Anderson Takes Hits but No Bows

Garret Anderson slapped the ball up the middle and into center field for a base hit to lead off the ninth Tuesday. Fans at Edison Field stood and cheered.

It had little effect on the game because the Yankees were on their way to a 9-3 victory. But the single extended his hitting streak to 25 games, the longest in the major leagues this season, and matched the Angel record held by Rod Carew.

Certainly that rated a round of applause.

“That was different,” Anderson said. “You don’t see that too much here.”

Anderson acknowledged the fans response the same way he has acknowledged the streak, with no reaction.

“It just didn’t seem appropriate to do anything,” said Anderson, who extended the streak to 26 Wednesday. “The game was over. You tip your cap on something special.”

Anderson has said little about his hitting streak--except to say he has little to say about it. It’s not that he wants to speak softly and carry a big bat, he just has a bigger picture in mind.

Hits that drive in runs, help the Angels win, are worth talking about. Hits that highlight personal milestones aren’t worth the oxygen.

“That’s how you want your players to react,” Manager Terry Collins said. “It shows Garret cares more about winning than personal achievements. He wants to do things to help us win games.”

Anderson helped in a big way Wednesday, going four for five in the Angels’ 10-5 victory over the Yankees.

In the second, he followed Tim Salmon’s leadoff single with a double to right-center, fueling a two-run inning. In the fourth, Anderson doubled again--rocketing a line drive off the right field wall--and scored to start an eight-run inning.

Anderson has had clutch hits for the last month. His streak began June 28, when he had two hits against San Diego. The first was a double that led to the Angels’ first run. The second was a three-run home run that finished an 11-3 victory.

He is hitting .402 during the streak, raising his average from .289 to .319.

When the streak started registering on radar screens, Anderson hunkered down. He is fairly adept at handling media scrutiny. Each year he is the subject of trade speculation.

“I don’t think a hitting streak says too much about a hitter,” Anderson said. “You have to look at the production over an entire season. You have to be consistent.”

Said Carew: “Garret has matured as a hitter. Everyone wants him to hit home runs. He had eight home runs and 92 RBIs last season. I’ll take that over a guy who has 20 home runs and 60 RBIs. Garret is a gap-to-gap, line-to-line hitter.”

Carew, the Angels’ hitting instructor, shares Anderson’s opinion about hitting streaks.

“I preferred to pile hits up,” said Carew, whose 25-game streak in 1982 was his career best. “I’d hit in two or three straight games, then go 0 for 4, then get two or three hits the next day.”

Anderson is piling up a lot these days. Just don’t expect him to get worked up about it.

Fans gave him a standing ovation when he doubled in the second Wednesday. He stood at second base, head down.

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Anderson’s Streak

Facts and figures on Garret Anderson’s 26-game hitting streak:

* Broke the team record of 25 set by Rod Carew from May 23 to June 21, 1982.

* Last held hitless, in three at-bats, by San Diego’s Kevin Brown in a 6-3 loss to Padres on June 26. Streak started two days later, with a two-for-five performance against San Diego.

* Has 43 hits in 107 at-bats during streak (.402), with 15 doubles, three home runs and 19 runs batted in.

* Most prolific games were four-for-five performances against Athletics on July 3 and Yankees on July 29.

* Has 13 one-hit games, but only twice came down to his last at-bat needing a hit to extend the streak: Game No. 6 on July 4, when he led off the ninth with a double against Oakland, and Game No. 25 on Tuesday, when he singled off New York’s Mike Stanton.

* Sat out one game, with the streak at nine games, when right-handed hitter Damon Mashore started against Seattle left-hander Randy Johnson.

Next Up

Hitting streaks of 30 games or more by American League players:

56: Joe DiMaggio, Yankees, 1941

41: George Sisler, Browns, 1922

40: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 1911

39: Paul Molitor, Brewers, 1987

35: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 1917

34: George Sisler, Browns, 1925

34: John Stone, Tigers, 1930

34: George McQuinn, Browns, 1938

34: Dom DiMaggio, Red Sox, 1949

33: Heinie Manush, Senators, 1933

31: Sam Rice, Senators, 1924

31: Ken Landreaux, Twins, 1980

30: Tris Speaker, Red Sox, 1912

30: Goose Goslin, Tigers, 1934

30: Ron LeFlore, Tigers, 1976

30: George Brett, Royals, 1980

30: Sandy Alomar Jr., Indians, 1997

30: Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox, 1997