The Seattle Mariners, the team that could not win for nearly two decades, now just cannot lose.
Edgar Martinez hit a two-run double in the 11th inning Sunday night, capping one of baseball's best comebacks ever, and sent the Mariners over the New York Yankees 6-5 to win a classic, decisive Game 5 of their AL playoff series.Ken Griffey Jr., whose playoff-record fifth homer began an eighth-inning rally that tied it, scored from first base on Martinez's ball into the left-field corner, sliding home with the winning run.
"All the hard work we did finally paid off for us," Griffey said.
Randy Johnson won in relief as Seattle won for the fourth time in a week when a loss would've meant the end of its season. The Mariners became only the fourth team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a five-game series, and the first since San Diego beat Chicago in the 1984 NL playoffs.
The Mariners, in the postseason for the first time in their 19-year history, begin the best-of-7 AL championship series against Cleveland on Tuesday night at the Kingdome.
Jack McDowell, making his first relief appearance in the majors, was the loser. He escaped jams in the ninth and 10th, but could not hold a 5-4 lead in the 11th after a go-ahead single by Randy Velarde off Johnson.
Joey Cora opened the inning with a bunt single, barely eluding first baseman Don Mattingly's tag, and took third on Griffey's single. Martinez, who drove in a postseason-record seven runs in Game 4's win, followed with a drive down the left-field line. Griffey easily beat the relay to the plate, and was mobbed by his teammates as the Kingdome crowd of 57,411 roared.
"I got behind. I was just trying to make contact. He got one up and I hit it hard," said Martinez, the AL batting champion.
Johnson, who threw 116 pitches only 48 hours earlier in winning Game 3, entered in the ninth with two on and none out. In just his second relief appearance since joining Seattle, he shut out the Yankees until the 11th.
Mike Stanley drew a four-pitch walk, pinch-runner Pat Kelly moved up on a sacrifice by Tony Fernandez and Velarde singled, his 19th hit in 40 career at-bats against Johnson.