Mariners Take Another Step Toward Title Magic Number Is 2 After Griffey’s Slam

Badly as they want to win, the Seattle Mariners fear losing more.

That’s a high-octane mixture - desire and terror - and it drove a team that has spent 18 years watching the playoffs on television one game closer to its first division championship on Thursday.

And it handed three of the most dominant personalities in Mariners history the opportunity to deliver memories that may last far beyond the end of the regular season on Sunday.

Randy Johnson didn’t want to lose.

Jay Buhner wanted to tie.

Ken Griffey Jr. wanted to win.

Each got their wish and Texas was eliminated when the Mariners pulled off yet another come-from-behind victory that beat the Rangers, 6-2.

And now it is down to this: the Mariners magic number is two, meaning if they can win tonight and the California Angels lose, the A.L. West title is theirs.

“Tonight was big, it got us closer,” Johnson said, “but every guy on this team knows we could still wind up going home on Sunday night instead of into the playoffs. This isn’t over.”

Knowing that - knowing a loss would keep the Rangers in the mix and bolster the hopes of the Angels - the Mariners did the one thing they didn’t want to do early Thursday.

They fell behind.

“We had our ace going, a guy who’s been almost unbeatable this year,” manager Lou Piniella said. “But their guy, Roger Pavlik, hasn’t been giving up runs the last month or so. When we got behind, we needed something to get us going.”

Trailing 2-0 after the second inning, when Mickey Tettleton’s two-run home run bounced off the top of the left-field fence, the Mariners not only didn’t have a lift the first four innings - they didn’t have a hit.

Pavlik had a perfect game going into the fifth inning, then lost it when Edgar Martinez grounded his 52nd double of the season just inside the third base line. An out later, The Edgar was on third base with one out for Seattle’s RBI leader, Jay Buhner.

“I got one job there, get Edgar home,” Buhner said. “Pavlik’s best pitch is a split finger, so I looked for it and he threw it up a little in the strike zone.”

Buhner vaporized it, hitting it 420 feet for a game-tying homer that was his 39th of the season and his 13th this month.

“A home run was the farthest thing from my mind,” Buhner insisted. “But all that did was get us even.”

Reinvigorated on the mound, Johnson - who had given up seven hits in his first four innings - then pitched four hitless innings against Texas. That got the Mariners into the eighth inning deadlocked at 2.

Piniella followed a one-out walk to Luis Sojo by flashing catcher Dan Wilson the hit-and-run sign, and Wilson banged a grounder into left field that pushed Sojo to third base. Wilson took third when shortstop Benji Gil mishandled the ball, and Texas intentionally walked Vince Coleman to load the bases.

Joey Cora popped out, and that brought up Junior.

“All the years I’ve watched him, I was pretty comfortable with him up in that situation,” Buhner said. “He responds to the challenge.”

Two outs, bases loaded and a possible pennant hanging in the balance?

Griffey hit the eighth grand slam home run of his career, a long drive into the right field stands that broke Pavlik’s heart, knocked the Rangers out of the A.L. West race - and even drew a grin from Griffey after he’d crossed home plate.

“I wanted it,” he said of the game. “We all wanted it.”

Johnson got through the eighth inning, tried to finish but gave up a pair of one-out singles in the ninth and Piniella went to Norm Charlton.

Charlton delivered the save - his 13th - that completed Johnson’s 17th victory and finished his regular season duties.

“Now,” Johnson said, “I watch and hope.”

“Randy didn’t have his best stuff but he was outstanding,” Piniella said. “He has proven the last few years that if you give him a lead, if he smells a win, his game goes to another level. This wasn’t a must win, but it was one hell of a big one.”

Buhner held court at one end of the clubhouse, answering again and again the questions about what this victory - what a division title - would mean to the franchise.

“This is a team that always wanted to get past the .500 mark, so how’s that for underachieving?” he asked. “We’ve come a long way but we haven’t gotten anywhere yet. Ask Randy if he was thinking about starting the playoffs next week, or if Junior was. We’re focused, because we know what every win means. It gets us closer. That’s what we did tonight, we got closer.”

Playoff tickets available

Tickets to Seattle’s three possible home division playoff games are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster (1-800-800-3500) or at the Kingdome.

Postseason strips, which include tickets for the same seat location for all 10 possible games at the Kingdome, remain on sale only through Ticketmaster.

For games not played, refunds will be awarded at each ticket’s face value.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MARINERS ON TV Today vs. Texas, 5 p.m., NBC (Channel 6) Saturday vs. Texas, 5 p.m., Cox Cable 25