Piniella Excited For His Players

In the heart of a race - for a wild-card berth, for a possible division title - manger Lou Piniella was asked about his club and his clubhouse Saturday and not surprisingly said he liked both.

“After that 3-2 win (Friday), there was more electricity in this clubhouse than in the three years I’ve been here,” the Mariners manager said. “It didn’t start anywhere, with any one player, it was everywhere.”

Piniella, who has won the World Series as a player and a manger, said it’s a special kind of pleasure watching this team catch the fever because it’s the first time for most of them.

“It’s not like we’ve got 60 games left, either,” he said. “You can see the wire from here, it’s right in front of you. We’re not worried about California - a four-game lead with 14 to play is big. But we’re right where we hoped to be a month or so ago.

“You plan for this, you try to set it up, but then it’s out of your hands as a manager. These kids have done everything I could ask of them and they’re playing their best baseball at exactly the right time.”

Though the Mariners have never been this close to a playoff berth - or a division lead this late in a season - Piniella insisted the team isn’t looking ahead.

“You get a big lead, you might look ahead,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to lose focus when every night you play a ‘tightener.’ Every game, every inning, every at-bat and every pitch means something, and these players have accepted that and responded to it. They’re not too down after a loss, and when they win they start preparing for the next day pretty quick.

“I’d rather have a four-game lead, but all in all, I’m happy with where we are and how we’re playing.”