Whiten Brings Down The Curtain Monster Homer Travels Deep Through Metrodome; Helps M’S Rout Twins 13-7

Even for the power-hitting Seattle Mariners, Mark Whiten’s grand slam was impressive.

Whiten hit a tape-measure clout, and Ken Griffey and Dan Wilson had three-run homers to lead the Mariners over the Minnesota Twins 13-7 on Friday night.

Whiten’s home run traveled 461 feet and hit a curtain hanging from the Metrodome’s roof. The ball went so far that Whiten lost track of it.

“All I know it was over the fence,” he said.

“That deserves a wow,” Griffey said.

“I thought it went 861 feet,” added Minnesota manager Tom Kelly.

The Mariners have hit 221 home runs this season, including a major league record 11 grand slams.

Minnesota’s Paul Molitor had two singles to pull within four hits of the 3,000 career mark. He could reach the milestone before the Twins’ homestand ends on Sunday.

“This puts me in position to get a couple of hits tomorrow and maybe get this done,” he said.

Alex Rodriguez became the first player in Mariners history to get 200 hits in a season with an RBI single in the first.

Bob Wells (12-6) got the win, retiring 10 of the first 11 batters he faced after relieving Mariners starter Sterling Hitchcock in the second inning.

Hitchcock gave up five runs on seven hits in 1-2/3 innings. Wells allowed four hits and two runs in 4-2/3 innings.

Travis Miller (0-2) took the loss, giving up six runs in three-plus innings. The Mariners scored an unearned run in the first inning. Rich Amaral singled, stole second, went to third on Matt Walbeck’s throwing error and scored on Rodriguez’ bouncing hit just over Todd Walker’s glove at third.

The Twins sent 10 men to the plate in the second inning to take a 5-1 lead. Chuck Knoblauch scored his 129th run of the season in that inning, breaking Rod Carew’s team record set in 1977.

Griffey hit his 44th homer in the third to make it 5-4, and the Mariners took a 7-5 lead in the fourth on Wilson’s 16th homer. Wilson also had a single to break out of a 3-for-32 slump.

After Edgar Martinez hit an RBI single and Dave Hollins drew a bases-loaded walk in the Seattle seventh, Whiten hit his second grand slam of the season and fourth of his career.