Angels even World Series
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Like Barry Bonds, Tim Salmon waited a long time for his World Series moment. Like Bonds, Salmon homered in Game 2.
Unlike Bonds, Salmon went home a winner.
Salmon hit his second homer of the night, a tiebreaking, two-run shot with two outs in the eighth inning that lifted the Anaheim Angels over the San Francisco Giants 11-10 Sunday, ending a thrilling, seesaw game and knotted the Series at 1-all.
“We knew there was going to be a hero in the dugout,” Salmon said, “and tonight it was me.”
Until this year, no active player in the majors had gone longer than Salmon – 1,388 games – without reaching the postseason. But that wasn’t a well-known fact because Bonds has been the center of attention, especially since this is his first World Series, too.
But Salmon put the spotlight squarely on himself on this night by connecting off Felix Rodriguez to give the Angels their first-ever World Series win.
“I think I made the most of my opportunities. It was awesome,” Salmon said. “The way the game went back-and-forth was unbelievable.”
Much of the credit belonged to Francisco Rodriguez, too. The 20-year-old rookie sensation pitched three perfect innings and got the victory, making him the youngest pitcher to win a Series and 5-0 in the postseason. With the longest outing of his big league career, he tied Randy Johnson’s record set last year for wins in a postseason.
Rodriguez’s locker in the Anaheim clubhouse is right next to Salmon, who made his major league debut with the California Angels in 1992.
“This is something he’s never been in, either,” Salmon said. “I tell these young guys, ‘Just appreciate it. Make the most of it.”‘
Bonds homered for the second straight day, launching a 485-foot, solo shot with two outs in the ninth off Angels closer Troy Percival. But the crowd of 44,584 roared as Percival finished it without further damage for a save.
It was the highest-scoring game in the Series since Cleveland beat Florida 14-11 in 1997.
Pacific Bell Park will host the World Series for the first time in Game 3 Tuesday night. Livan Hernandez, 6-0 lifetime in the postseason, starts for the Giants against Ramon Ortiz.
Salmon went 4-for-4 with a walk, driving in four runs and scoring three. As he circled the bases and fireworks exploded overhead after connecting on a 93 mph fastball, Felix Rodriguez angrily tugged on his cap.
The homer capped the Angels’ comeback from a 9-7 deficit. They had led 5-0 after the first inning before homers rallied the Giants.
“You could tell it was going to be an offensive night,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said. “The ball was carrying.
“It was one of the best games I’ve ever been in,” he said.
Bonds, making his first Series appearance in his 17th major league season, went 1-for-2 with three walks. Like everyone else in the San Francisco lineup, he couldn’t solve Rodriguez as he grounded out. The rookie pitcher struck out four, all on three pitches.
“I never got nervous,” he said.
“He stepped up,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We don’t get that game settled down, there’s not a whole lot to come back from.”
A day after both bullpens pitched 3 1-3 hitless innings, most of the relievers had a lot more trouble getting outs.
The Giants scored four times in the fifth off John Lackey and Ben Weber for a 9-7 lead. Game 1 star J.T. Snow hit a tying, two-run single, then hustled to avoid being forced to give David Bell a go-ahead infield hit with two outs. Shawon Dunston, playing in his first Series game at age 39, added a sharp RBI single.
At that point, the Giants and Anaheim already had outscored one NFL game played earlier in the day. Arizona beat the Dallas Cowboys 9-6 – in overtime, no less.
Scott Spiezio’s sacrifice fly off Chad Zerbe pulled the Angels within a run in the fifth.
The Rally Monkey made its first appearance on the scoreboard in the sixth. And for the second straight night, the Angels promptly scored, with Garret Anderson’s single off Aaron Fultz making it 9-all.
When Brad Fullmer walked in the Anaheim seventh, that monkey mascot once again began bobbing up and down.