Angels Overshadow Griffey’s 20th Home Run

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his major league-leading 20th homer, but Tim Salmon doubled home three runs in the eighth inning Tuesday night to give the Anaheim Angels an 11-9 win over the Seattle Mariners.

The Angels rallied to win for the eighth time in nine games.

Griffey’s first-inning shot, a 470-foot drive off Jason Dickson, gave him homer No. 20 in the Mariners’ 44th game. Roger Maris got his 20th homer in game 55 when he hit 61 in 1961.

With the Angels trailing 9-8, Seattle reliever Greg McCarthy walked Jim Edmonds with one out in the eighth and was replaced by Josias Manzanillo (0-1). Dave Hollins walked and Jim Leyritz reached when third baseman Russ Davis was late trying for a force play at second, loading the bases.

Salmon, who homered during Anaheim’s seven-run fourth, drove a 2-2 pitch to the gap in left-center to make it 11-9.

Rich DeLucia (4-1) earned the win despite giving up a three-run homer to Jay Buhner in the seventh.

Troy Percival got the final three outs for his first save.

Griffey had three RBIs to raise his RBI total to 54, the majors’ best.

Salmon and Hollins homered on each end of the Angels’ seven-run rally, which staked starter Jason Dickson to a 7-2 lead. But Dickson surrendered four runs with two outs in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk to Griffey and a three-run double to Edgar Martinez.

Dickson walked three and struck out two, including Joey Cora to end the sixth with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.

DeLucia surrendered a pair of two-out walks and Buhner’s seventh homer in the seventh. Buhner, Seattle’s right fielder, also robbed Salmon of his second homer of the game in the fifth.

Seattle starter Jeff Fassero surrendered seven runs and nine hits in 3-2/3 innings.

Notes

Dickson is trying to become the first rookie to win 20 games in a season since Cincinnati’s Tom Browning in 1985, and the first A.L. rookie since Bob Grim of the 1954 New York Yankees.