SEATTLE (KRT) — To get to the American League Championship Series for the second straight season, the Seattle Mariners turned to three of their most reliable players in the Division Series through its first four games — Jamie Moyer, Edgar Martinez and Ichiro.
All three players, plus a major contribution from shortstop Mark McLemore both defensively and at the plate, helped the Mariners defeat Cleveland 3-1 yesterday in the decisive Game 5 of the ALDS. So, also, did the unflappable Seattle bullpen, as the Mariners won by excelling in three of their most reliable keys to victory — starting pitching, relief pitching and two-out hitting.
Jamie Moyer baffled Cleveland for the second time in five days, winning his second game of the postseason with a sparkling one-run, three-hit performance over six innings. Moyer, a veteran lefthander unnerved by the importance and pressure of the game, retired 10 in a row from the third through the last out of the sixth inning. He also kept the Mariners in the game throughout.
And when Moyer left the game, the Mariners’ bullpen continued the dominance. Jeff Nelson struck out four in 1 2/3 innings and Arthur Rhodes retired the only batter he was asked to face. Kazu Sasaki earned his first save of the playoffs by retiring the side in order in the ninth, completing the Mariners’ rally from a 2-1 series deficit to advance to play either New York in the ALCS.
When Juan Gonzalez grounded out to end the game, the Mariners gathered in the infield and embraced each other in celebration as 47,867 fans roared for several minutes.
It wasn’t easy, though the Mariners got off to a good start. Cleveland starter Chuck Finley managed to keep from repeating his first-inning performance of Game 2, in which he allowed four runs, though his control wasn’t sharp. The pitcher threw 40 pitches in the first three innings, running into trouble in the bottom of the second.
The Mariners loaded the bases with no outs on consecutive walks to Edgar Martinez and John Olerud. Martinez, in vintage form, drew his base on balls after facing an 0-2 count to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Mike Cameron was hit on the right upper leg with the first pitch he saw from Finley.
It seemed, however, that Finley would work his way out of the jam after striking out Dan Wilson on three pitches and then David Bell. The next batter was Mark McLemore, who had just one hit in the series up to that point.
That lone hit was the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning of Game 4 on Sunday, and one day later, McLemore delivered again. He lashed the first pitch from Finley into left field. Marty Cordova, the Cleveland left fielder, raced in to try and snare the sinking drive, but the ball landed in front of him by mere inches. Cordova trapped the ball while still on the ground, and McLemore clapped and pumped his fist as Martinez and Olerud scored Seattle’s first two runs of the game.
Fortunately for the Mariners, all of their base runners were in motion on the play, allowing the not-so-speedy Olerud to make it home. Cameron, one of the Mariners’ fastest players, took third base.
The excitement wasn’t over. Just as fans were sitting down after celebrating McLemore’s hit, Finley caught McLemore too far off the first base bag and threw over for an attempted pickoff play. Jim Thome, the first baseman, threw to Omar Vizquel at shortstop, who saw Cameron break for home plate and threw to the catcher, Einar Diaz. The ensuing collision knocked the stocky Diaz over backward, but he held onto the ball for the final out of the inning.
When next Cleveland came to bat, in the top of the third inning, Travis Fryman led off with a double off the left-field wall. With one out, Diaz drew a walk from Moyer, putting runners at first and third.
Kenny Lofton, mired in a 1-for-16 series slump, singled up the middle to cut the Mariners’ lead in half. Then, Vizquel bunted toward third base, and Bell mishandled the ball as he attempted to throw to first. The bases were loaded with one out, and the dangerous Roberto Alomar came to bat with a chance to knock Moyer out of the game and give Cleveland a major advantage with a lead.
Alomar had grounded into an inning-ending double play in the first, and much to the delight of the Safeco Field throng, he hit sharp ground ball to Bell, who started another rally-killing exchange, Bell to Bret Boone to Olerud and still, a 2-1 Seattle lead.
Moyer survived and thrived thereafter. His pitches painted the corners of the plate and thoroughly frustrated the Cleveland batters. Cleveland Manager Charlie Manuel, who had already been working home plate umpire Mark Hirschbeck for a less liberal strike zone, fumed from the bench as Moyer struck out Gonzalez, Ellis Burks and Jim Thome, all looking. Gonzalez and Burks offered opinions at Hirschbeck, who nevertheless continued to give Moyer the benefit of borderline strike calls because of Moyer’s good control.
Moyer, never known for striking out the opposition with regularity, punched out six before leaving the game after the sixth inning, five of those on called third strikes.
Finley, too, did enough to keep Cleveland within striking distance, though he lasted the same amount of innings as he did last Thursday — 4 1/3.
Plagued by wildness — with four walks, a wild pitch, a hit batter and five other pitches in the dirt — Finley loaded the bases in the fifth by allowing two hits and a walk with one out. David Riske, a Renton native, relieved Finley, then struck out Boone and got Martinez to ground meekly to shortstop to end the threat.
The Mariners had runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth, but Ricardo Rincon came in for Riske and struck out Mark McLemore looking. Then, in the seventh, they came up with an insurance run that all but sealed victory.
Ichiro led off with an infield single, his third such hit of the game and team-high 12th of the series. Stan Javier sacrificed Ichiro to second, and Rincon was removed in favor of Danys Baez. The Cleveland reliever struck out Boone, who went down on strikes for the third time in the game and 11th of the series. But Martinez ripped a 1-0 pitch into center field, driving in Ichiro.
Martinez was given a standing ovation as he jogged off the field for a pinch runner, Al Martin.
Notes: In keeping with the patriotic spirit of the current times, a new design was painted on the grass behind home plate at Safeco Field. The major league baseball logo of a batter about to swing was painted its customary red, white and blue, with stars and stripes added for an American flag look … The Mariners replayed video highlights of their Game 2 win for all at Safeco Field to see before the game, including the Cleveland players. Cleveland did the same thing at Jacobs Field, replaying highlights from their two wins in the series not long before the start of the two games there … Construction workers were seen watching the game from the west roof panel of the new football and soccer stadium being built to the north. The workers got up to the roof and broke out binoculars to see the action … Ichiro went 12-for-20 in the series for a .600 batting average.