M’S Enjoy Wild Time Newcomer Kelly A Key Contributor In 7-6 Win Over Cleveland
Roberto Kelly spent much of Thursday in the air and a good portion of Thursday night on the bases at the Kingdome. Even when he struck out.
The newest Mariner prolonged a two-run, bottom of the eighth inning at the Kingdome, swinging and missing at a two-out, third-strike wild pitch, setting up a wild finish to the Mariners’ 7-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians before 30,395 fans.
Most of those fans were just getting out of bed when Kelly, acquired from the Minnesota Twins late Wednesday night, boarded a plane in Baltimore for the cross-country flight.
It didn’t take long to see why the Mariners wanted him. He singled twice and scored once, reaching base three times.
“He’s going to make a difference,” shortstop Alex Rodriguez said. “He gives us speed, good defense and most importantly, he gives us experience.”
The Mariners needed all that and more to hang on against the Indians.
They twice built three-run leads and both times gave two of those runs back. The Indians can blame a dead battery for the outcome.
Catcher Pat Borders’ passed ball allowed the first of two runs to score in the eighth inning, and reliever Paul Assenmacher uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch to give M’s closer Heathcliff Slocumb a 7-4 lead and some ninth-inning breathing space.
The right-hander needed every gasp he could muster before securing his 21st save of the season and fourth for the M’s. The Indians scored twice in the ninth and had the tying run on second base when pinch-hitting Sandy Alomar grounded out.
“We needed to win a game like this,” Rodriguez said. “A week ago, we probably would have lost the way things were going.”
But things went their way Thursday.
Edgar Martinez’s tie-breaking double in the fifth inning off loser Bartolo Colon came after the Indians elected to walk Ken Griffey Jr. intentionally and load the bases with none out.
First base was open because Cleveland left fielder David Justice fielded Kelly’s solid single to left-center and attempted to throw out Joey Cora at third base. Cora reached safely and Kelly advanced a base, setting up the 20th intentional walk Griffey has received this season. Martinez then worked the count full before tagging his 30th double of the season, driving in his 90th and 91st runs.
Jay Buhner added his 89th RBI with an infield out.
“That was a big one-out RBI,” manager Lou Piniella said, “and that’s what we need. (It was) an important run.”
It was the run that allowed the Mariners to keep the lead despite an upper-deck, two-run homer by Jim Thome off left-handed reliever Paul Spoljaric in the seventh inning.
Thome’s 34th homer of the season also scored Manny Ramirez, who led off with a bloop single to center off Bob Wells.
Rodriguez, who relinquished the numer two spot in the batting order to Kelly, batted fifth and led off the second inning with his 19th home run of the season.
“I don’t mind it a bit,” said Rodriguez about being dropped to fifth in the order. “Kelly already has made a difference batting second. (Piniella) had to shake up the lineup and it’s going to take some adjusting, but one game is adjustment enough.”
MEMO: Box scores for the game ran at the end of this story.