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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) -- Steve Sparks had ligament replacement surgery in
his right elbow in 1997, battled with a torn right rotator cuff
last season and got released by Philadelphia in spring training.
Tuesday night, the veteran knuckleballer held Seattle hitless
until the sixth inning and pitched his first major league shutout,
leading the Detroit Tigers over the Mariners 9-0.
|  | | Steve Sparks, 35, proved a big-league pitcher is never too old to throw a shutout. Sparks allowed five hits in a 9-0 win over the M's. |
"It's awesome," said Sparks, 35. "I didn't know if I'd ever
get this opportunity to pitch a shutout at my age. In the ninth
inning, it was hard to keep my emotions intact."
The AL West-leading Mariners lost their season-high fourth in a
row and had their division lead cut to four games over Oakland,
which beat Cleveland 5-3 Tuesday night.
Dean Palmer and Juan Gonzalez homered as Detroit won for the
fifth time in six games.
"That's the best I've ever seen his knuckleball. Ever. When
you throw the ball by hitters like A-R (Alex Rodriguez) and Edgar
(Martinez), your ball is doing something," said Detroit manager
Phil Garner, who managed Sparks in Milwaukee in 1995 and '96.
Sparks finished with a five-hitter in his first complete game in
the majors since May 24, 1996.
Sparks (3-2), who spent most of the season at Triple-A Toledo,
struck out six and walked one. He faced only 30 batters, and just
two runners reached second base. The Tigers turned three double
plays.
Making his sixth start for the Tigers, Sparks did not give up a
hit until Carlos Guillen's double with two outs in the sixth.
Sparks pitched for Anaheim last season and was signed by the
Tigers as a minor league free agent March 26 after being released
by Philadelphia.
Sparks said he threw "80 to 85 percent" knuckleballs to the
Mariners.
"I don't know if I had them baffled, but it was very
comfortable out there," he said of the game-time temperature of 66
degrees. "But I wasn't thinking about pitching a no-hitter. I
would never think that until I had one or two outs in the ninth
inning."
"We've played awfully well and all of a sudden we're in a bit
of a funk," Seattle manager Lou Piniella said. "We'll get out of
it. Good teams bounce back from adversity and we will."
Palmer drove in four runs for the fourth time this season with a
two-run homer, his team-leading 23rd, and a two-run single.
Gonzalez, who had a season-high four hits, hit a two-run homer
in the eighth. The Tigers finished with 17 hits.
Aaron Sele (13-7) surrendered six runs on 11 hits and a walk in
five innings. Sele beat the Tigers 4-0 on a three-hit complete game
shutout April 11 in Detroit.
"With Sele, you have to be patient," Palmer said. "When he
got a curveball up, we didn't miss it and he left a couple of them
up."
Said Sele: "You don't have to look any farther than the
pitching. I got the ball up and Sparks threw a great game. It's a
simple story."
Palmer hit a 396-foot homer into the center-field stands after
Gonzalez opened the fifth with a single.
In the first two games of a three-game series, the Tigers have
outscored Seattle 24-4 and outhit the Mariners 35-14. The Tigers
had 18 hits in a 15-4 win Monday night.
Game notes
LF Rickey Henderson was out of the Mariners' lineup for the
second day in a row because of a sore right leg. "He'll probably
be better tomorrow," Piniella said. "If not tomorrow, Friday."
The Mariners are off Thursday and open a six-game road trip Friday
night in Cleveland. ... Palmer had three hits in a game for the
seventh time this season. ... The Tigers are 48-18 when they score
four runs or more. ... The Mariners were shut out for the fifth
time, while the Tigers had their fourth shutout. ... The last time
the Mariners lost four straight was Sept. 10-13, 1999.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
Smith: Tigers won't let Gonzalez take sweet time deciding future
RECAPS
Tampa Bay 3
Boston 1
Anaheim 8
Toronto 4
Chi. White Sox 14
Baltimore 4
Minnesota 6
Kansas City 2
NY Yankees 10
Texas 2
Oakland 5
Cleveland 3
Detroit 9
Seattle 0
St. Louis 4
Chicago Cubs 2
NY Mets 7
Colorado 5
NY Mets 4
Colorado 3
(2nd game)
Florida 7
Los Angeles 3
San Francisco 9
Montreal 7
Arizona 11
Philadelphia 6
Atlanta 3
San Diego 1
Houston 5
Pittsburgh 4
Milwaukee 2
Cincinnati 1
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