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 of Edgar Martinez.
Pitching quickly is nice. But pitching effectively is better.
“Cheats on every pitch because his bat is so slow,” read an AL scouting report on the antique Martinez.
But 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.
“You’ve got to be able to make pitches,” Lieber said. “If you don’t, that’s what happens. You have to get the ball down, and you can’t get behind like that.”
Asked what was wrong with Lieber, manager Joe Torre said, “Up, up, up. He was getting too many pitches up, mainly the fastball.”
Martinez’ double came off a fastball, the homer off a slider.
On Martinez, Torre had this to say – smiling broadly: “Edgar Martinez is too old. He shouldn’t be playing the game.”
Then, seriously, Torre added, “He knows how to hit, and he has a plan.”
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.
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.
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.
Martinez’ double was the 500th of his career, and the crowd responded with a standing ovation.