Rocket-Launcher Griffey Blasts Clemens, Record With 3-Homer Game As M’S Win

Russ Davis, welcome to the world of Ken Griffey Jr.

It’s not often a Seattle Mariner comes off the bench in the eighth inning, delivers a pinch-hit, two-run home run to put his team ahead - and is almost entirely forgotten in the postgame clubhouse by media types racing after someone else.

Davis, 27, will learn not to mind. Not when the someone else is Junior, whose three home runs Friday shattered a major league record and, along with Davis, got the Mariners past the Toronto Blue Jays 13-8.

It may be premature to talk about an assault on Roger Maris’ single-season home run mark - then again, it may not - but Griffey blew past the big-league record for April home runs and has five games left in the month.

The old record was 11, shared by six players. Griffey began Friday with 10, then hit two against Roger Clemens, another against Jays closer Mike Timlin and added another record to his growing collection.

“Thirteen home runs in a month? That’s more than I ever hit in a year,” manager Lou Piniella said. “If I’d hit 13 in a month I wouldn’t be managing.”

“Watching him, it’s getting ridiculous,” said Paul Sorrento, who had three hits. “I didn’t hit that well in Little League.”

As for Griffey, he was happy in victory, pleased with his record and conscious of the realities of the night. Asked which of the home runs was the biggest, Junior didn’t hesitate.

“Russ’ was the biggest,” Griffey said. “If I hit three and we lose, it spoils it.”

For the 11th time in their 14 1997 victories, the Mariners earned this one coming from behind.

Mariners 13, Blue Jays 8

Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Cora 2b 5 2 2 1 1 0 .246 ARdrigz ss 5 2 3 3 0 0 .357 Griffey Jr cf 5 3 3 3 0 0 .383 EMrtnez dh 5 1 1 1 0 1 .305 Buhner rf 3 2 0 0 2 2 .230 Sorrento 1b 3 0 3 2 0 0 .319 a-Blwrs 1b 2 0 1 0 0 1 .111 Gates 3b 2 0 0 1 0 0 .269 b-RDavis 3b 2 1 1 2 0 0 .338 DaWilson c 4 1 1 0 0 0 .343 Tinsley lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .211 c-Amaral lf 2 1 2 0 0 0 .429 Totals 41 13 17 13 3 5 Toronto AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Nixon cf 4 0 1 0 1 0 .197 CGarcia 2b 5 2 2 0 0 0 .173 Merced rf 4 1 1 1 1 0 .234 Carter 1b 5 1 1 0 0 1 .234 Sprague 3b 3 1 0 1 1 1 .307 CDelgado dh 2 1 1 4 2 0 .364 O’Brien c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .194 SGreen lf 4 2 2 2 0 0 .256 AGnzlez ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 .317 Totals 35 8 10 8 5 3

Seattle 401 000 170 - 13

Toronto 500 101 001 - 8

No outs when winning run scored.

a-struck out for Sorrento in the 8th. b-homered for Gates in the 8th. c-singled for Tinsley in the 8th.

E-Griffey Jr (1). LOBSeattle 6, Toronto 5. 2B-CGarcia (2). HR-ARodriguez (3) off Timlin; RDavis (4) off Plesac; SGreen 2 (4) off DeMartinez 2; Griffey Jr 3 (13) off Timlin, Clemens 2; CDelgado (4) off DeMartinez. RBIsCora (10), ARodriguez 3 (17), Griffey Jr 3 (29), EMartinez (14), Sorrento 2 (14), Gates (2), RDavis 2 (11), Merced (11), Sprague (13), CDelgado 4 (13), SGreen 2 (7). SB-Nixon (8), CGarcia (4). CS-Cora (5), Nixon (3), AGonzalez (1). SF-Gates. GIDPGriffey Jr, Nixon.

Runners left in scoring position-Seattle 2 (Cora, Tinsley); Toronto 2 (Merced, O’Brien).

Runners moved up-Griffey Jr, Gates, CGarcia 2.

DP-Seattle 1 (ARodriguez, Cora and Blowers); Toronto 1 (CGarcia, AGonzalez and Carter).

Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA DeMartinez 6 7 7 6 5 0 110 6.75 Ayala W,2-0 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 5.14 McCarthy 1 0 0 0 0 1 6 2.89 SSanders 1 3 1 1 0 1 20 9.38 Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Clemens 7 9 6 6 2 2 133 2.20 Crabtree 0 0 1 1 1 0 4 4.91 Plesac L,0-2 1/3 4 4 4 0 1 19 6.00 Timlin 2/3 2 2 2 0 2 14 4.00 Flener 1 2 0 0 0 0 13 0.00 Crabtree pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.

Inherited runners-scored-Plesac 1-1, Timlin 2-2.

HBPby Clemens (DaWilson).

T-3:16. A-31,215 (51,000).