Veteran Mariners well seasoned for run at World Series

GAIL WOOD, THE OLYMPIAN

SEATTLE -- Seven months ago, the Seattle Mariners had more questions than answers.

There was a 27-year-old rookie right fielder, a second baseman on his third team in three years and a shortstop who reluctantly became Lou Piniella's answer to "who do we have to play here?"

There was a 38-year-old pitcher with little sizzle to his fastball and a third baseman with a glove but no bat.

They were supposed to be runner-ups to Oakland. They were supposed to be a team that won because of their pitching, winning more than their share of 1-0, 2-1 ballgames.

Yet they'd win more games than any team in 95 years, and they'd become only the eighth team to stay in first place from the first pitch to the last out of the season.

And, as Piniella will tell you, they did it with pitching, defense and timely hitter. Add to that an intangible: experience, a quiet confidence that wouldn't leave them.

"These guys go hard every day, and they're confident," Piniella said. "After a loss, we come right back and try and get it done. They don't lose their confidence. There's a lot of professionals in that locker room."

Because of that, Seattle, the first team since the 1906 Chicago Cubs to finish 70 games over .500, wouldn't be rattled by a loss.

The Mariners would show a resiliency from April to October. Sixteen times the Mariners lost the first game of a series, only to come back and win or tie 11 of them. They didn't lose a series on the road until Sept. 23 at Oakland, just missing a chance at becoming the first team to go through a season and not lose a series on the road. It would be Seattle's only series loss on the road all year.

"If we had a bunch of younger players, losing the first game of a series might get us down," Mariner pitcher Aaron Sele said.

"But we've got guys who've been around. We've got a lineup of veterans. They know what it takes to win. They don't get down or get tight."

Unexpectedly Seattle won with a powerful offense. It outscored opponents 927-627, joining the 1998 Yankees as the only team to outscore an opponent by 300-plus runs since the 1939 Yankees.

So in a regular season Seattle would win 116 times, the Mariners were the surprise winners of the league. And they'd win with offensive punch, with a run-scoring machine that averaged five runs a game. And they would win because of their experience.

"This team doesn't get rattled," said Mariner pitcher Jeff Nelson, who played for the 1998 Yankee team that won 114 games. "We've got a bunch of guys who've been through this. They're loose, yet they're confident."

Three of the Mariners' position players who started in Game 2 of the playoffs against Cleveland are 37 or older. Mark McLemore, the displaced shortstop who found his niche as a utility player, and Jay Buhner, who came back from a foot injury, are both 37.

Edgar Martinez, the tireless designated hitter, is 38. And then there is starting pitcher Jamie Moyer, who at 38 became the oldest pitcher to win 20 games for the first time in a career.

Bret Boone, at 32, found a second wind to have a breakout season at second base, setting a record for home runs in a season for a second baseman with 36. Dan Wilson, at 31, continued to be the steady catcher who helped lead a pitching staff that is one of the best in the league.

Ichiro Suzuki, a 27-year-old rookie right fielder from Japan is mature way beyond most traditional rookies. Suzuki has a wealth of experience playing in Japan.

At 28, Mike Cameron has done a remarkable job filling the shoes of legend Ken Griffey Jr.

"It's a resilient group of young men," Piniella said about his team. "There's a lot of confidence in that clubhouse. I think it shows."

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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