M’S Pull Even In Wild Card Race Johnson Hardly Spectacular, Yet Effective In Win Over K.C.

The marathon of a major-league baseball season has become a 21-game sprint toward a playoff berth, so the Seattle Mariners dusted off the fastest thing they had Friday - Randy Johnson.

There was a little rust after 13 days away. A touch of wildness to the 97 mph heat the “Big Unit” threw the Kansas City Royals.

In a game that hauled Seattle into a tie for the American League wild card lead, however, the Royals weren’t blown away by Johnson, simply beaten, 4-1.

That was fine with him, and more than acceptable to an enthusiastic Kingdome crowd of 19,350.

“For the first time, we can dictate our destiny - we don’t have to rely on someone else losing, someone else helping us out,” Johnson said. “We’ve never had that luxury. All we have to do is win.”

Inching into a tie with the Royals atop the wild card standings, the Mariners were led offensively by the top of their batting order - journeymen Rich Amaral and Luis Sojo - and saved in the end once more by Norm Charlton, who was released in July when the Phillies could no longer lift his 7.36 earned run average.

“I had a meeting with the kids we’ve called up today,” manager Lou Piniella said. “I told them I didn’t know if we’d have the chance to see them or not. We don’t have all that much pennant-race experience, but I’m going with all the experience I can find.”

Piniella had bigger names available Friday. Wunderkind Alex Rodriguez could have started at shortstop in Sojo’s place. Vince Coleman, despite an 0-for-15 slump and a tender left hip, could have been in left field instead of Amaral, but his injury required a few days off.

For a player who spent 10 years in the minor leagues, Amaral is in his first playoff run and, like most of his Mariners teammates, has taken a liking to it.

“The feel is totally different,” he said after a two-hit, two-run game. “Nobody is concerned with their stats; with their own numbers. It’s winning now - just winning. No one pouts when you win.”

Making his first start in 13 days, Johnson showed evidence of rust, though it was nothing a few innings didn’t take care of. Sidelined twice in the past six weeks for a total of 23 days by tendinitis, Johnson (14-2) has found a way to win eight of his last nine decisions - the kind of numbers that made him irreplaceable when out of the Seattle rotation.

“The last time I tried to pitch, in Boston, I couldn’t,” Johnson said, “so this was a big improvement over that. I’m not 100 percent and I won’t be the rest of the season, so I have to have good mechanics. I didn’t tonight. I walked five guys, all of them left-handed hitters. I allowed them to stay in the game.”

Against Johnson, former Tacoma manager Bob Boone played for an early lead and got it - using a second-inning single, bunt, wild pitch and a ground ball to carve out a 1-0 edge.

Each time the Royals were in position to add to that one run, however, Johnson found a way to deny them.