Anaheim, Calif. ? Like Barry Bonds, Tim Salmon waited a long time for his World Series moment.

Like Bonds, Salmon homered in Game 2.

Unlike Bonds, Salmon went home a winner.

Salmon hit his second homer of the night, a tiebreaking, two-run shot with two outs in the eighth inning that lifted Anaheim past San Francisco, 11-10, Sunday, ending a thrilling game and knotting the Series at 1-all.

“We knew there was going to be a hero in the dugout,” Salmon said, “and tonight it was me.”

Until this year, no active player in the majors had gone longer than Salmon 1,388 games without reaching the postseason. But that wasn’t a well-known fact because Bonds has been the center of attention, especially since this is his first World Series, too.

But Salmon put the spotlight squarely on himself on this night by connecting off Felix Rodriguez to give the Angels their first-ever World Series win.

“I think I made the most of my opportunities. It was awesome,” Salmon said. “The way the game went back-and-forth was unbelievable.”

Much of the credit belonged to Francisco Rodriguez, too. The 20-year-old rookie sensation pitched three perfect innings and got the victory, making him the youngest pitcher to win a Series and 5-0 in the postseason. With the longest outing of his big league career, he tied Randy Johnson’s record, set last year, for wins in a postseason.

Rodriguez’s locker in the Anaheim clubhouse is right next to Salmon, who made his major league debut with the California Angels in 1992.

“This is something he’s never been in, either,” Salmon said. “I tell these young guys, ‘Just appreciate it. Make the most of it.”‘

Anaheim's Tim Salmon runs toward first base after hitting a two-run home run in the second inning. Salmon's second two-run blast, in the eighth inning, was the game-winner in the Angels' 11-10 victory over San Francisco in Game 2 of the World Series on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif. The series is tied 1-1.

Bonds homered for the second straight day, launching a 485-foot, solo shot with two outs in the ninth off Angels closer Troy Percival. But the crowd of 44,584 roared as Percival finished it without further damage for a save.

It was the highest-scoring game in the Series since Cleveland beat Florida 14-11 in 1997.

Pacific Bell Park will host the World Series for the first time in Game 3 Tuesday night. Livan Hernandez, 6-0 lifetime in the postseason, starts for the Giants against Ramon Ortiz.

Salmon went 4-for-4 with a walk, driving in four runs and scoring three. As he circled the bases and fireworks exploded overhead after connecting on a 93 mph fastball, Felix Rodriguez angrily tugged on his cap.

The homer capped the Angels’ comeback from a 9-7 deficit. They had led 5-0 after the first inning before homers rallied the Giants.

Anaheim's Tim Salmon celebrates with teammate David Eckstein (22) after both scored on Salmon's two-run homer in the eighth inning. The homer lifted the Angels to an 11-10 victory over San Francisco in Game 2 of the World Series on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.

“You could tell it was going to be an offensive night,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said. “The ball was carrying.

“It was one of the best games I’ve ever been in,” he said.

Bonds, making his first Series appearance in his 17th major league season, went 1-for-2 with three walks. Like everyone else in the San Francisco lineup, he couldn’t solve Rodriguez as he grounded out. The rookie pitcher struck out four, all on three pitches.

“I never got nervous,” he said.

“He stepped up,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We don’t get that game settled down, there’s not a whole lot to come back from.”

A day after both bullpens pitched 3 1-3 hitless innings, most of the relievers had a lot more trouble getting outs.

The Giants scored four times in the fifth off John Lackey and Ben Weber for a 9-7 lead. Game 1 star J.T. Snow hit a tying, two-run single, then hustled to avoid being forced to give David Bell a go-ahead infield hit with two outs. Shawon Dunston, playing in his first Series game at age 39, added a sharp RBI single.

At that point, the Giants and Anaheim already had outscored one NFL game played earlier in the day. Arizona beat the Dallas Cowboys 9-6 in overtime, no less.

Scott Spiezio’s sacrifice fly off Chad Zerbe pulled the Angels within a run in the fifth.

The Rally Monkey made its first appearance on the scoreboard in the sixth. And for the second straight night, the Angels promptly scored, with Garret Anderson’s single off Aaron Fultz making it 9-all.

When Brad Fullmer walked in the Anaheim seventh, that monkey mascot once again began bobbing up and down. It was hard to tell whether any of the Giants noticed, though it was a safe guess someone on their side did.

“Well, you definitely observe it,” San Francisco closer Robb Nen said before the game. “You see him.”

The Angels started out doing everything right of their first 15 swings against Russ Ortiz, they did not miss once. In an inning symbolic of their whole season, they hit to the opposite field, aggressively streaked around the bases and even pulled a double steal that let Fullmer sneak home.

David Eckstein’s leadoff single started the hit parade. Darin Erstad followed with an RBI double and Salmon and Anderson added singles. After Troy Glaus hit a fly ball for the first out, Fullmer and Spiezio had RBI singles.

Anaheim clearly had the Giants on the run, and took advantage. When catcher Benito Santiago made a high throw trying to get Spiezio at second, Fullmer breezed to the plate with the Series’ first steal of home since Tim McCarver did it for St. Louis in 1964.

In all, it was the biggest first inning in a Series game since Baltimore scored five against Pittsburgh in the 1979 opener.

Now winless in five career postseason starts, Kevin Appier began with a good omen: Giants leadoff man Kenny Lofton was called out on strikes by a plate umpire whose first name was Angel Angel Hernandez.

But given a big lead, Appier began to give it right back. And even though home runs eventually cost him, it was a little walk that led to his undoing.

Working too carefully, Appier walked Bonds on a close 3-2 pitch to begin the second. Snow singled with one out and Reggie Sanders launched a three-run drive to left.

Bell followed with a shot to straightaway center, closing the Giants’ gap to 5-4. It marked the 13th set of back-to-back homers in Series play, with Tony Gwynn and Greg Vaughn doing it most recently for San Diego in 1998.

By then, as the bullpen got busy, it was apparent the Angels could not count on the pitcher they fondly call “Ape.” Instead, they would have to warm up the Rally Monkey, too.

Salmon’s two-run homer gave the Angels 7-4 in the second, an inning that started with Eckstein’s bunt single. Glaus long double chased Ortiz before he got another chance to face Fullmer, his one-time high school teammate.

Jeff Kent homered to lead off the Giants third, and Appier was pulled after a four-pitch walk to Bonds. At that point, all nine of San Francisco’s runs in the Series had scored on homers.

Notes: Sanders and Bonds became the first players to homer in Games 1 and 2 of the Series since Ted Simmons for Milwaukee in 1982. … Angels pitchers did not give up a home run in the five-game ALCS against Minnesota. … Anaheim’s 21 home runs set a postseason record. … Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden threw out the first ball. As he was driven off the field on a cart, Bonds came out of the dugout to shake his hand. Among other big names in attendance: Hall of Famers George Brett (who caught a foul ball), Willie Mays and Ernie Banks, Kobe Bryant (holding a pair of ThunderStix) and five Lakers teammates, and actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ray Romano and Dennis Quaid. … The strangest play of the game ended the Anaheim first. Ortiz threw a pitch behind Adam Kennedy’s head and the ball hit the bat and trickled into fair territory for an easy out.