NOT A HAPPY ENDING ANGELS LOSE, SALMON RETIRES ONE SHORT OF 300 HRS OAKLAND 11, ANGELS 10 (10).

Byline: DOUG PADILLA  Staff Writer

ANAHEIM -- The Angels created their own little postseason Sunday, going extra innings in their season finale only to lose 11-10 in 10 innings to the Oakland Athletics.

The extra time nearly gave Tim Salmon one last at-bat in his attempt to reach 300 home runs, but instead he was left on deck as Reggie Willits fouled out to end the game.

A homestand of tribute to the retiring Salmon continued Sunday as most of the crowd of 44,107 stood for each of Salmon's at-bats. The final farewell nearly was premature, though.

Salmon popped out to shortstop in the eighth inning against A's closer Huston Street with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. He doffed his helmet to the crowd as he left the field and came out for a curtain call before Adam Kennedy stepped to the plate.

``This whole weekend has really been kind of a dream in a sense,'' Salmon said. ``It's been surreal. Then the way the game went there where I'm running on fumes, it was just a culmination of a lot of emotion. It was strange how it ended, kind of anti-climactic.''

The A's had been well aware of what was happening this weekend. Street certainly knew and served up only fastballs to Salmon in his last at-bat.

``I thought he deserved that respect,'' Street said.

Extra innings put Salmon one batter away from another chance until Willits' foul out.

``I feel terrible about that,'' said Willits, who turned 11 years old when Salmon made his major-league debut in 1992. ``All I can do is go up there and try to have a good at-bat. I would have taken (a pitch) in the head to get him up there.''

Salmon ended his final game 0 for 4 with a walk. He received his free pass in the first inning, fouled out to the catcher in the third, popped out to first base in the fourth, grounded into a double play in the sixth and popped out in the eighth.

``I'm not disappointed,'' Salmon said about ending his career with 299 home runs. ``The only thing I'm a little disappointed in was that maybe I came out of myself a little too much trying too much to get it. I probably didn't take the good at-bats up there that I would have liked to.''

Angels manager Mike Scioscia thought the continued outpouring of emotion for Salmon was an ideal way for the veteran's career to end. Aside from his 299 home runs, Salmon finished with a .282 career average, 1,016 RBIs and 986 runs scored.

``I think the fans certainly showed their special feelings for Tim and he showed his feelings for them,'' Scioscia said. ``It's not very often you see that. He's an Angel baby. He's a guy that signed with the Angels, went through the minor-league system, played his whole career here, has won a championship here and is retiring in one uniform.''

As he left the clubhouse for the final time as a player, Salmon asked his two sons if they wanted to walk on the field one last time. The Salmon family then headed down the tunnel that leads to the infield.

Just moments earlier on that infield, Brendan Donnelly's error had led to Oakland's winning run. With runners on first and second, Jay Payton blistered a comebacker that hit Donnelly in the stomach. He recovered to pick up the ball but threw it into right field to allow Jeremy Brown to score from second.

Donnelly appeared confused as he started to walk off the field. After a few moments, though, he had recovered enough to finish the half-inning.

In a season that saw the Angels commit an American League-leading 124 errors, it was only fitting that the opponents' winning run came on another miscue.

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Photo:

Tim Salmon shakes hands with fans as he closed out his playing career with the Angels.

Keith Durflinger/Staff Photographer