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Mariners 7, Angels 6, 12 innings
Saturday September 28, 2002
By KEN PETERS AP Sports Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Since the Anaheim Angels' regulars
wrapped up the team's first playoff appearance since 1986, manager
Mike Scioscia could send out a fresh crew for the opener of the
weekend series against Seattle.
``We were trying to win, but with different guys,'' Scioscia
said Friday night after the Mariners beat the Angels 7-6 on Edgar
Martinez's homer leading off the 12th inning.
``I was interested in getting guys off their feet and getting
some other guys playing time. We'll definitely have everybody back
in there Sunday so they don't lose their edge,'' the Angels'
manager said.
Anaheim wrapped up the AL wild-card berth with a win in Texas on
Thursday. The Angels also eliminated the defending AL West champion
Mariners from the postseason with that win.
Although it was Jarrod Washburn's turn to pitch, the Angels' ace
got Friday night off, along with many of his teammates.
Washburn is expected to pitch Tuesday when Anaheim begins the
playoffs at New York against the Yankees.
``We talked after we clinched it and Jarrod felt better about
throwing in the bullpen tonight rather than being in the game,''
Scioscia said.
The Angels also rested Tim Salmon, David Eckstein, Darin Erstad,
Bengie Molina and Scott Spiezio. Left fielder Garret Anderson was
in the lineup as the DH.
Seattle manager Lou Piniella also rested, but for a different
reason. He served a one-game suspension for a base-throwing tantrum
in a Sept. 18 loss to Texas.
Bench coach John McLaren filled in against the Angels and said,
``the guys went out and played hard and played to win. It's just
another example of a Lou Piniella team. We keep playing till the
end.
``He (Piniella) told me to have fun, and I did. We played
aggressive, like his style of ball, and it was a fun game. I've
been with Lou 11 years, and that's just a trademark of his ballclub
play hard until the last out. I've never seen a game where we
haven't played hard,'' McLaren said.
Martinez's 18th homer, a shot into the seats in right-center,
came on Lou Pote's first pitch of the inning after Pote (0-2) shut
out the Mariners for two innings.
John Halama (6-5) blanked the Angels on two hits over the final
four innings.
Orlando Palmeiro tied it 6-6 with an RBI single off Aaron Taylor
during a three-run Anaheim rally in the eighth. Brad Fullmer led
off the inning with his 18th homer, and Benji Gil singled in
another run to cut the deficit to one.
Before a loud and lively sellout crowd of 43,452 mostly clad in
Angels' red, Anaheim's Scot Shields started in place of Washburn
and gave up two runs on four hits in three innings.
Seattle starter Freddy Garcia allowed three runs on seven hits
in seven innings.
Martinez had three hits and three RBIs for Seattle. Ichiro
Suzuki and Willie Bloomquist also had three hits apiece for the
Mariners, who built a 6-3 pad in the seventh on John Olerud's RBI
single and Scott Podsednik's run-scoring groundout.<
^Notes:@ The Angels' scheduled workout Monday at Yankee Stadium is
tentative, depending on whether the Yankees have to play a makeup
game that day to determine the AL's best record. ... CF Suzuki will
be among major league All-Stars who will participate in a
seven-game, four-city tour in Japan Nov. 9-17. He played against
the major league All-Stars in 1996 and 1998 during his nine-year
career with the Orix Blue Wave. ... LF Podsednik got a shower in
the sixth inning when, going after a foul in the seats, he crashed
into a fan holding a cup. ... In a pregame ceremony, Scioscia
presented Anderson with the Gene Autry Trophy as the Angels' 2002
MVP.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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