota Twins. In his first full season, Tanana was named the Angels' number two starter, behind Ryan. An elbow injury during the season caused Tanana to lose seven games in a row at one point; Tanana could not remember losing more than two games in a row before in his career. "My confidence was taking a beating, but I knew it wouldn't last forever," he said. After losing his 19th game September 22,