"Torii Hunter has been one of the best outfielders in the Major Leagues since becoming a regular with the Twins in 1999. He's won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards in center field, but he moved to right field as the Angels outfield had a whole different look in Baltimore's 6-3 victory Tuesday night.

Manager Mike Scioscia said before the game that rookie Peter Bourjos will be the center fielder from now on with Hunter moving to right and Bobby Abreu shifting to left. Hunter had played 1,396 games in center since last starting at a different outfield position in 1999, and had just two balls hit to him in his first game in right.

But Hunter threw out Matt Wieters at home in the eighth inning after Cesar Izturis singled and said this was the first step in getting used to a new position.

"It was different, but I was still in the game in the outfield," Hunter said. "It wasn't so bad, pretty good today. It was a shorter throw. It was different [than] playing in center field."

Scioscia confirmed before the game that this is not a temporary move.

"Peter's going to play center field; you're not going to see Torii flip-flopping back and forth on a given day," said Scioscia before the series opener with the Orioles. "The situation, the way it presented itself right now, is a great time to do it. We definitely need some range in the outfield and outfield presence, and Peter can bring that. This isn't about what Torii was or wasn't doing in center field."

Bourjos went 0-for-3 in his Major League debut and showed his speed and range in the two catches he made.

Hunter, who turned 35 last month, said he understood the move and will support anything that makes the Angels better.

"Sometimes you've got to slap pride in the face," Hunter said. "All I care about is winning, I need a ring. I've been to the playoffs seven times and haven't won anything. I haven't been to the World Series yet, not even to lose. If this makes the team better, I'm going to do it.""