By Larry LaRue
The News Tribune
TORONTO – Bret Boone had two hits, two RBI and one theory Wednesday.
The hits extended his hitting streak to 11 games – three short of his career high – and the RBI were critical in Seattle’s 8-6 come-from-behind victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The theory? It helped explain why Kazuhiro Sasaki rarely has easy saves.
“You ever see him out there? He’s sweating bullets, and I don’t think he’s happy unless everyone is sweating bullets,” Boone said.
Not to worry, Sasaki-san. Bottom of the ninth inning of this one, everyone – including Lou Piniella – was sweating .44 magnum shells.
Asked to protect a two-run lead produced in the top of the ninth, Sasaki picked up his ninth save of the season, but not before loading the bases with two outs to face Jose Cruz Jr.
“I was throwing well, but I didn’t have control of my fastball,” Sasaki said.
A single, hit batter and walk put a Blue Jay on every base and a bead of sweat on every Mariner. Sasaki then got a comeback ground ball from Cruz – and instead of throwing to first base for the easy out, he lobbed the ball home to catcher Ben Davis for the final force out.
How many times in his career had he made that particular throw to end a game?
“First time,” Sasaki said.
The Mariners 27th game of the season marked a couple of firsts, none of which Piniella is dying to see repeated.
It was the first time in 2002 that Jamie Moyer had given up three home runs in a game. And it was the first time Dan Wilson had to leave a game with a badly bruised right wrist after being hit by a pitch.
“I’ve never broken a bone, but the way my fingers were burning, I didn’t know if I had or not,” Wilson said. “I’m told I’m day-to-day. We’ll see how the swelling goes down.”
About the fifth inning, trailing 5-0, the Seattle offense wished Moyer good luck, but had to look out for itself.
Brandon Lyon was throwing a perfect game.
It is one thing to be shut out, another to be held without a hit for four innings – but the Mariners hadn’t produced a baserunner or anything close to one by the time Toronto posted five runs.
“We’ve come back a lot of times this year,” Piniella said, “but the secret is not falling behind.”
John Olerud broke up the perfect game – and the shutout – with his sixth home run of the year leading off the fifth inning.
Was it a home run that turned the game around?
“No,” Olerud said.
“What it did was get us started, and all of a sudden we add a couple more and we’re right back in the game,” Piniella said.
Jeff Cirillo chased one run in with a sacrifice fly, Ichiro Suzuki brought in another with an RBI single that cut the Jays lead to 5-3.
Bottom of the inning, Moyer gave up a solo home run.
“It’s a small adjustment, but it’s something I haven’t done consistently,” Moyer said.
Seattle got a run back in the sixth – another Olerud RBI – then tied it in the eighth inning when an Eric Hinske error opened a small window of opportunity and the Mariners dove through.
Olerud had his third RBI of the game that inning, and Carlos Guillen singled for his 25th RBI of the season.
After Moyer’s departure, rookie Rafael Soriano pitched two scoreless innings and struck out five Blue Jays before a minor irritation below the nail of his middle finger took him out of the game.
Arthur Rhodes pitched the eighth.
The Mariners owned the ninth.
Suzuki walked with one out and stole second base, then Mark McLemore walked. Ruben Sierra grounded out to bring up Boone.
“I’m feeling hitterish,” Boone insisted. “It started the last homestand, and I’ve hit in – what? – 11 straight? I’m getting myself in position to hit, which I wasn’t doing, and I’m recognizing pitches earlier.”
Boone swung at a 97 mph fastball from Kelvim Escobar and missed.
Escobar inexplicably decided to see what Boone could do with a forkball and Boone lined it to the wall in left-center field for a two-run double that pushed his batting average to .265.
“Big, big hit,” Piniella said.
“You could probably look it up, but I don’t know if I’ve ever had a hit against Escobar,” Boone said. “If I have, there haven’t been many. We beat a quality closer tonight. We came a long way back to win, and that’s always big.”
In that 11-game hitting streak, Boone is batting .410, and his 27 RBI leads the club.
Then came Sasaki’s dramatics in the bottom of the ninth.
“I fielded the ball coming down off the mound toward home plate, and I threw home,” Sasaki said.
Did the throw surprise catcher Davis?
“What did he say?” Sasaki wanted to know.
He said it surprised him.
Sasaki beamed.
“He looked ready,” he said.
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