Looking For Relief, M’S Leveled By Eck

The numbers - along with the years - keep piling up for Dennis Eckersley.

“Being 40 years old motivates me,” Eckersley said Thursday, “but it doesn’t get anybody out.”

Career save No. 299 arrived care of the Seattle Mariners, many of whom had no idea how old Eckersley was but still couldn’t hit the pitches he used in the ninth inning to secure Oakland’s 3-1 victory.

With the tying runs on second and third base, Eckersley fired a twostrike pitch to Alex Diaz at the outside corner that umpire John Hirshbeck called strike three.

“It was … borderline,” Eckersley said, winking. “Sometimes you get calls, sometimes you don’t.”

The M’s would love to get such calls, but the pitches their relievers throw aren’t near the strike zone.

After starter Bob Wells pitched a solid 5 1/3 innings, handing over a 1-0 lead to his bullpen, left-handers Ron Villone and Lee Guetterman pitched the Mariners out of it.

In the seventh, Villone sandwiched walks around a sacrifice bunt he booted and suddenly, the bases were loaded. Right-hander Jeff Nelson got out of the inning trailing just 2-1 by getting a sacrifice fly and a doubleplay grounder. When Nelson gave up Mark McGwire’s double in the eighth, Piniella brought in Guetterman to face left-handed-hitting Andy Tomberlin. On a 3-2 pitch, Tomberlin singled home an insurance run.