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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Angels Get Whiff Of Johnson, Fall Seattle Ace K’S Season-Best 15; M’S Capitalize On Hr For 3-2 Win

Associated Press

Randy Johnson struck out a season-high 15 and Edgar Martinez hit a three-run homer, giving the Mariners a 3-2 win over the California Angels on Saturday night.

Johnson (8-1) fanned the side in the ninth inning, finishing off his second win of the season against Chuck Finley (5-6) and the A.L. West-leading Angels.

Martinez’s 12th homer of the season came in the sixth inning after Rex Hudler put the Angels ahead with a two-run double in the fifth. Johnson retired the last 14 batters, striking out seven, after Hudler’s hit.

Johnson, pitching on three days’ rest for the second straight turn in the Mariners’ new four-man starting rotation, allowed five hits. He walked three in his second complete game.

Finley was almost as good in his second complete game, giving up seven hits, walking two and striking out five.

The Mariners opened their sixth with a double by Rich Amaral and a walk to Luis Sojo. Martinez followed by hitting a 3-2 pitch 359 feet into the left-field stands.

The Angels took a 2-0 lead in the fifth after Johnson walked Gary DiSarcina, Tony Phillips singled and Spike Owen walked to load the bases. Hudler followed with a double to left that scored DiSarcina and Phillips.

Angelic moves

No division in baseball has had as positive a one-year turnaround as the American League West - and no team in the West has improved more than the California Angels.

Cynics might insist it wasn’t that difficult for the Angels to improve, given they had the worst record in the league (47-68). But after 53 games a year ago, California was 20-33. After 53 games this season, the same team was 32-21 and in first place.

There have been a number of changes - a half-dozen young Angels players have had career-best starts this season - but general manager Bill Bavasi has no problem pinpointing the two men who most contributed to turning the franchise around.

“Lee Smith and Tony Phillips,” Bavasi said. “Last year, if we’d won half the games we let get away in the ninth inning, we’d have been in first place.”

So in the off-season, Bavasi went after free agent Smith, a 37-year-old closer anybody could have pursued but few teams did. In the first 32 California victories this season, Smith is 18 of 18 in converting save opportunities.

The Angels had a mix of veterans and youngsters, players like Chili Davis and Gary DiSarcina, Mark Langston and Tim Salmon, but late in spring the front office decided to make a trade - and sent Chad Curtis to Detroit for Phillips.

The move produced a true leadoff hitter, a clubhouse leader and a chemistry lacking last season.

Notes

Left-handed Jim Edmonds, who has an 18-game hitting streak, was held out of the California lineup because manager Marcel Lachemann did not want him to face the lefthanded Johnson… . Felix Fermin left the game after being hit by Finley’s pitch near his left elbow in the seventh.