Glaus’ Line Drive Puts a Big Scare Into Salmon

Hardly strangers to freak injuries, the Angels avoided potential disaster Wednesday when cleanup batter Tim Salmon, leading off third base in the sixth inning, was hit in the left thumb by a wicked Troy Glaus liner.

The thumb swelled up immediately and Salmon, who started at designated hitter, was pulled from the game in the seventh. But X-rays were negative, much to the relief of Salmon and the Angels.

“Fortunately it’s not broken--it’s just a bruise,” said Salmon, who has been the Angels’ hottest hitter this month. “I saw it but couldn’t get out of the way. He hooked it, and it was like a heat-seeker; it got me clean.

“It began throbbing and swelled up, and when it feels like it’s on fire, you’re thinking about all the negative things that could happen. But it’s on the tip of my thumb, not the joint, so it shouldn’t be something that keeps me out indefinitely.”

Salmon was hit in the knee by teammate Justin Baughman on a similar play two years ago. The odd thing about Wednesday’s play was that Salmon actually turned and had his back to Glaus, but the ball somehow found his thumb.

“You’re so close, you’re only about 70 feet away, so there’s no time to react,” Glaus said. “You just hope to save all the important parts.”

*

The Angels continue their nine-game trip tonight in New York, where they’ll play in one of baseball’s most hostile stadiums. And Mo Vaughn will love it.

Vaughn grew up in Norwalk, Conn., about 45 minutes from New York, and went to Yankee Stadium as a kid. Playing in Boston, Vaughn also experienced firsthand one of sports’ greatest rivalries, Red Sox vs. Yankees.

“It’s the mecca of baseball,” Vaughn said of Yankee Stadium. “You have the fans yelling at you, calling you all different names. You’re fighting the aura, the Boss. But I like that kind of atmosphere.”

Vaughn has thrived in it. He has a career .276 average against the Yankees, with 28 home runs and 73 runs batted in. The only team he has more homers and RBIs against is Baltimore.

“You never take anything personal there,” Vaughn said of the verbal abuse showered on visiting players. “You’ve got to know how to handle it.”

*

Toronto pitcher David Wells drilled Benji Gil in the knee with a pitch Tuesday night, retribution, the Angels believe, for Matt Wise plunking Blue Jay star Carlos Delgado.

This, many would argue, is how baseball should be played. An eye for an eye. It’s not how the Angels played Aug. 5, when they didn’t throw at Cleveland’s Manny Ramirez after Ramirez’s dirty, spikes-first slide into catcher Matt Walbeck’s thigh. Ramirez apologized, and that apparently sufficed for the Angels.

Gil didn’t think Wells’ payback was warranted, but he understood the motive behind it.

“He was trying to protect their best hitter, but normally you throw at someone when you think there’s cause for it,” Gil said. “Maybe they were thinking, ‘You hit our guy, we’re gonna hit you back.’ That’s fine. That’s part of the game.”

ON DECK

* Opponent--New York Yankees, four games.

* Site--Yankee Stadium, New York.

* Today--4 p.m. PDT

* TV--Channel 9 today, Friday and Sunday.

* Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Records--Angels 62-58, Yankees 65-51.

* Record vs. Yankees--3-3.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

KENT MERCKER

(0-1, 5.47 ERA)

vs.

YANKEES’

DENNY NEAGLE

(2-3, 5.17 ERA)

* Update--Mercker provided the feel-good story of the season Saturday when he pitched for the first time since suffering a life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage May 11, but he hopes to feel better about his pitching tonight--the left-hander gave up three runs on five hits, including two homers, in 3 2/3 innings against the Yankees and struggled to throw strikes. The Angels are 2-0 with their revamped lineup against left-handers, in which Glaus, Salmon, Vaughn, Ron Gant and Garret Anderson fill the second through sixth spots, so they’ll use it again tonight and Saturday against left-hander Andy Pettitte. After going 3 1/2 months without a victory, New York right-hander David Cone, who will start Sunday, has won twice in a week.

* Friday, 4 p.m. PDT--Ramon Ortiz (4-3, 4.83) vs. Roger Clemens (10-6, 3.62).

* Saturday, 10 a.m. PDT--Undecided vs. Andy Pettitte (14-6, 4.19).

* Sunday, 10 a.m. PDT--Matt Wise (1-1, 3.31) vs. David Cone (3-10, 6.44).