Oddly, Buhner Does It Again Clubhouse Cutup’s 200th Homer Sends Mariners Home With A Win
The list of odd-duck characters employed by the Seattle Mariners once included a catcher who struck out swinging at a pitch that hit him in the stomach, a shortstop who would only talk to the press while lying on his back and Steve Trout - who was stopped at airport security for carrying handcuffs in his briefcase.
“They’re a gift from my fiance,” Trout explained.
None of them was any more a character than Jay Campbell Buhner.
Once known primarily as the best friend of Ken Griffey Jr., Buhner has been spotlighted for his bald head, his ability to vomit upon request - a much appreciated talent in baseball clubhouses - and a sense of humor best illustrated this spring when he ran naked through the clubhouse.
Wearing a bagel.
The biggest difference between Buhner and the fruitcakes who preceded him into Mariners history is the man can play, a point he drove home again Sunday with a milestone home run that helped push Seattle to a 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
“Jay is the clubhouse catalyst for this team,” teammate Norm Charlton said.
“He says what needs to be said, he does what needs to be done.”
After losing the first two games of a three-game series against the Tigers, what the Mariners needed on Sunday was what they always seem to need to win - runs.
“We go one of two ways this season,” Buhner said. “We either score six or seven runs, or we stink.”
As part of an offensive machine that leads the American League in runs produced, Buhner has been a consistent enough performer to put his name among the league leaders in home runs and RBI.
Buhner’s first-inning home run - the 200th of his big-league career - and a subsequent RBI single got Seattle off to a fast start, another day of contribution for a man who has already had one of the most productive seasons in franchise history.
“A lot of guys have had big offensive numbers this season,” Buhner said.
None more impressive than Buhner, who has another 52 games to add to numbers that already include a .282 batting average, 31 home runs and 99 RBI.
“Jay might be the heart and soul of this team, the way Thurman Munson was for the old Yankees teams,” manager Lou Piniella said. “I know if I need a player to get something done in the clubhouse, I start with Jay.
“The last few years, he’s really come into his own as a run producer. He’s at the age - his early 30’s - where he’s at his peak physically and mentally, and he’s shown what that combination can accomplish.”
What Buhner is on pace to accomplish is formidable: 46 home runs, 146 RBI.
“It’s not like I’m doing it alone,” Buhner said.
After a two-hit, three-RBI game, shortstop Alex Rodriguez projects out to a season in which he’d bat .360 with 36 home runs and 130 RBI. And Griffey, Buhner’s closest friend, is now on target to bat .307 with 51 home runs and 135 RBI.
“There’s not much question, this team wins with offense,” Piniella said. “With the two new pitchers we just added and with the possibility of Randy Johnson coming back, that may balance out. But all year we’ve had to score to win - and score in bunches.”
The Mariners did that on Sunday, scoring in five different innings to win in Tiger Stadium for just the fourth time in the last 22 games.
“We’re done here this year, and I won’t miss this place,” Piniella said.
Nor will Buhner, who nearly didn’t get the ball from that 200th home run back.
“It’s a nice number, 200 home runs,” Buhner said. “What I’d really like to do is get to 300. That would be something.”
An offense Detroit couldn’t stop propelled rookie Bob Wolcott to his seventh victory, though for the second time this trip he couldn’t get much beyond the fifth inning.
He got through five innings with 5-1 lead, and before he took the mound in the sixth inning he was ahead, 7-1. The best he could do from there was get … one out.
“I flat out ran out of gas,” Wolcott said. “It was humid, it was raining, I just couldn’t go any further.”
Tim Davis, Rafael Carmona and Mike Jackson finished the job.
“That’s what a team is, guys picking up other guys,” Buhner said. “We haven’t had a good hot streak yet this season. Last year we didn’t really have one until September. If we can get Randy and Edgar (Martinez) back, we could put something together right now.
“We’re the team to beat in our division. I don’t care where we are in the standings right now.”
Notes
Fashion trend setter Ken Griffey Jr. was breaking the clubhouse up during pregame. No longer content with the backward cap look he helped pioneer, Griffey came up with a new idea - and walked around for 15 minutes with his uniform pants on backwards. … Tigers outfielder Kim Bartee was impressed with pitcher Terry Mulholland’s move to first base: “I watched him on tape, but I couldn’t believe how quick he was to first. I was afraid that one time he’d deliver the ball to the plate and I’d be diving back to the bag.” … Rich Amaral’s third-inning stolen base was his 19th, two short of his career high.
Coming up
The Mariners are off Monday. Cleveland visits the Kingdome on Tuesday to help Seattle open a nine-game homestand. The Indians will stay for three games.