Taylor gets first hit, then face-plants

ANAHEIM — Beau Taylor got his first big-league hit Sunday in the A’s final game of the season, and the catcher was so excited, he stumbled going around first, fell flat on his face and almost didn’t reach second in time to ensure a double.

“You saw that?” Taylor joked when asked about it. “No, I’m going to remember that forever. ... I guess I didn’t see the base right. My bad.”

Second-base umpire Doug Eddings was quick to comment once Taylor made it to the base. “The umpire was right away with the sniper and everything, pointing to the stands,” Taylor said. “I was kind of in the moment when I was running because I was so happy about the hit.”

TV cameras caught Taylor’s teammates laughing and cheering in the dugout.

“It wasn’t a home run, but when you face-plant going around first base, it’s one you’re never going to forget,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Everyone was pretty excited about it, both ends of it: the hit and the face-plant.”

“That was funny,” designated hitter Khris Davis said. “I’m glad he got it out of the way. He’s a really good player and I expect to see good things about him. He’s got a bright future.”

Taylor, 28, had been hitless in three at-bats in limited action in September. He’s now heading to the A’s minorleague complex in Mesa, Ariz., to catch the team’s extra pitchers who might be needed in later rounds and to stay ready in the event of an injury. Anderson’s day: Using a much-improved slider, Brett Anderson started for Oakland on Sunday, allowed four hits and two runs (on a homer by the Angels’ Jefry Marte with two outs in the first) in three innings and got a bruised backside for his trouble. Shohei Ohtani’s line drive struck Anderson in the rear in the third. Anderson remained in the game but departed after the inning to get treatment.

“Nice parting gift Shohei left me,” Anderson said, adding of the comebacker off Daniel Mengden’s foot last Monday, “My whole goal was to look tougher than when Mengden rolled halfway to home plate the other night.” Scioscia’s finale: Sunday was Mike Scioscia’s last as the Angels’ manager after 19 years, and Melvin complimented his longtime opponent.

“I know from managing against him as long as I have, he’s made me work hard and prepare harder and, I would say, get better,” Melvin said. “Because when you manage against Mike Scioscia, you’d better be ready for anything.

“He’s one of those guys I would think he’d go to his grave managing. If it’s done here, I can’t imagine him not doing something somewhere else. He’s terrific at it, it seems like he loves it, he’s into it every inning of every game, even a spring training game.”