Controversy over reliever’s jewelry and 11th inning fun highlight 3-2 win

By Kirby Arnold

Herald Writer

SEATTLE — OK, let’s cut the wisecracks about jewelry.

No comments about Saturday’s 3-2 Seattle Mariners victory being a 14-carat gem of a game, the jewel of their series with Cleveland, or a sparkling example of baseball at its dramatic best.

Arthur Rhodes and Omar Vizquel, apparently, are sensitive.

Rhodes was warming up in the ninth inning of a 2-2 tie, which already had its share of bizarre moments, when Indians hitter Vizquel made a request.

He asked the umpires to have Rhodes remove his diamond earrings, saying they were too distracting in the bright sun.

"I’ve never heard of anything like that," Rhodes said. "I’ve been wearing them all year."

Rhodes made that point so emphatically to both the umpires and Vizquel that Mariners manager Lou Piniella had to hold him back as players from both benches spilled onto the field.

"All that over an earring?" Mariners outfielder Al Martin asked. "That doesn’t even sound right."

It became an incident the Mariners could smile about when Indians reliever John Rocker threw wildly after David Bell’s sacrifice bunt in the 11th inning, allowing Martin to score the winning run.

Even Rhodes was smiling afterwards, although his description of the fracas was laced with a few biting comments for Vizquel.

"A little short hitter like him? That little midget?" Rhodes said of the Indians’ 5-foot-9, 185-pound shortstop. "If I face him again, I’ll go right at him. He weighs a buck twenty-five. You think I’m scared of him?"

Rhodes never got that chance Saturday after he was ejected from the game for saying two words: "Let’s go."

With Piniella, pitching coach Bryan Price and a few of his teammates alongside, Rhodes calmed down and agreed to remove the diamonds. He made a few warmup pitches to catcher Dan Wilson, motioned for Vizquel to get into the batter’s box and said "Let’s go."

Rhodes and Vizquel began arguing again, edging closer to each other, and both teams clustered anxiously on the infield. Third-base umpire Tim McClelland, the crew chief, immediately intervened and ejected Rhodes.

"It was blinding," Vizquel said. "It really stood out. I faced him a few times before. I faced him at night and I faced him during the day and it really didn’t bother me. But today it was right there."

Other Mariners seemed perplexed at Vizquel.

"That would be the last thing I’d be worried about facing Arthur Rhodes," center fielder Mike Cameron said. "I guess he didn’t want to face him. Omar should have been kicked out the same as Arthur. Arthur only said what was being said back to him."

The fact that Rhodes was headed into the game at all took some unusual circumstances.

Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki had gotten the first two outs in the ninth inning of a 2-2 game, then gave up a single to Kenny Lofton. He threw ball one to Vizquel and felt a twinge in his right thigh, the one still sore after being hit with a line drive last Sunday in New York.

Piniella pulled Sasaki from the game and called on Rhodes, who showed a little too much flash for Vizquel’s comfort during his warmup pitches.

"It’s the first time I’d ever seen that questioned," Piniella said. "I asked the umpires about it and they said they had to enforce it."

John Halama took over and got Vizquel on a popup to end the inning, then allowed only a walk while pitching two more scoreless innings.

Speed, strategy and Rocker contributed to the Mariners’ winning run in the 11th.

Rocker walked John Olerud on a full count and Piniella sent Martin to pinch-run. Cameron, after twice failing to drop a sacrifice bunt, dribbled a grounder between second and third that Vizquel fielded and threw late to second to retire Martin.

David Bell did get a bunt down, but he pushed it directly to Rocker, who seemed to have time to get Martin at third. Instead, Rocker turned to first base and threw in the dirt. The ball skipped past first baseman Jim Thome and Martin cruised home with the winning run.

The victory gave the Mariners a 94-36 record, tying them for fourth place on baseball’s all-time list after 130 games. They remained 20 games ahead of Oakland in the American League West Division and trimmed their magic number to 13 to clinch the division title.

The victory also assured the Mariners of their 33rd series victory this season, and today they’ll attempt a sweep for the 13th time.

Rhodes promises the earrings will be in today, although he wasn’t wearing them when he talked with reporters Saturday.

"They’re on probation," he said. "Twenty minutes from now, after they get off probation, they’ll be in. Tomorrow’s a new day. I’ll be happy. I don’t care what they (the Indians) say, the earrings will be in."