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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) -- Rickey Henderson ended his first day as a member
of the Seattle Mariners by proving he can still run.
|  | | Rickey Henderson scored the tying run in the eighth inning in his Mariner debut Friday night. |
"It's been a long day, but I feel good about it," Henderson
said after scoring the tying run from first base in the Mariners'
7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Friday night.
With Seattle trailing 6-5 in the eighth inning, Henderson, 41,
entered as a pinch runner.
"I told Lou if he needed me, I'd be ready," said Henderson,
baseball's career stolen base leader.
He scored on Stan Javier's double off Billy Taylor (0-1), which
went over center fielder Gerald Williams, on a hit-and-run.
"He can run. We knew that," Mariners manager Lou Piniella
said. "He brought the mail home."
After Henderson scored, Roberto Hernandez came in and walked
pinch-hitter Tom Lampkin. Mike Cameron sacrificed, and Mark
McLemore's sacrifice fly put the Mariners ahead.
"That was exciting," Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez said.
"It was like a movie. It was really dramatic. It's nice to have
Rickey here. You look at his records. They're mind boggling."
Jose Mesa (2-2), who gave up a three-run homer to Greg Vaughn in
the seventh that gave Tampa Bay a 6-4 lead, got the victory.
Kazuhiro Sasaki pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Rodriguez hit his 14th homer off Albie Lopez in the bottom of
the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
Henderson, signed as a free agent by the Mariners on Wednesday
night after his release by the New York Mets, arrived at Safeco
Field about an hour before the game. He was activated, got a
uniform and received a standing ovation when he came in to pinch
run.
Henderson scored on a close play at the plate. He probably made
it closer by choosing not to slide.
"I thought I had it all the way," he said.
"He gives the Mariners that added dimension," Tampa Bay
manager Larry Rothschild said. "He adds a whole different side to
the game when he's on base. They've got the speed and they used
it."
Seattle's Brett Tomko had to leave because of stiffness in his
right shoulder after he went to a 3-1 count on John Flaherty in the
fourth. Tomko was acquired Feb. 10 in the trade that sent Ken
Griffey Jr. to Cincinnati.
The Mariners already have starters Jamie Moyer and Freddy Garcia
on the disabled list, but they didn't seem too concerned about
Tomko.
"He should be OK," trainer Rick Griffin said. "He just
stiffened up. That's not normal, but we didn't want to take any
chances."
With Seattle ahead 4-2, Jose Paniagua walked Kevin Stocker,
Miguel Cairo and Gerald Williams to load the bases in the seventh.
Vinny Castilla's sacrifice against Mesa drove in a run, and and
Vaughn drove Mesa's next pitch into the second deck in left field
for his second homer of the night and 12th of the season. Vaughn
also homered in the first.
Seattle's Edgar Martinez went 3-for-4 with his 12th homer of the
season and fourth of the week. In four games of a six-game
homestand, the designated hitter is 9-for-17 with 11 RBIs.
Javier, starting in left field, also homered and McLemore had
three stolen bases for the third time in his career and first since
April 6, 1998, when he was with Texas.
Williams homered in the fifth for Tampa Bay.
Martinez had an RBI single in the bottom of the first before
Javier homered to lead off the second. In the fourth, McLemore
singled in a run. Martinez homered to the opposite field in the
fifth.
Dwight Gooden started for Tampa Bay and allowed four runs on 10
hits and three walks. Tomko pitched three innings plus, allowing
one run on four hits and two walks.
Game
notes
Seattle won its fourth in a row and Tampa Bay suffered its
sixth defeat in a row. The Devil Rays are a season-worst 14 games
under .500. ... Flaherty, Tampa Bay's catcher, threw out Jay Buhner
attempting to steal second in the fifth. Flaherty is 7-for-33
(.212) throwing out base runners attempting to steal this season.
... Before the game, the Devil Rays called up RHP Taylor from
Triple-A Durham and sent RHP Jeff Sparks to their International
League farm club. Taylor became the 34th Devil Rays player to play
this season and the 17th pitcher. ... The Mariners activated
Henderson and sent RHP Kevin Hodges to Triple-A Tacoma. ... Vaughn
came into the game in a 5-for-29 slump. He was 3-for-4 with two
homers and four RBIs. He had his 27th career multi-homer game and
his third this season. Vaughn homered in his 35th major league
ballpark. ... It was the fourth time in 61 games that teams have
combined for six home runs in a game.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
Rickey, yearning for fresh start, in Seattle ahead of schedule
RECAPS
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