GAME 1 / 10 INNINGS Mariners 7 White Sox 4
CHICAGO – Edgar Martinez, who still swings one of the sweetest bats in baseball, left a bitter taste in the mouths of White Sox fans yesterday. Martinez scorched a 2-1 pitch from Keith Foulke into the left field bleachers at Comiskey Park in the top of the 10th inning to power the Mariners to a 7-4 win in Game 1 of their ALDS series. Game 2 is –
today with the White Sox in a must-win situation.
Former Met John Olerud followed Martinez’s 368-foot laser shot with a towering 415-foot blast to center to give the Mariners a three-run bulge. The Mariners blew an early 3-0 lead but after Chicago squandered a scoring chance in the bottom of the ninth, Seattle broke out the lumber in the 10th.
It started innocently enough with a single through the hole by Mike Cameron, one of the players the Mariners got in the Ken Griffey Jr. deal. Alex Rodriguez then popped to left.
With Martinez in the box, Cameron kept stretching his lead at first, forcing Foulke to throw over several times. Seattle manager Lou Piniella enraged the 45,290 fans when he came out of the dugout to speak to Cameron.
The White Sox called for a pitchout but Cameron wasn’t going. That made the count 2-1 and possibly broke Foulke’s concentration. If Cameron didn’t, Martinez surely did by ripping the ball into the left field stands.
The Mariners used their own catalyst, Rickey Henderson – that Shea Stadium card shark – to get things going first. Henderson singled to right when Durham, confused by the afternoon shadows, stepped toward second, allowing the ball to go through the hole.
Cameron got hit by a Jim Parque pitch and Rodriguez smoked a single to right, scoring Henderson. Martinez hit the hardest ball of the inning, a liner right at Jose Valentin.
That’s when Chicago’s Durham started to get into the act. Olerud smacked what appeared to be a sure single up the middle. But Durham dove, snagged the one-hopper and flipped to Valentin covering second for the forceout on Rodriguez.
Olerud beat Valentin’s relay to first, which allowed Cameron to score the second run of the inning. But instead of one out and runners on the corners, the Mariners had two outs and Olerud on first.
After Jay Buhner walked, David Bell popped out to short to end the inning. Seattle had a 2-0 lead but Durham had started warming the engine for Chicago.
“He makes plays,” White Sox manager Charlie Manuel said. “He made a play here opening night that might have been one of our best plays of the year.”
The Mariners made it 3-0 in the top of the second when Joe Oliver crushed a 1-0 pitch into the left field bleachers. When Mark McLemore singled to center, Parque didn’t look as if he’d make it out of the second.
Once again Durham saved the Sox. Henderson looped a broken bat flair to short right. Magglio Ordonez charged; Durham retreated.
At the last instant, Durham reached up and snagged the pop fly. Cameron then hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
That’s when the White Sox finally caught Durham’s spark. Paul Konerko walked to open the bottom of the second and Chris Singleton tripled into the right field corner. Singleton then scored on a wild pitch by Seattle starter Freddy Garcia, who hopped over home plate, screamed and dropped his glove in self disgust.
The White Sox tied it at 3-3 when Durham led off the third with a home run that just cleared the wall in left-center. Valentin walked and scored on an Ordonez triple into the right field corner.
The scored stayed 4-3 until the seventh, when Bob Howry came on in relief of Parque and promptly walked Buhner. Bell lashed a double off the wall in left, putting runners at second and third with no outs.
Again, Durham made the play. With the infield drawn in, Oliver lashed a one-hopper right at Durham, who fielded it, held Buhner at third and threw out Oliver.
McLemore walked and Howry struck out Stan Javier, batting for Williams. The White Sox brought in Chad Bradford who gave up an RBI single to right to Cameron. Bell tried to score behind Buhner but was thrown out by Ordonez.