Mariners Use Magic Touch Seattle Trims Its Magic Number To 12 With Rout Of Detroit

Perhaps it was the circus ring leader who sang the national anthem prior to the Mariners’ game Wednesday that brought the magic into the Kingdome.

Whatever it was, the Mariners were injected with a shot of the dramatic in beating the Detroit Tigers 10-0.

The most important magical imagery to the Mariners today is the team’s magic number, which has dropped to 12. Any combination of Mariners wins and Angels loses equaling 12 will give Seattle the American League West title. That magic number was arrived at by some rare and impressive feats on the diamond.

There was Jamie Moyer’s wizardry in a fourth-inning debacle. Topping that was a little-used but effective spell called the squeeze bunt that made it 3-0.

But the best trick of the evening’s show came from Dan Wilson, who blazed around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

“From now on in, we’re liable to do anything,” said manager Lou Piniella. “You saw a little bit of everything tonight.”

All the excitement pleased a Kingdome crowd of 22,967 that moved the Mariners season total to 2,741,246 - a club record.

Part of the reason Moyer has won 16 games is his Houdini routine on the mound. He is as adept as anyone on the Mariners staff at pitching himself out of a nearly impossible situation.

The bases-loaded, no-out predicament has presented itself before, so when it reappeared in the fourth inning, Moyer stuck with his usual assortment of bat-defying pitches.

While Bob Wells got up and started throwing in the bullpen, Moyer fooled Juan Encarnacion and Phil Nevin into some feeble swings. Each struck out. Tiger catcher Raul Casanova followed by bouncing a ball to Andy Sheets for an out at third and Moyer strolled off the mound calm and ready for his next act.

“That turned things around for us,” Piniella said.

The key to Moyer not allowing a run was Jay Buhner’s arm. When Damion Easley singled, Detroit third base coach Perry Hill held Travis Fryman at third instead of testing Buhner, who made a perfect throw to the plate.

Surviving the scare made Moyer tougher as he lasted seven innings, struck out seven and walked just one. Although he had a shutout going, Moyer left after 105 pitches because he will come back on three days’ rest Sunday.

Tigers starter Justin Thompson matched Moyer through three innings, not allowing a base runner. An infield single by Roberto Kelly changed that with an out in the fourth.