Rangers Get One Back, 8-3 Hill Masters Seattle As Texas Finally Wins One, But Suzuki Rides Off With International Fanfare

The press-box telephone rang in the seventh inning Sunday, and the call was for the Seattle Mariners’ public relations representative - long distance.

The Kyoto News Service was on the line and wanted a pitch-by-pitch account of the debut of rookie Makoto Suzuki.

In an otherwise forgettable game that the Texas Rangers won, 8-3, the interest of another nation peaked when the 21-year-old Suzuki became the first Japanese player in American League history.

From the U.S. perspective, the pitcher of the game Sunday was Rangers starter Ken Hill, who pitched out of early trouble his wildness created, then smothered Seattle for 7-2/3 innings and allowed Texas to grab back a game on an A.L. West lead that had been shrinking since the Mariners got to town four days earlier.

Around these parts, that division lead - now four games - and the July weather was big news.

Back in the Northwest, the biggest story was that, in the final series of the first half against a team they had to beat, the Mariners won three of four games - knowing that closer Norm Charlton was unavailable for any of those games because of a tender left shoulder.

“He couldn’t have pitched an inning. He couldn’t have pitched to a batter,” manager Lou Piniella said. “That’s why Suzuki is here. We didn’t want to get our bullpen beat up. We needed another arm. The trainers think Norm will be OK after the break.”

A half-dozen time zones away, the only story was Suzuki.

Signed by Seattle in September of 1993, the right-hander had gone from being a 96 mph phenom to an oft-injured minor-leaguer who had pitched only 24 innings the past two seasons.

On a night when the Mariners could do little right, most of the postgame questions were directed at Suzuki by a handful of Japanese media that wanted to know how he’d pitched, when he would pitch again and what he was thinking before, during and after each pitch he’d thrown.

When the group descended on Piniella, he finally threw up his hands in exasperation.

“I don’t know when he’ll pitch next,” he said. “I’m trying to win games, not make sure everybody plays. If the right situation arises, he’ll pitch. If it doesn’t, he won’t.”

Suzuki was only slightly more talkative. “Bad,” he said when asked to evaluate the outing.

Was he nervous?

“Little,” he said.

Was he glad to get that first appearance out of the way.

“I’m going to play 20 more years,” he said. “I’ll be all right.”

The Rangers were ahead 5-0 by the time Suzuki relieved starter Bob Wells to open the sixth inning. That was precisely the situation manager Piniella was looking for - a nonpressure spot where the kid could start an inning rather than inherit someone else’s crisis.

“He pitched fine that first inning,” Piniella said.

Suzuki struck out the first batter he faced, Dean Palmer, gave up a single and then retired the next two hitters to get out of his first major-league inning.

His second inning wasn’t nearly as smooth. Ivan Rodriguez lined a one-out shot into center field, and when Rich Amaral dove at the ball and missed, it went for a triple. Suzuki walked Rusty Greer intentionally, walked Juan Gonzalez unintentionally and was lifted for Blas Minor.

“He didn’t come close against Gonzalez,” Piniella said. “He was overthrowing.”

Minor let each of those three Suzuki baserunners score, which pretty well dampened his line for the night: 1-1/3 innings, two hits, two walks and three runs allowed. He threw 25 pitches - 13 strikes, 12 balls. His earned-run average one appearance into his career: 20.25.

Overall, Suzuki’s effort was much like that of his team Sunday. Not horrendous, hardly good.

With the game scoreless in the second inning, Seattle left the bases loaded after Hill had walked two men and hit his second batter of the evening. When Wells gave up a two-run homer to ex-Mariner Warren Newson, the Rangers took a lead and added to it.

Seattle could do nothing until the seventh inning - and half an inning after they scored once, Texas scored three times for an 8-1 lead.

The loss snapped the Mariners’ four-game winning streak, their longest since early April, and got them to the All-Star break with a 46-39 record - their best-ever mark after 85 games. A year ago after 85 games, they were 42-43.

Wilson sits

Dan Wilson could have played Sunday - and would have, he said, if it had been an Oct. 1 playoff game - but the left elbow hit by a Kevin Gross pitch on Saturday was badly puffed and tender.

It won’t stop him from attending his first All-Star game, and by Tuesday he should be able to play.

X-rays showed no fracture, and the elbow is bruised, not broken.

Notes

Randy Johnson threw in the bullpen as scheduled before the game, for just the second time since going on the disabled list following his May 12 appearance. “I’m a little rusty,” Johnson said afterward, “but I felt fine.”

Tim Davis will begin his rehabilitation assignment Monday night for the Class A Everett AquaSox, though it will mean a long day. Davis will drive to Portland, join his new team, pitch two innings and then drive home to Seattle after the game.

Two Japanese camera crews are following Suzuki and his every move. In the three days he has been with the Mariners, they have asked him after each game why he did not pitch.

One Japanese journalist followed him to his hotel room Saturday night. Suzuki bid the man good night, and closed the door gently but firmly.