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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Sunday’s game had something for all

MARINERS• UPDATED: 1:20 p.m.

A 5-0 shutout usually doesn’t include a bush play at home plate (UPDATE: You used to be able to see the video, but MLB made YouTube take it down; if anyone else finds one, please mention the link in comments), a retaliatory plucking in the back and a message pitch thrown behind another hitter's head. Oh by the way, a future Hall of Famer informing the 52,553 in attendance he's signing up with their team – in a televised address during the seventh-inning stretch.

But that's what Sunday's game with the Yankees contained.

The win gave New York a 2-1 edge in the series, which concludes today (4:05 p.m.; KSKN-22; 920-AM). The loss knocked the M's back to .500, and pissed off today's starting pitcher, Miguel Batista (3-2, 6.30).

In reading Batista's comments in the News Tribune story linked below, I don't think Scott Proctor's errant fastball near Yuniesky Betancourt's head has been forgotten (see question below). Or soon will be. Which is part of what made Sunday an unusual day.

Today's hot list …

• After scoring 15 runs in the series opener on 20 hits, the M's have scored one on six since. That, along with the back-and-forth after Josh Phelps' idiotic play, seems to be the focus of the game stories from the News Tribune, the Times and the P-I. From New York, the stories are all about Roger Clemens' return to the Yankees, with this from the Times (which has a great picture of Phelps' play and a sidebar on the Rocket), the Daily News and the Post.

• Most everybody had the news on Sunday that Julio Mateo was arrested on assault charges stemming from an incident with his wife, Aurea, in their New York hotel room, along with the subsequent suspension and demotion to the minors. Everyone but the P-I, which doesn't publish on Sunday. Here is the paper's story from this morning. Also, the Times updated its story as did the < ahref="http://www.thenewstribune.com/512/story/56472.html">News Tribune while the Chicago Sun Times says the players' union is looking into how the M's are handling this.

• Hideki Matsui joined an exclusive club of Japanese baseball players when he got his 2,000 hit Sunday.

• Art Thiel has his unique take on the wild weekend that was in New York.

• And our question of the day …

• Should the beanball war continue today? Should the M's throw at someone to let the Yankees know they won't be pushed around?



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