BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Edmonds Is Given Scare of His Life

Outfielder Jim Edmonds was never so scared in his life, lying motionless in Yankee Stadium.

He was running to first base in the second inning when an errant throw by Yankee shortstop Mike Gallego hit him in the neck, just below the left ear. He never lost consciousness, but he couldn’t move. He could not feel his legs.

“I remember my legs going numb,” Edmonds said. “That’s when I knew I was in trouble. I was hoping I could walk away, but it was like all of the life had gone out of me.

“When they took me away in the ambulance, that was the worst ride of my life.”

Edmonds left the field on a stretcher, his neck in a brace, and was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Doctors there told him the injury was a deep bruise.

“I don’t remember too much after I got hit,” Edmonds said. “But I’m OK. I’m a little groggy right now, but I’ll be ready to go (Wednesday).”

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Veteran Bob Melvin turned down the Angels’ offer to be their triple-A catcher at Vancouver and instead signed with the Yankees. The Angels, who will be without catcher Greg Myers, who had arthroscopic knee surgery and will be sidelined until June, want a veteran catcher in reserve at Vancouver.

They now will explore the possibility of signing Greg Olson, 33, or Geno Petralli, 34.

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Reliever Ken Patterson, who has a partially torn ligament in his left elbow, will be put on the disabled list today and John Farrell probably will replace him in the bullpen.

Farrell, still with Vancouver, said he was told by club officials to prepare himself for a call-up.

The Angels also are expected to recall starting pitcher Joe Magrane after Saturday, when he is scheduled to work again. Magrane, on a rehabilitation assignment, yielded nine hits and two runs in seven innings Monday in Vancouver’s 5-3 victory over Tucson.

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Although the Angels believed it would be virtually impossible for designated hitter Chili Davis to duplicate last year’s season, he is doing even better.

Davis is batting .377 with 19 runs and 17 RBIs. He already has reached base 45 times; he reached base only 57 times during all of April and May last season.