Salmon's 2001 season was largely disappointing as he finished with career lows for full seasons in a number of categories. Nevertheless, he followed it up with what may have been his most meaningful season. After a resurgent regular season for which he was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year, Salmon was a crucial part of the Angels' playoff and World Series run in , hitting two key home runs in Game 2 of the World Series against the San Francisco Giants and batting .346 with a 1.067 OPS in the series overall.