In Defeat, Griffey Hits 50th M’S Give Up Five Unearned Runs, Lose 9-6 Series Finale To Twins

Mom got all the “firsts” - the ball that became his first major league hit, another from his first home run, his first All-Star jersey …

Dad got a few souvenirs, too, one coming after Ken Griffey Jr. matched his father’s career total with his 152nd home run.

On Sunday in the Metrodome, in a game that will be forgotten on its merits, a crowd of 12,291 fans and a Northwest television audience saw Griffey hit his 50th home run of the season.

And this time, the ball was all his.

“It bounced back onto the field, so I didn’t have to fight anybody for it,” Griffey said, shaking his head after Seattle’s 9-6 loss to the Twins. “I’d rather have won the game.”

That may be true in the sense that, sooner or later, Griffey knew No. 50 would come this season. He will hit more - that is a certainty.

“I’ll just echo what everyone who watches Junior says,” coach Lee Elia said. “As time goes on, there’s no way of knowing what he might do in the game. Fifty home runs? Mike Schmidt never hit that many in a season …”

Few have.

“It’s an elite group of men who have hit 50 in a season,” manager Lou Piniella said. “Ken is an elite player.”

Griffey became the 15th player in major league history to reach the 50-home run plateau. Should he hit five more home runs, for instance, his single-season total would be the seventh highest in baseball history.

“I kept the baseball from my 100th home run, my 200th, my 250th,” Griffey said. “I’ll keep this one. Some things you don’t give away.”

His response was muted in a clubhouse packing to fly on to Kansas City. After three consecutive victories, the Mariners played poorly - allowing five unearned runs - and lost. When a pair of local camera crews raced into the clubhouse, Griffey talked to them but didn’t look happy.

“You guys who cover the team, who know me, didn’t expect me to be jumping up and down,” Griffey said. “We lost. Personal stuff is secondary. If the home run helps us win, that’s something else. I don’t think about records and stuff I don’t keep a book in my locker.

“What I want is a World Series.”

Aside from Griffey’s home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning that gave him 134 RBI this season, there wasn’t much the Mariners felt like talking about after this game.

For the seventh time this year, the team began the day 16 games over .500. For the seventh time, they failed to get to 17 games over.

With Alex Rodriguez and Edgar Martinez still sidelined by strained muscles, the Seattle offense was at less than full strength.

As for the defense and pitching?

Three innings into this one, Felipe Lira was gone and the Twins were leading, 7-0, and Seattle had put together back-to-back innings as ugly as any in recent weeks.

Andy Sheets fielded a routine ground ball in the second inning, took two steps and threw late to first base. Given an extra out, the Twins scored three runs.

An inning later, Joey Cora fielded a double-play ball, bobbled it, and threw to first instead. Given the extra out, the Twins scored four runs.

Twins to Charlotte?

One of the country’s largest banking firms has made a standing offer to move the Minnesota Twins to Charlotte, N.C., after the 1998 season, a newspaper said Sunday.

NationsBank, based in Charlotte, made the offer several months ago to Twins owner Carl Pohlad, an unidentified team official told the Star Tribune.

Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson had planned to call a special session of the Legislature this month to consider building a new Twins ballpark. But he agreed to wait, probably until October, to give key lawmakers more time to finish work on a stadium financing bill.

Mariners notes

Randy Johnson played catch for the second consecutive day as he continues his comeback from tendinitis. Johnson is scheduled to throw again Wednesday, and remains on pace to start Saturday against Toronto… . Edgar Martinez was given a second game off because the strain in his left side remains stiff and tender.

Coming up

Seattle begins a two-game series in Kansas City today with a 5:05 p.m. start that will be televised on KIRO (TCI Cable channel 25. Probable starting pitchers: Omar Olivares (6-9, 4.81 ERA) vs. Jim Pittsley (3-7, 5.97).

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: 50 HOMERS Ken Griffey is the 15th player in major league history to hit 50 home runs in one season. Those 15 have combined to reach or pass the mark 22 times.