Salmon appropriate hero for Angels

Tim Salmon's second two-run homer of the game snapped a 9-9 tie in the eighth inning. AP

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Tim Salmon isn't getting any younger. He's only playing that way.

"I've been joking with Timmy during the entire postseason. He's been acting like he was 12," teammate Darin Erstad said late Sunday night. "Tonight, after the game-winning homer, he was acting like he was 8. He was giddy."

So were most of the Angels. So was most of Anaheim.

After the Angels had wasted a 5-0 lead and fallen behind 9-7, they came back to tie the score at 9.

Then, with two outs and one on in the eighth inning, Salmon jolted Edison Field when he sent a pitch from San Francisco reliever Felix Rodriguez soaring into the night, an electrifying shot into the left-field bullpen at Edison Field.

It was the second two-run homer of the game for Kingfish, which gave him four hits and four RBIs and made him only the 13th player to reach base five times in a World Series victory.

The 11-10 win tied the Series 1-1 gave the Angels their first Series victory in the franchise's 42-year history.

"I knew the situation. I knew it was big," Salmon said. "You had a feeling it was going to come down to something like that, the way both teams were playing. That was something I've been dreaming about for a long time -- and watched it being done from my couch. It was unbelievable."

He even upstaged San Francisco's Barry Bonds, the biggest hitter in the game.

"It was too much Salmon," he said. "I hate fish."

What a night! There were enough home runs and thrills to turn a curmudgeon into a jokester. Salmon hit two of the game's six homers.

CNNSI.com's John Donovan Closer Look:  The Angels made a statement in Game 2, and it was a familiar one: Don't go away. We have plenty left before this thing's over. Viewpoint:  If pitching is what wins ballgames, both the San Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels are in a large pot of trouble in this Series. Kingfish Click the image to launch the clip Tim Salmon came through when his teammates needed a boost. Start Mike Scioscia and Dusty Baker discuss phenom Francisco Rodriguez. Tim Salmon talks about going from goat to hero in the course of one game. Video Plus Visit Video Plus for the latest video and audio. HEROES & GOATS HERO GOAT Tim Salmon Felix Rodriguez No question the game ball goes to Salmon, who went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored. Now we have a Series. On his 37th pitch of the night, Felix Rodriguez got careless. Salmon made him pay and now the Giants head home tied instead of up 2-0.

"It was phenomenal," Bonds said. "He did everything any player could do in one day except steal home."

Brad Fullmer did steal home for the Angels, but that's another story.

Salmon's 1,388 games had been the most among major leaguers without a postseason appearance. At 34, he is the senior Angel, and a week earlier it was Salmon who ran around the field with the AL championship trophy like a crazed kid.

The 1992 AL Rookie of the Year, Salmon is the Angels' career leader in homers (269) and RBIs. He had doubts about staying, but then signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension in March 2001.

He hit .227 last year with just 49 RBIs, struggling with an aching left shoulder as the Angels finished 41 games behind first-place Seattle in the AL West.

"That was probably the low point, no doubt," he said. "You wonder. I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn't physically where I needed to be. But still, you get your head beat in for sixth months, that does take its toll, mentally, with your confidence and everything. You start wondering."

Now his time has come.

After his two-run homer off Rodriguez, he pumped a fist while running the bases. After the final out, he smacked teammates with high-fives so hard it must have hurt them.

"When he hits a homer and comes back into the dugout, you think about protecting yourself," Erstad said. "He hits you so hard."

Coming in, he was hitting .216 (8-for-37) in the postseason. He kept thinking about his foulout to J.T. Snow in the fifth inning of Game 1, which happened with one out and runners at the corners.

"In these games, you want to be able to come through in the situations," he said. "Last night, it was a tough night."

He came back Sunday with a message for his teammates -- and for himself.

"'Make the most of it.' That's the biggest thing, that's been my motto," he said. "Be loose. Let it fly. Be aggressive. Don't go home thinking you left anything, held anything back."

 

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