Salmon Hits Two Home Runs to Help Beat Back Sophomore Jinx

Tim Salmon stood in the Angel dugout Friday afternoon, watching a steady rain pelt Anaheim Stadium, figuring it could be a long, torturous night.

Later, he saw starter Brian Anderson leave the game after one inning with a fractured left thumb, and knew it was going to be a rough night.

There was just no way Salmon could take the sting away from Anderson’s injury. But he made sure the night wasn’t a total loss, hitting two home runs in the Angels’ 11-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Salmon went to left, then to right off starter Miguel Jimenez, helping knock Jimenez out of the game before the third inning was finished.

It was the firmest evidence yet that Salmon’s prolonged batting funk to begin the season might be history. He certainly hopes it is, saying he felt more comfortable, more confident in the batter’s box Friday.

“Hopefully, I’m done with that dry spell there,” said Salmon, who went 3 for 4 and raised his average from .241 to .257.

There were thoughts that Salmon, the American League rookie of the year last year, was suffering through a sophomore jinx and there was no question his numbers were off.

After all, he finished last season with 31 homers, including 23 at Anaheim Stadium, and 95 runs batted in.

Salmon said his thoughts were only on ridding himself of poor at-bats and getting a break.

“The pressure I was feeling was self-inflicted,” said Salmon, who ended a 15-game homerless streak. “I felt I had to do better. I felt that I didn’t have the same two swings on the same night. Now, I feel more relaxed. Before, I had nowhere to hit the ball. If I hit it, it was right at people.”

Salmon’s first two at-bats came to rest where no opposing player could reach them, a first-inning shot over the left-field wall and a third-inning blast into the right-field bleachers.

The opposite-field homer was an encouraging sight for Manager Buck Rodgers.

“When Tim Salmon is hitting the ball well, he’s hitting it hard the other way,” Rodgers said. “We’re glad to get the offense.”

Rodgers hasn’t panicked with Salmon, keeping him in the lineup every game this season. He watched Salmon start slowly last season, too, so he’s not overly concerned.

Salmon batted .254 with five homers and 14 RBIs in April, 1993. He finished this past April batting .232 with three homers and 15 RBIs.

“I just want to do better,” he said. “Over the last few days I kind of quit pressing. To be relaxed you have to feel comfortable with a swing. Tonight, I had some good at-bats. I was locked in like last year.”

He pointed to Wednesday’s 7-5, 13-inning victory over the New York Yankees as a turning point. He had three hits and three RBIs in that game.

“It was a big breakthrough game for us, a turning-point game,” Salmon said. “The way things were going we could have packed it in. That gave me the encouragement I needed.”