A’S Hammer Mariners Hitchcock Almost Perfect Early, But Loses Location And Big Lead

The Coliseum here is a work in progress - like most members of the Seattle Mariners pitching staff.

“It’s an interesting place to play,” deadpanned manager Lou Piniella. “There’s a giant crane, there are drills going, jackhammers, construction workers dancing to that ‘YMCA’ song. It’s like playing in Times Square.”

And just as the Coliseum changed minute to minute Tuesday, so did Sterling Hitchcock.

“One minute he was sailing along,” Piniella said.

The sailing stopped after three innings, and Hitchcock lost every inch of a 4-0 lead, giving up four runs in the fourth inning, two more in the fifth and then watching the rest of Seattle’s 12-5 loss to Oakland from the Mariners’ clubhouse.

“The first three innings, I had command of my fastball on the inner half of the plate,” Hitchcock said, “but you can’t live inside all game. When I tried to (go) outside, I couldn’t put the ball where I wanted to. Then when I tried to come back inside, that was gone, too.

“You lose both sides of the plate, you’re done.”

Trying to follow back-to-back complete-game gems by teammates Bob Wells and Bob Wolcott, Hitchcock had something better in mind than a five-innings-and-out start - especially after the Seattle offense put him ahead.

A two-run home run by Alex Rodriguez, his 20th, and a two-run single by left fielder Rich Amaral built a 4-0 lead before Hitchcock took the mound in the fourth inning. At that point, he’d retired nine of the first 10 Athletics hitters he’d faced.

“The best pitchers don’t lose those leads,” Hitchcock said.

The undoing of that Seattle lead came when Scott Brosius hit a solo home run one out into the fourth inning. Hitchcock insisted it had no impact on him, but he proceeded to walk the next two hitters, then struck out Terry Steinbach for the second out.

Hitchcock jammed Jason Giambi with a fastball, but when the ensuing pop fly floated into shallow left field, neither Amaral nor Rodriguez could quite reach it. When the ball dropped untouched for a double, two runs scored - and Ernie Young followed up with an RBI single to tie the game.

“That bloop was the key to the inning,” Hitchcock said. “If he hits a little harder or a little softer, someone catches it and we’re out of the inning with a three-run lead.”

Piniella took a harder-line approach.

“The double hurt, the two walks killed him,” the manager said.

Two outs into the next inning, Hitchcock stumbled again. Brosius doubled to left field off the wall, and Mark McGwire followed with a bolt that cleared that wall - his 31st home run of the year.

“The frustrating thing is Wells and Wolcott had pitched so well the last couple of days, I wanted to keep it going,” Hitchcock said. “Now it’s back to the drawing board.”

The Mariners went to their bullpen after five innings, and the relief corps that has so often done the job didn’t this time. Rafael Carmona - a perfect 6-0 with a 3.91 earned-run average coming in - faced five hitters and didn’t get an out.

Every man he faced reached base. Every man he faced scored. By the end of the sixth inning, Oakland had an 11-4 lead.

The Mariners offense wasn’t up to running that lead down, and two vital cogs - Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez - went a combined 1-for-9, with the one hit being Junior’s first-inning infield single.

“I told everybody on Sunday when Ken came back, the first game you play on adrenaline,” Piniella said. “The three, four days after that, you’re a little sore, a little tired and you’re working the kinks out. Junior’s fine, he just needs playing time.”

With the game out of hand, Piniella turned his eye to the future. Amaral, who has taken ground balls at second base this month - but hadn’t played the position since 1994 - was sent to second base in the eighth, and Joey Cora moved from second base to third base.

“I wanted Richie to get a little work and I wanted Joey to get another at-bat, so I gave him the option of playing third base or left field,” Piniella said, laughing. “Joey chose third. So the first ball of the inning was a shot past third base - and the next batter hits one to Richie that’s a base hit.

“This is one of those games where you tell everybody on the way to the clubhouse, ‘Go get tomorrow, men.’ You don’t lose sleep over it.”

Unless, perhaps, you are Hitchcock.

“When you’re out there without a pitch you can throw for a strike, you’re basically naked,” Hitchcock said. “I’ve got five days to work this out.”