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| TODAY: Friday, May 19 | ||||||
| Piniella has big plans for Henderson | ||||||
| SEATTLE -- Rickey Henderson thinks he's going to be a nice
fit in Seattle, a city where he's wanted to play for a long time.
"I feel physically good," the veteran left fielder said
Friday, arriving just an hour before the start of the Mariners'
game against Tampa Bay. "It's a fresh start for me. I know I'm going
to get the opportunity to play."
Pinch-running in the eighth inning for Jay Buhner, Henderson scored from first on Stan Javier's double to the wall in center field. He beat the throw by a hair without sliding, sparking a roar from the Safeco Field crowd and tying the game 6-6. Henderson wasn't inserted into the starting lineup, but he was on the bench in a Mariners uniform for the opener of a three-game series. Piniella plans to start him in left field and use him as his leadoff hitter. Mariners leadoff hitters are hitting .184 this season. The Mariners activated Henderson and optioned right-hander Kevin Hodges, who has been in their bullpen, to Triple-A Tacoma. They had Mark McLemore as their leadoff hitter and Stan Javier in left field Friday night. "I know what Lou wants, I know what he expects," said Henderson, who played under Piniella with the New York Yankees when Piniella managed that team from 1986-88. Henderson refused to criticize the Mets or manager Bobby Valentine, with whom he had a stormy relationship this season. But he did say he felt he wasn't given enough of a chance to play left field this season. "I'm not bitter," he said. "I've never been bitter about any of my former clubs." After having a banner year last season when the Mets made it to the NLCS against Atlanta, Henderson slumped this year, hitting .219 with a .387 on-base percentage in 31 games. In New York, he was making $1.9 million. He will cost the Mariners about $150,000 and the Mets will pay him the remainder of his salary. The Mariners' contract with Henderson gives the team an option to keep him at $3 million with a $250,000 buyout by the team if it doesn't want to keep him. "It's great to be in Seattle," Henderson said. "There were times in the past when I wanted to come here, especially when (Ken) Griffey was here." Griffey forced the Mariners to trade him to the Cincinnati Reds in February. The Mariners haven't officially retired No. 24, Griffey's old number, but Henderson won't wear No. 24 here. Instead, he will wear No. 35, the number Henderson wore in his first of four stints with the Oakland Athletics. "Numbers don't really matter," Henderson said. | ALSO SEE Rickey preceded by reputations with Mariners  | |||||
