Seattle starts playoffs Tuesday against Cleveland
By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — The 117th victory will have to wait until Tuesday.
That, after all, has been the goal of the Seattle Mariners all season: to win in the playoffs.
The Mariners’ opportunity to set the major league record for regular-season victories evaporated Sunday when the Texas Rangers scored a run in the ninth inning of a 4-3 triumph at Safeco Field.
It left the Mariners with a 116-46 record, tying them with the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the most victories in the regular season.
"Are we disappointed that we didn’t win 117 games?" manager Lou Piniella asked. "Well, it would have been nice. It would have been a crowning achievement to a magical season."
After John Olerud grounded out to end a 162-game march into the regular-season record books, the Mariners stepped out of their dugout and saluted their fans. Then they went into the clubhouse, poured some champagne and quietly shared a toast to everything they accomplished.
If it seemed the Mariners were satisfied with the way things turned out in their final game, then they pulled off an illusion.
"Record or no record, we’re not used to losing. It stings a little bit," pitcher Paul Abbott said. "We’ve got guys here who aren’t completely happy even if they throw a scoreless inning. You might walk a guy, get a couple of pitches up when you wanted to be down in the zone even though you didn’t give up any runs.
"That’s what makes this team great. They’re not satisfied."
That’s why there was little gloating even though two Mariners — Suzuki and Boone — achieved personal glory.
Suzuki went 1-for-4 and won the American League batting title, although he missed the major league batting championship by the smallest margins, .3497 to .3501 by Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies.
Boone nearly had his 142nd RBI in the bottom of the ninth inning when he hit a high fly ball to the warning track in center field off Texas reliever Jeff Zimmerman.
"I hit it a little on the end of the bat," Boone said.
Rafael Palmeiro drove in three of the Rangers’ runs with a two-run home run in the third inning and a single with two outs in the ninth off Mariners reliever Jeff Nelson to score Mike Young and break a 3-3 tie.
The Mariners scored single runs in the first inning when Suzuki and Mike Cameron doubled, in the second on Dan Wilson’s leadoff home run and the fourth when Jay Buhner homered.
The Mariners had only one baserunner in the final five innings, when Edgar Martinez doubled with one out in the sixth. He was picked off second base by Rangers pitcher Darren Oliver.
"Today wasn’t meant to be," Boone said. "But what an unbelievable year. Let’s keep it going and end it the way we’ve wanted."
In the greater picture, Piniella said, the Mariners couldn’t be in better shape.
"All through September, we wanted to take the 100 and whatever (victories) we got and get our team ready (for the postseason)," Piniella said.
A week ago there were serious questions about that.
Shortstop Carlos Guillen had been hospitalized with tuberculosis, utility specialist Mark McLemore — who would start in place of Guillen — had a sore knee and third baseman David Bell couldn’t play because of a rib injury.
"I think we’re as ready as we’re going to be," Piniella said. "We’re healthy, we got McLemore some playing time at short, we got Bell some playing time at third and we’ve used all our pitchers, from starters to relievers. Everybody on the club has gotten at-bats, so from that standpoint, we’re ready to go."
If that brings victory No. 117 on Tuesday, even though it won’t count in the record books, the Mariners will be satisfied.
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