Salmon Misses First Base, Hits Almost Everything Else

ANAHEIM — The American League player of the month for July one-hopped the right field fence in his first at-bat Friday night. He then missed first base.

The Angels, though, don’t pay Tim Salmon to be nimble. In other areas, they are getting more than their money’s worth.

Salmon’s little snafu may have been a bit embarrassing, yet his extremely long single scored two runs to push the Angels’ lead to 3-0. He later had a bases-loaded single in the team’s 9-1 victory Friday at Anaheim Stadium.

It got August off to a good start, even if Salmon did gaffe out of the gate.

“I was watching the ball and I was watching it at the wrong time,” Salmon said. “Actually, I held up at first just so I could pad my stolen base numbers.”

Salmon did steal second moments later--giving him a career-high eight--but, again, that’s not why the Angels pay him. As a runner, he may stumble. As a run producer, he is steady.

Salmon is hitting .308 on the season, but .413 with runners in scoring position.

Friday’s production gave Salmon 89 runs batted in this season, leaving him one shy of 90. The only time he has failed to reach that plateau in the last five seasons was the 1994 strike year, when he had 70.

“When I inquired about the Angels, Tim is one of the guys I was told I would never have to worry about,” Manager Terry Collins said. “Tim is going to drive in big runs and he’s going to drive in a lot of them.”

Salmon is consistent, like clockwork, even if it is measured by a calendar. He tends to heat up as the summer progresses.

He hit .244 and drove in 16 in April. In July, he hit .390 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs, earning him the player-of-the-month award.

“I’ve been tinkering all year,” Salmon said. “I’m always tinkering. The important thing is to get comfortable. The first few months, the first 200 at-bats, it’s hard to get comfortable.”

Salmon got cozy at the right time. His three-run homer against Seattle on July 5 not only gave the Angels a 5-4 victory, it kept them from falling 7 1/2 games behind the Mariners.

Friday’s victory put the Angels in first place, a half-game ahead of Seattle.

Salmon, again, had much to do with it.

He ripped a Scott Eyre pitch in the first; the ball reached the fence on one bounce. Darin Erstad and Dave Hollins scored for a 3-0 lead. Salmon, though, had to scurry back to first after missing the bag.

“Gosh, that killed me,” Salmon said. “But two guys scored.”

The White Sox gave him second base in the sixth. Salmon lined a bases-loaded single to left center, scoring Tony Phillips and Erstad. Salmon continued to second when the ball bounced away from center fielder Mike Cameron.

That enabled Hollins to score for a 9-1 Angel lead as Salmon continued his summer tear.

“It’s not like it’s the same thing each year,” Salmon said. “Maybe I’m turning on the fastball a little better right now. Maybe last year it was the off-speed pitch. If it was one thing, I would write it down and it would be something I could remember.”

Like touching first base.