Mariners 6
Yankees 2
SEATTLE – The Yankees love that Jon Lieber works fast. But last night at Safeco Field, Lieber’s quick pace was no match for the decreasing bat speed being produced by Edgar Martinez.
Pitching quickly is nice. Pitching effectively is better.
“Cheats on every pitch because his bat is so slow,” read an AL scouting report on Martinez, the antique DH.
The 41-year-old’s bat made enough contact to drive in four runs via a two-run double in the first and a two-run homer in the third, helping propel the lowly Mariners to a 6-2 victory over the Yankees.
The crowd of 46,491 – the largest in Safeco’s history – took delight in watching the struggling Mariners knock off the Yankees and was absolutely full of itself for booing Alex Rodriguez during every at-bat. Rodriguez may have split the Mariners for the Rangers on his way to The Bronx, but Mariner fans don’t care if A-Rod is a Ranger or a Yankee. All they know is he left them.
They cheered when A-Rod whiffed to end the fifth with two runners on and again in the seventh when he fouled out with two more on base.
That was the story for the Yankee hitters, who went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. In the last three games – two losses – the Yankees are batting 4-for-29 (.138) in the clutch.
In his second Yankee start, Lieber wasn’t as sharp as he was in his debut last Saturday against the Royals. He gave up six runs and nine hits in six innings and is 1-1. Martinez drove in four of the runs, Ichiro Suzuki drove in another and Lieber wild-pitched a run home.
There was more to the Mariners’ victory than Martinez’ bat. Ryan Franklin, a right-hander who started the game with a 1-2 record and 5.46 ERA, went six-plus innings, allowing two runs and improved to 2-2.
The Yankees’ second straight loss dropped them two games behind the front-running Red Sox in the AL East.
Hideki Matsui and Ruben Sierra combined to run the Yankees out of a potential rally in the third when they passed each other between first and second after Sierra’s fly ball was jarred out of Suzuki’s glove at the fence by center fielder Randy Winn. Thinking the ball had been caught, Matsui was headed back to first when Sierra passed him and was called out.
Matsui opened the fifth with a single before Sierra was robbed of an extra-base hit by Suzuki at the wall. Franklin walked Enrique Wilson, the No. 9 hitter, and Kenny Lofton followed with a hard single to center that scored Matsui on a very close play at the plate.
With his lead reduced to 5-1, Franklin struck out Derek Jeter looking at a 2-2 pitch and fanned Rodriguez swinging.
Martinez extended the Mariners’ lead to 5-0 in the third when he crushed an 0-1 pitch over the left-field fence for his second homer. Raul Ibanez, who had reached on a one-out single, scored ahead of Martinez as the crowd roared.
Suzuki’s two-out single to center scored Jolbert Cabrera from second in the second and upped the host’s lead to 3-0. Cabrera, who was in the lineup at second due to Bret Boone’s balky back, had singled to center with one out.
Lieber gave up consecutive one-out singles to Winn and Scott Spiezio in the first before Ibanez fouled out. Martinez then drove an 0-1 pitch into the right-field corner for a two-run double. It was Martinez’s 500th career two-bagger and the large crowd responded with a standing ovation.