Ulrich Ulriksen wrote:
Great start to the series (although sad you had to crush the hopes of Baltimore to get there). Hope the bats stay alive.

Time for Randy Johnson to taste what the World Series is like. He'll battle it out against Darryl Kile, as once again the Kingdome is beyond capacity.

Randy is off to a good start with two strikeouts, as the Braves are handled in four batters. Castillo takes first on balls, and to no-ones surprise he steals Second, because there are three certainties in life. Taxes, Death, and Castillo stealing second. Unfortuntely Luis gest no help and is stranded.

Dan Wilson is exercising his vendetta, opening the 2nd with a double. But he too is left stuck on base. Martinez is not fast, but he's a wizard with the bat, tucking the ball into a gap in the field for a double. A few at bats late it's Nieves at the plate, and the power hitter sends the ball into deep centre. Martinez needs no second invitation, Mariners take a 1-0 lead.

Both sides go out 1-2-3 in the 3rd. Top of the 4th and whilst Randy adds another strikeout, he surrenders two men onto base. In steps Palmeio for the Braves, putting the ball over the fences for a 3-run homer and a 1-3 lead. Clearly the 4th is where the batters are coming good. Mariners respnd by getting Cruz and Nieves onto base for only one out. Pudge hits, and Cruz scores to make it 2-3. Castillo connects, and defensive indecision allows Niever to tie the game 3-3. Still two on base, one out.
The crowd are on their feet, sensing blood in the water around Puget Sound. Giles responds in kind, smashing a deep hit the the back left corner, and we wave home Pudge and Castillo to take a 5-3 lead! Kile is cracked on themound, as ARod hits a line drive right. Giles busts a gut to race the throw home, and diving in safe. 6-3! This is what Seattle does, wearing down the opposition and crushing with a dominant soul destroying inning.

The 5th and 6th goes scoreless after a Braves pitching change. David Ortiz doesn't want to be left out of the fun, and in the bottomg of the 7th he slaps a homer to right field, 7-3. Edgar Martinez draws a walk, and after Griffey flies out, Jose Cruz smashes the ball over centre field, into the crow. Mariners 9-3.
Bradford replaces Johnson for the final two innings. He easily sees off the broken Braves securing a 2-0 series lead for Seattle!

Onwards to Atlanta.

The first series game in Atlanta. Will the change in scenery and crowd throw off the hot Mariners batting? Also, because we're now at the NL team there is no DH role, forcing Sterling Hitchcock to bat.

The 1st Inning is held level by good pitching. Mariners also cannot get a hit in the 2nd, but Klesko runs in for the Braves for them to take a 0-1 lead. Definitely a big change for the Mariners who do look somewhat overawed by the Georgian crowds. And it gets worse in the 3rd, as the Braves tag in a second run to go 0-2 up. Sterling struggling to pitch and bat.

Into the 4th Hitchcock gets some more control back to keep it scoreless. Ken Griffey is the first Mariner to make anything happen today, top of the 5th he hits a nice ball to left for a double. However trying to create some magic he ends up getting thrown out atempting to steal third base. Into the 6th Inning bith teams have 5 hits, and a combinedd 4 strikeouts. This is not a good game of baseball. To emphasise the point Castillo is hit by pitch and goes to first. Giles hits direct to the second baseman, but it's dropped! He makes the single, and Castillo beats a throw the third. Suddenly the Mariners have two men on and no outs.

ARod dinks a beauty of a hit to right field, bringing home Castillo and Giles coming all the way to third. 1-2 and this feels like the classic Mariner inning. Ortiz powers the ball on the floor past the shortstop, allowing Giles to tie the game 2-2. ARod is thrown out going to third, and then we surrender two more outs. Not the power inning we wanted, but Seattle is back in this game!

Hitchcock claims two strikeouts to keep the Braves from adding more scores. The 7th goes scoreless as well. The Atlanta fans are getting very nervous. For the 8th Hitchcock is swapped out for Daal. The Braves pounce on the new pitcher to load the bases. As much as Omar tries he can't save it, surrendering two runs to give the Braves a late 2-4 lead. Tim Davies is subbed in and closes the inning without further damage. Mariners cannot respond, those hot bats feeling decidedly cool today.

Indeed that's about it. Davies another impressive inning with two more strikeouts. But ARod, Ortiz and Martinez all groundout trying to force a miracle. Braves win 2-4 and the Series now sits 2-1. We need a huge improvment tomorrow.

Edwin Hurtado is tasked with Pitching for the M's, definitely not our best and he'll need some batting support.

Castillo strikes out, but ARod, Ortiz and Giles quickly load the bases. Martinez is struckout swining, and Griffey is thrown at first off a poor contact. Chance wasted for Seattle. To make this more painful, the fears over Hurtado bear fruit as he gives away a 2-run homer. Granted, he does also record two strikeouts in the 1st Inning.

To make amends, in the 2nd, Hurtado smashes his first at bat into the stands, 1-2 to the Braves and this game could be wild! Especially as Hurtado records two more strikeouts to close the Inning. Whilst the 3rd is scoreless, the 4th opens with the wildness we hoped for. Griffey pops a ball up in the air, drifting right towards foul territory. Palmeiro steps in to make the easy catch, but fumbles the ball, which now drops fair! Griffey makes it count to take first. Downside, he's left stranded there. To continue the weirdness the Braves put a man on first. Schmidt tries a bunt, but the ball pops up of the top edge. Pudge makes the catch and fires the ball to first, where Ortiz tags the runner who had stepped off the bag. A strange double play to keep the game at 1-2.

Bottom of the 5th and Hurtado gives away a home run to Offerman, then another run to Palmeiro. Mariners down 1-4, and Piniella is forced to pull Edwin, sending in Bradford. He gets an immediate striekout to close the inning. The Braves also make a pitching change to open the 6th, but Martinez and Griffey secure singles to get on base. Pudge comes in with an RBI-double, waving in Edgar and close the gap to 2-4. Eric Karros is pinch hitting, and the ball is gone high to left field, into the fans for a 3-run homer, and Seattle steals a 5-4 lead! It's that classic Mariner middle inning of dominance.

Another Braves pitching change, but Seattle is here to pile on the pain. Castillo doubles to left field, then Giles adds his own double for Luis to make it 6-4. ARod makes it three doubles in a row, 7-4 as Giles runs in. David Ortiz is walked, probably a smart choice. Indeed it was as Ortiz is thrown out a play later going for second, but Arod makes third. Cruz gets first on balls. And Ken Griffey keeps up the pain with a hit that bounces horribly off the back wall. ARod and Cruz score, 9-4 Mariners. Eventually the Braves can finish the inning, but this might be the point the World Series was lost. 8-Runs in an Inning, giving away a 3-run lead, very much the opposite of how you win games.

Piniella is getting tricksy. He sends in Pulsipher to pitch, normally a starter! It works, as Bill catches Derrick May stepping off the bag at first, and Ortiz gets a second tag of the game. He then throws two strikeouts for good measure. He holds the 7th scoreless, and the 8th as well.
Top of the 9th there's some questionable strike calls against the Mariners, but Piniella is just about keeping his anger in check. Roberto Hernandez gest to close again, and does so with a stylish two strikeouts followed by a Griffey catch. Mariners win 9-4 in a fun and wild game. They lead the Series 3-1, and are just one win from immortality.

Game 5, and the final one in Atlanta. All or nothing time for the Braves, as the Mariners are just one win away from the title.

It's a slow start to the game, with the pitchers in charge. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Innings all go scoreless. Bottom of the 4th, Chipper Jones opens the scoring with a sizzling home run to left field, 0-1. And through the 5th the Mariners have only managed to record 5 hits total for the night. Things are just not working on offence, but the combination of Steve Avery and good fielding is keeping them in the game.

Top of the 7th, David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez record singles to give us two on base, with no outs. Comfortably the Mariners best position of the night. Griffey strikes out. Cruz flies out. And Pudge strikesout. Wasted chance! To pile on, Klesko scores another home run for the Braves to go 0-2 ahead. Chad Bradford is in to relieve for Avery, but in the 8th he lets two more runs slip away for the BRaves to go 0-4 in front. The Mariners are nowhere close to threatening a four-run inning tonight. And in fact it's Smoltz who puts the nail in the coffin. He's pitched a complete 9-inning shutout, recording 15 strikeouts.

Braves back to 3-2 in the series. Still in the Mariners control, and now back in the Kingdome where they were so good in the first games.

We're back in the Kingdome! Randy Johnson is taking the start for the Mariners, and their packed out fans demand nothing less than the title tonight.

The tall man on the mound is fired up for this. He sits the Braves in three, and records two strikeouts. Ideal start for the Mainers. Although not so much at bat, recording two hits but no runs. In the 2nd and Randy throws another three-and-out. batters step up. Martinez draws a walk, before Griffey with a hard shot up centre to get on base as well. Jose Cruz fires the ball into left field, and Edgar and Ken run in for take a 2-0 lead. Nieves joins the action, his ball finding deep right field, for Cruz to extend the lead to 3-0.

The good times don't last. Into the 4th and the Braves work in a run, whilst also having a man on second and third base. It's Dan Wilson yet again who makes a big play for Braves, sending his hit over the centre field wall, and Atlanta suddenly is ahead 3-4. Something is going horribly wrong for Randy Johnson as he gives away another three runs in the Inning, and with the game now looking 3-7 Piniella has no choice but to make a change and send in Tim Davies.

Tim grabs the needed Out to send the Mariners back to the plate. Ken Griffey Jr makes a statement to everyone in the dome, as he fires a shot high into the stands of right field, 4-7. Agressive running from Nieves moves him around to third base and brings Pudge to first with just one out. Castillo conects and bring hom Nieves, 5-7, but Pudge is thrown out. And because it's Castillo, he just steals second yet again. Turns out to be an unessesary move, as Brian Giles winds up and slugs the baseball to right field, 7-7 we are all tied up! What an unbelievable 4th Inning. The Braves are forced to change at pitcher, so we're into the relieves with a long way to go.

Davies continues his good start, sitting the Braves in three. No such luck for Atlanta on pitching, as Edgar Martinez gets his own home run. 8-7 Mariners back in front. Griffey makes it two in a row, 9-7 Seattle by the time we are all out. Davies comes very close to another three and out, bar a slip from Ortiz giving up just a single. Still, the change at Pitcher so far is working.

Castillo and Arod get onto base, with Giles being caught in between. Two men on base, Ortiz tries to be a star and whiffs, striking out. However, you need a reliable bat? You call up Edgar Martinez. He finds a gap in centre field, bringing the two runners home, Mariners pulling away 11-7.

With the trophy in touching distance Bradford replaces Davies, as the next couple of Innings are blanked by both sides. In the 8th, Bradford cracks, hits the first batter with the pitch, and then surrenders a 2-run homer. 11-9 and maybe the Braves are not done yet. Piniella puts up Roberto Hernandez to close out this game, and he prevents further damage. ARod doubles, and then makes third off an Ortiz sac-fly. Martinez is walked, smart choice. Griffey doesn't connect well, and the Braves turn a double play to keep the game 11-9 and give themselves a shout at staying alive.

Hernandez can become a Mariner legendn right here. First man up, Knoblach ground out to first. Jones strikesout, Mariners one Out from glory. Offerman... strikesout! That's it! That's the ball-game!

Seattle wins 11-9! Seattle Mariners are World Champions, 4-2!!!

Lou Piniella quits as Manager of the Seattle Mariners

Just days after winning the World Series, after three back-to-back Manager of the Year Awards, Lou is no longer tied to the Mariners. There's no secret that he and the Owner did not always meet eye to eye, but when you're winning things always seem to work out. Apparently we have found the point where that no longer applies.

Details slowly emerging through the day suggest Piniella's contract only ran through the '98 season. Whilst GM TheManxMissile had tried to work out an extension, both Lou and the Ownership could not agree on acceptable terms. Finances do not appear to be the issue, this is far more personal and a power struggle.

Is the success of this team attributed to Ownership, the same ownership that had talked about moving the franchise out of Seattle barely five years ago. Or is it down to the co-work of GM and Manager who assemble the team and then put it on the field?

Nonetheless, Piniella is out, and there is now an incredible open spot at the Mariners. Attracting interest to fill the Manager slot will not be hard. This team wins a lot, has a good atmosphere, and it's key players are tied down. Do not expect this to be a long job search.

For today, the fans across the city raise there caps in thank you to the man who helped save the team, and then took them to the summit of the mountain. Lou Piniella will forever be a beloved Mariners legend.