Johnson Answers Call For No. 20 Big Unit Sets Mariners Record In Relief; Griffey Blasts 56th Hr In 9-3 Win Over A’S

An unimportant game Saturday in the Kingdome turned out to be Milestone Day for the Seattle Mariners.

After three games in a we-just-won-the-pennant daze that saw the Mariners reserves play poorly, the regulars returned Saturday to defeat Oakland 9-3 and, more importantly, set standards for future Mariners teams with numbers that hadn’t been seen in Seattle’s previous 20 seasons:

In a perfect setup, Randy Johnson entered to pitch before 50,443 fans in the fifth and sixth innings, qualifying for his career-high and team-record 20th win.

“We wanted to give Randy the opportunity to win 20, and rightfully so,” said Piniella, mindful that Johnson would have had 20 wins already if he hadn’t had three blown by the bullpen and hadn’t missed a month with tendinitis in one finger of his pitching hand. “Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t do those things, but Randy deserves it.”

In throwing two scoreless innings, Johnson struck out three batters, including Ben Grieve to lead off the sixth, the 2,000th strikeout of his career. The “Big Unit” is the 49th pitcher in major league history to reach the mark.

“Striking out 2,000 is a big number,” Johnson said. “This game is really all about numbers.”

Now he has only 3,714 more to strike out before he catches all-time leader and superhuman right-hander Nolan Ryan.

Helping support Johnson, and Omar Olivares who started the game, was the Mariners’ long ball power. Three more balls were bashed into the seats by Seattle bats moving their record season total to 264.

Of course, one of the round trippers flew off the bat of Ken Griffey Jr, his 56th home run. It gave Seattle a 5-2 lead.

The victory made the 1997 Mariners the first of the franchise to reach the 90-win plateau that generally defines quality.

“Ninety wins for this organization is a milestone,” manager Lou Piniella said. “Future Seattle teams have something concrete to shoot at.”

Griffey did his best Houdini routine and vanished without anything to say, but Johnson was happy to talk about his milestone day.

“I’m very grateful for the situation that it would be able to happen today,” Johnson said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s something that has eluded me.”

Olivares got through four innings with a big lead, but the scenario was perfect for Johnson to get his 20th win instead of Olivares getting his second as a Mariner.

By not going five innings, Olivares didn’t qualify for the win. Instead, it was Johnson who walked in from the bullpen with the Guns N’ Roses song “Welcome to the Jungle” and a crazy crowd rocking the dome.

“I thank Omar for letting me come into this game,” Johnson said. ” I took his win, but he didn’t mind, knowing the circumstances.”

Johnson, who will start Game 1 of the Division Series against Baltimore Wednesday in the Kingdome, finishes the season with 20 wins, four losses and a 2.28 earned-run average.

After watching Olivares give up two runs in the first inning, it appeared getting Johnson into the game in a winning situation might be tough.

But the Mariners had six straight hitters reach base to string together four runs in the bottom of the first.

Alex Rodriguez bounced a two-run single by first base to tie the game, Sorrento drove home another with a single and Mike Blowers’ sacrifice fly made it 4-2 and the record-setting day carried on.

Notes

Russ Davis will not be ready for the Baltimore series and will continue to rehab in hopes of playing in the ALCS should Seattle advance. … Rodriguez went 2 or 5 to raise his average to .29987. Joey Cora also is shooting for the .300 mark and will get one at-bat today, according to Piniella, to supplement his .3001 average… . Seattle has won the season series against Oakland for the first time since 1991… . Oakland wasn’t without team records. Jason Giambi’s two-run, first-inning double was his 41st two-bagger of the season, setting an A’s record… . Now that Johnson is a 20-game winner for Seattle, can you name the only two remaining franchises who have not had a 20-game winner? Florida and Colorado.

On the mound

Jeff Fassero (16-9, 3.65) and Ken Cloude (4-2, 4.68) will each pitch a few innings today against the A’s and Dave Telgheder (4-6, 5.94).

Mariners 9, Athletics 3 Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg. JMcDnld cf 5 1 1 0 0 1 .258 Magadan dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 .303 Grieve rf 3 1 1 0 1 1 .308 Giambi 1b 4 0 2 2 0 0 .295 Stairs lf 4 1 2 0 0 0 .295 Spiezio 2b 4 0 2 0 0 0 .245 Mayne c 3 0 1 0 0 1 .286 a-Lesher ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 .230 Batista ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .202 Brito 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .231 Totals 36 3 10 3 1 7 Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Cora 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .300 Gates 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .230 RKelly lf 5 3 3 2 0 0 .290 Griffey Jr cf 5 2 3 2 0 1 .304 Ducey rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 Buhner rf 2 1 0 0 3 1 .243 1-Tnsly pr-cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .202 ARdrigz dh 5 1 2 2 0 1 .300 Sorrento 1b 5 1 2 2 0 0 .268 DaWilson c 3 0 1 0 2 0 .270 Blowers 3b 3 0 1 1 0 1 .295 Sheets ss 4 1 1 0 0 1 .259 Totals 37 9 13 9 5 5 Oakland 200 000 001 3 Seattle 410 211 00x 9 a-doubled for Mayne in the 9th.

1-ran for Buhner in the 8th.

E-Brito (5). LOB-Oakland 7, Seattle 10. 2B-Giambi (41), Lesher (3), RKelly (26). HR-Sorrento (31) off Ludwick; RKelly (12) off Rigby; Griffey Jr (56) off Rigby. RBIs-Giambi 2 (80), Lesher (16), RKelly 2 (59), Griffey Jr 2 (147), ARodriguez 2 (84), Sorrento 2 (80), Blowers (19). SB-Sheets (2). SF-Blowers.

Runners left in scoring position-Oakland 5 (JMcDonald 2, Stairs, Spiezio, Mayne); Seattle 4 (RKelly, Sorrento, DaWilson, Sheets).

DP-Seattle 1 (Sorrento).

Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Rigby L,1-7 3-1/3 8 7 7 2 1 63 4.87 Lorraine 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 6 6.37 Ludwick 1-1/3 1 1 1 1 2 21 8.25 Mohler 1/3 2 1 1 0 0 10 5.19 CReyes 2-2/3 2 0 0 2 1 49 5.82 Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Olivares 4 5 2 2 1 2 67 4.97 RJhnsn W,20-4 2 2 0 0 0 3 28 2.28 Timlin 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 3.22 Spoljaric 1 3 1 1 0 1 25 3.69 Ayala 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 3.82 Spoljaric pitched to 3 batters in the 9th.

Inherited runners-scored-CReyes 1-0, Ayala 2-0.

T-2:46. A-50,443 (59,084).

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON DECK Today: Oakland at Seattle, regular-season finale, 1:30. TV: FSN.