The Seattle Mariners are on their
last road trip of the season, the
second largest this year. Four
games in Texas, three in Oakland
and three in Anaheim before returning
home for the last three scheduled
home games of the season.

By Amaury Pi-González
SeattleWith Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia,
Joel Piñeiro,Gil Meche and
Ryan Franklin the Mariners
are the first team since
1966 to have the same
five man rotation all
season-long. Last team?
-The 1966 Los Angeles
Dodgers: Sandy Koufax,
Don Drysdale,Don Sutton,
Claude Osteen and Joe
Moeller.

The same rotation all year
long. “It is what you strive
for, every team would love to
have that,” said Bob Melvin
rookie manager of the Mariners.
The M’S rotation is deeper than
the A’S.

So how come they’re behind
the Oakland Athletics ? Well,
for one; Freddy García is
like the Cyclone Roller Coaster
in Santa Cruz, up and down
and up and down…all season.
Moyer could win 20 and Ryan
Franklin gets minimal run
support and with a 3.60 era
he also has a losing record.

But the hitting is the problem
here in Seattle as they leave
for their last road trip.
Here is an amazing stat: The
Mariners just finished a 4-2
homestand against the Rnagers
and the Angels in which they
hit as a team a .186 average!
Yes, the pitching has been
marvelous, it has to be to
win with that type of offense.
The Mariners defense is the
best in the American League.
With Winn,Cameron and Ichiro
not much goes by the outfield
and the infield was fortified
when they got Rey Sanchez
from the Mets. Boone at second
should win the AL Gold Glove,
Olerud is having an off season
at the plate but his defense
still outstanding and Carlos
Guillén has done well at third
base. Both catchers Wilson
and Davis are good at defense.
By the way, these Mariners
contracts run at the end
of the season: Ichiro Susuki,
Freddy García, Rey Sánchez,
Arthur Rhodes, Mike Cameron,
John Olerud and Armando
Benítez.

During this past homestand
the Hispanic Heritage Baseball
Museum was present with a
traveling exhibit at Safeco Field
on September 9th, LatinAmerican
Day at Safeco and we inducted
into the HHBM Hall of Fame
Mariners DH Edgar Martínez,
arguably the best DH ever,
with over 2,000 hits and
two batting titles. He is
40 and he still can hit.
Yours truly and Hall of Famer
Orlando Cepeda, Member of
the Board of Directors of the
Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame
presented Edgar Martínez with
his induction plaque prior to
the game during a very
colorful ceremony.

During the past 12 games
Bret Boone (who was Mr.MVP)
during most of the season
is hitting .159 with one homerun
and five RBI.

While on the mound the Mariners
starting five during the last nine
games have a 1.68 earned-run
average. The bullpen has not
been that strong, however,
Rafael Soriano with a very good
showing this year is a real
good candidate to be a closer
very soon for the M’S.

Boone: “I’ve never been through
something like this, not in
September for the last three or
four years” “I usually hit well
in the second half”.

At the time of this column, wild card
leader was Boston (with an easier
schedule than the M’S) playing
Tampa Bay and Baltimore in
the last two weeks, while the
Mariners have tough business
with Texas, Anaheim and Oakland
the rest of the 13 games starting
on Monday September 16 at
The Stadium in Arlington.

KOMO the new Mariners Flagship
paid over $10 million for the
broadcast rights and they have
shown a very nice increase
in their ratings, but the talk
shows -Mariners fans are
losing their patience with
this team’s management-

The Mariners went over the
3 million in attendance this
past weekend at Safeco and
their fan base is as solid as
you will find anyplace. They
are a real regional team,
drawing from Puget Sound
Eastern Washington,Oregon.
Idaho and Montana during
weekends and special
promotions. This was the
fourth consecutive season
they went over the 3 million
mark and fourth overall
in their franchise.

I have three more games
with the Mariners when
the Athletics visit on the
last weekend of the season
and I left some clothing in
Seattle hopefully for
the playoffs.

The Mariners are aware that
the main thing is to make
it to the playoffs. It is very
nice to win the Division and
they still have a good chance,
but if they are the wild card
team, that is no shame, look
at the 2002 season (2 wild
card teams in World Series).
I think this is going to happen
many many times in the
future.

There are some scary teams
that if they make it as wild card
could advance over the favorites.
In the National League nobody
would like to play the Cubs
or the Marlins as the wild card,
here in the American League
a Mariners teams with their
pitching could be a headache
during Divisional Playoffs.

Oh yes. Somebody asked me
what I’ll do If the Mariners
and Giants make it to the
Playoffs? Well the Giants are
in (they were in a month ago
like I wrote).

I must stay with Seattle as
long as they go. But If they
do not advance at all I will
be with the Giants from
the start of the Playoffs.

See you later. May your
favorite team make it to
October !
————————————————–
Amaury Pi-González is on his
ninth season as Spanish
Play by Play Announcer for
the S.F Giants over KZSF
1370 AM Radio,La Caliente
for the Bay Area. And on
his first season in Seattle
calliong all home games for
the Seattle Mariners Spanish
Radio Network for 6 stations
in Washington and Oregon,
see www.spanishmariners.net