Bob Finnigan

"Piniella pointed out that Seattle did not just win three games here but took a series in which they faced Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Mussina - regarded as the best starting group in the league and all three with a history of success against Seattle." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"The top of the Mariner order topped the 18-hit offense, with Ichiro producing his third four-hit game, Mark McLemore collecting three hits and getting on base five times, and Edgar Martinez hammering out four hits, three runs batted in and, as McLemore put it, "generally looking like Edgar Martinez." - Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"The big right-hander threw only 116 pitches, but 85 were sinkers, none of them struck well except Paul Konerko's homer in the fifth - the 17th consecutive solo Garcia has allowed back to July. That was the only one of seven Sox runners beyond second base. Garcia needed exceptional defense only once, and got it when first baseman John Olerud dove to rob Valentin of extra bases up the line in the first inning." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"Many more sweeps, and a broom will be part of the standing rigging on the Good Ship Mariner." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"For the next two weeks, the Mariners are scheduled to play the so-called poor, tired, hungry and huddled masses of the American League. Starting with the Kansas City Royals last night, the 13 games against sub-.500 teams are supposed to be like stealing from the blind or taking candy from a baby. But in their first stroll on easy street, the blind man was wielding a wicked cane and the kid turned out to be Baby Huey as the Mariners required four hits from Edgar Martinez, five innings of crucial relief pitching from Ryan Franklin and two runs in each of the last three innings to put away the Royals, 9-6." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"Of the new best [record, 35-12], Mariner Manager Lou Piniella was typically understated: "We'll just keep on playing." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"It started out one of those typical summer days, lazy, hazy, with a ballgame to match ... you get the picture. It wound up one of those typical Mariner efforts, small ball, pitching, defense, many contributions, minus ego ... by this point in the season, you should have the picture." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"He [Cameron] drove it 300 feet to right, a fly ball that got Gipson home with the tie-breaking run." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"Seattle's offense, led by the Twins of Sweet Swing, Edgar Martinez and John Olerud, helped break the tie. Martinez and Olerud, who drew consecutive walks as Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the first, hit back-to-back doubles leading to two runs that broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth, and hit twin singles to start the 11th. Piniella pointed out that those two, with 24 years of combined hitting excellence, "know that you don't need a long ball to win. You just get it going and let us put the game in motion as we did, and let it unfold from there. We've been doing it all year that way." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

For those who like their irony clever, the best sign of the Safeco season waved two weeks ago: "Junior/Alex Ichiro Hearts Out!" For those who like their satisfaction grim, however, the best numbers of all the Mariners have crunched this year: the M's 39 wins equals the total of Griffey's Reds and Rodriguez's Rangers - combined." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"As Texas Manager Jerry Narron threw one reliever after another into the breach, the Mariners kept hitting and scoring. It took four pitchers to get an out, and by then Seattle had five runs on six straight hits." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter

"As they had in 49 of the previous 126 inning an opponent has scored, Seattle responded, this time long and loud. Ichiro led with his 97th hit, a ground single up the middle, and with one out Martinez obliterated a mistake by Padres' starter Kevin Jarvis, sending the ball 442 feet and over the jury box seats in left center for his eighth homer. " -Bob Finnigan. Sportswriter

"In a sense, the Mariners proved another point: that they could hurt themselves and still hurt the opposition more; they could build a 9-4 lead with five homers, see it melt to 9-9 and pick themselves up." -Bob Finnigan, sportswriter