A presidential performance
Adam Kennedy had one of the all-time great individual hitting performances in postseason history. Here are some of the best:

Adam Kennedy, Angels, 2002 ALCS: Went 4-for-4 with three home runs and five RBI as the Angels clinched a World Series trip with a 13-5 win over the Twins.

	Adam Kennedy Second Base Anaheim Angels Profile
	2002 PLAYOFF STATISTICS AB HR RBI R SB AVG 22 4 8 9 2 .409

John Valentin, Red Sox, 1999 ALDS: Went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI as the Sox pounded Cleveland 23-7 in Game 4.

Jason Varitek, Red Sox, 1999 ALDS: Became the only player to score five runs in a postseason game. Went 4-for-5 with five runs and three RBI.

Bernie Williams, Yankees, 1999 ALDS: In Game 1 against Texas, went 3-for-5 a homer, double and six RBI in an 8-0 victory.

Mo Vaughn, Red Sox, 1998 ALDS: Was 3-for-5 with two HRs and seven RBI in an 11-3 win over Cleveland in Game 1.

Edgar Martinez, Mariners, 1995 ALDS: Martinez kept the Mariners alive against the Yankees in Game 4 by going 3-for-4 with two HRs and seven RBI, including a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth.

Will Clark, Giants, 1989 NLCS: In Game 1 against the Cubs, Clark went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four runs and six RBI.

Kirby Puckett, Twins, 1987: Went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored four runs as the Twins beat the Cardinals in Game 6 11-5. Twins won the next night as well.

George Brett, Royals, 1978 ALCS: Went 3-for-5 with three HRs in a 6-5 loss to the Yankees in Game 3.

Reggie Jackson, Yankees, 1977 World Series: In the Series-clinching Game 6 against the Dodgers, Mr. October took three swings and hit three HRs. He was 3-for-3 with a walk, four runs and five RBI in an 8-4 win.

Bob Robertson, Pirates, 1971 NLCS: Went 4-for-5 with three home runs and five RBI in a 9-4 win over San Francisco in Game 2.

Paul Blair, Orioles, 1969 ALCS: Was 5-for-6 with 5 RBI against the Twins in series-clinching Game 3.

Bobby Richardson, Yankees, 1960 World Series: Holds World Series mark of six RBI in one game. Went 2-for-5 with six RBI against Pittsburgh in 10-0 victory in Game 3.

Babe Ruth, Yankees, 1928 World Series: In the deciding Game 4 against the Cardinals, Ruth was 3-for-5 with three HRs.

Babe Ruth, Yankees, 1926 World Series: Was 3-for-3 with three HRs, four runs, four RBI and two walks in Game 4's 10-5 win over the Cardinals.

	Tim Salmon Right Field Anaheim Angels Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS AB HR RBI R BB AVG 33 2 7 3 4 .242

Salmon's journey ends at World Series
Tim Salmon couldn't stop grinning.

That's because the player nicknamed "King Fish" had finally reached the World Series after 10 years with the Angels.

"My mouth is hurting because I've been smiling so much," he said. "You know what? It's just joy. I'm so excited."

The 34-year-old Salmon has the most years in an Angels' uniform among his teammates. He had nothing to show for it until they rallied to beat Minnesota 13-5 for the AL championship.

Salmon held the AL trophy high over his head, running around the infield like a kid.

"To be with this organization as long as I have and to feel the emptiness of the fans all these years, and the pain and frustration, the history is long," Salmon said.

A year ago, Salmon couldn't have been more discouraged, both for his team and himself. The Angels finished 41 games behind AL West champion Seattle. Salmon bottomed out with a .227 batting average, 17 homers and 49 RBIs -- all career lows.

Another season like that, he told his wife, and he might retire.

Making things worse, Salmon had signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension during spring training, locking him up with the Angels through 2005.

"I wanted to make good on it," he said in July. "I got off to my typical slow start, it never came around. I never slept last year, I felt like I barely survived."

But everything has gone right for Salmon and the Angels this season, despite slow starts by both. He hit .182 in April and the Angels got off to a franchise-worst 6-14 start.

"I think there is a small portion of relief with some of the guys that have been through the wars here," Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia said. "We won the championship. What a source of pride for these guys that have played for such a long time."

World Series fever
Now that the Angels have reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history -- the team debuted in 1961 as the Los Angeles Angels -- only two franchises have gone longer without a trip to the World Series. The Chicago White Sox last made it in 1959 and the Chicago Cubs last made it in 1945. That's 100 seasons of Chicago baseball with no World Series games.

Since the Angels appeared on the scene, the Yankees have won eight World Series (and lost five); other expansion teams have accounted for seven World Series wins (two each from the Mets and Blue Jays, one each from the Royals, Marlins and Diamondbacks); other teams from California have made 18 World Series appearances (including three All-California matchups); and the Red Sox have made it three times -- and lost in Game 7 all three times.

Six teams have never made the World Series, including the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise, which debuted the same year as the Angels. Here are the six franchises:

We've only seen the World Series on television
Team	Debut	Closest to World Series
Senators/Rangers	1961	Made Division Series three times; went combined 1-9
Colt 45s/Astros	1962	Reached NLCS in 1980 and '86; blew 5-2, 8th-inning lead in Game 5 in '80
Montreal Expos	1969	Lost NLCS in 1981; tied 1-1 in 9th in Game 5 when Dodgers' Rick Monday homered
Seattle Mariners	1977	Reached ALCS three times, lost in six games in '95, '00
Colorado Rockies	1993	Made Division Series in '95; lost to Braves in 4
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	1998	Sitting on their couch while sipping a cold one

The Associated Press contributed to this story.