remained on the Phillies' 1992 schedule. After the season, he signed a one-year deal with the California Angels. California Angels Javier got off to a slow start with his new franchise, as he batted just .220 with no home runs and nine RBIs through the All-Star break. He performed far better in the second half of the 1993 season. Batting lead-off, and playing left field against the Chicago White Sox on August 6, Javier enjoyed a career game, going four-for-four with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. He hit his first home run since May 22, 1992, on September 9 against the Detroit Tigers' Bill Gullickson, and hit two more in the final month of the season. He also batted .387 in the final month of the season to raise his season average to .291. Return to Oakland During the off season, Javier signed a two-year deal with the Oakland A's to be their starting center fielder. Despite the fact that the season was cut short by a players strike, Javier hit a career high ten home runs that season. He followed that up with career highs in RBIs (56), runs (81) and stolen bases (36) in 1995. The 36 stolen bases included a run of 28 consecutive without being caught. San Francisco Giants His performance with Oakland earned Javier his first contract worth over a million dollars annually, as he signed a two-year pact worth $2.1 million on December 8, 1995, to replace Deion Sanders in center field for the San Francisco Giants. A right hamstring strain limited Javier during the first month of his first season in San Francisco, and ended it on July 16. At the time of his injury, he was rumored to be headed to the Baltimore Orioles in a deal for Bobby Bonilla. The beginning of the 1997 season was interrupted by two trips to the Dominican Republic to be with his mother, who was dying of stomach cancer. He formed a platoon with Darryl Hamilton in center field, and shifted into right field for interleague games in American League ballparks when the designated hitter rule was in play. On June 12, in the first regular season interleague game in the history of Major League Baseball, Javier led off the third inning with baseball's first interleague home run against the Texas Rangers' Darren Oliver. He also hit a game winning double in