Game Report, Mariners over Rangers 8-3

DMZ · October 1, 2004 at 10:40 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

That was the greatest game I’ve ever attended. My hands hurt from clapping.

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25 Responses to “Game Report, Mariners over Rangers 8-3”

  1. Dave O'Neill on October 1st, 2004 10:50 pm

    Yes, I was there, too, and I agree. Best, Game. Ever. The section I was in was giddy, a bit hysterical, with screaming Japanese girls everywhere, And when he hit 258 – well, the place went Bananas. Pandemonium.

  2. The REAL Trent on October 1st, 2004 10:52 pm

    2nd Best for me I suppose (Game 5 95). Magical indeed.

  3. Dave O''Neill on October 1st, 2004 10:53 pm

    ..but why subject him to this grilling on TV? Give the guy the night off! And an MVP award.

  4. Jim Thomsen on October 1st, 2004 10:53 pm

    It was the greatest game I missed … unfortunately, I was busy covering high school football for the local fishwrapper. I count on your superlatives and superior recollections to capture the apocalyptic essence of what transpired. Please feel free to let loose with St. Helensesque eruptions of pure fan-geeked rapture ….

  5. Dan on October 1st, 2004 11:00 pm

    The MVP always makes me wonder, what level of individual performance would justify a player on a last place team winning the MVP? ARod always felt burned because he put up huge numbers, won gold gloves, and wouldn’t get an MVP.

    Does this year justify it for ichiro?

    What if he hit .400 next year and the M’s were still in last place?

  6. Bernard Aboba on October 1st, 2004 11:36 pm

    I was there too. The night had a magical quality about it. The bunting was out, and if you were plunked down in your seat and not told what day it was, you would never guess that this was the 3rd to last game of a last place team.

    I passed by Safeco at 4 PM, and fans were begginning to stream in. By the time I got there at 6 PM, fans already had signs out and many people were wearing Mariners caps in Japanese.

    Before the game, they gave out the BWAA awards for Unsung Hero (Cabrera), Best Pitcher (Villone), Best Player (Icihiro).

    The announced that the Sisler family was in attendance. My mind remembered the movie “’61” and I thought of the opening day certemony at Yankee Stadium, where Maris got his MVP award from Mrs. Babe Ruth, and the day that Maris broke the record. Tonite was like both of those nights, rolled into one.

    In the first inning, the magic was temporarily broken when Texiera homered off the top of the center field wall. Uh oh. 2-0, Rangers.

    Then Ichiro got up to hit. “Ichiro! Ichiro!” Flashes were popping all around Safeco. Then he got his first hit. The fireworks went off behind the Safeco field sign. The scoreboard announced hit 257. The fans went wild. A standing ovation. Ichiro tipped his cap.

    And then hit 258. The fireworks went off again. The scoreboard announced hit 258. Yet another standing ovation. Ichiro tipped his cap again.

    And then hit 259 – a beat out grounder.

    Finally in the top of the 9th, Melvin took Ichiro out and he tipped his cap again as he went into the dugout.

    As Safeco emptied out, fans were still chanting “Ichiro! Ichiro!” behind the dugout. I believe he came out again.

  7. Deanna on October 1st, 2004 11:39 pm

    Amazing game. Left work in Kirkland at 5:30pm. Was 2 miles from the stadium on I-90 at 6:20pm and got stuck in totally stopped traffic. I said to my friend, “If we don’t make it to the stadium in time for Ichiro’s first at bat, I will kill something.” I’m not sure, but somehow I knew it was going to be big. Got to the Seahawks parking lot at 7pm.

    Walked by seeing Blalock strike out; heard Teixiera get a home run while I was at Ivar’s. Got to my seat while everyone was standing up waiting for Ichiro’s first at-bat. Convenient — I didn’t have to ask them to stand up to let me by.

    And from then on it it was easily the best game I’ve gone to this year. I mean, holy crap, 257. And 258. And 259. The cameras flashing like a flock of fireflies on every pitch. Fireworks, cheering, packed stadium. Man, I miss that. You’d almost think we’d shoved Safeco into a time machine.

    Villone got 5 strikeouts in 5 innings. Whoa! Drese will go down in the history books for giving up Ichiro’s 258th. Whee.

    I felt kinda bad for Randy Winn — I mean, he’s had to bat behind Ichiro all year, but heh, each time, the entire stadium stood up for Ichiro, sat down for Winn, and he went 3-for-4 too, y’know. Then they’d all stand up for Edgar again. Oh yeah, Ibanez and Boone also got 3 hits each.

    But yeah. Ichiro. Amazing. Game, amazing. Traffic, annoying. And much, much, more…

  8. Cap on October 1st, 2004 11:45 pm

    I think that Alex Rodriguez won the MVP award while idling in last place with the Rangers last year. ARod had a monster year, although his batting average dipped below .300 for the season. I think Ichiro will receive a good amount of MVP recognition (and I’ll be starting M-V-P chants on Saturday…), but ultimately I believe that the race will come down to Vlad and Santana. Man, that’s a tough call. I’m leaning slightly towards Santana, though. He was filthy in the second half.

  9. ray on October 1st, 2004 11:47 pm

    I envy you people. I wish I had been there. I live in Japan but got to see it on TV anyway — top news here — but to feel and be in the atmosphere, and to see it with my own two eyes certainly would have been very special. Congrats to Ichiro!

  10. Cap on October 1st, 2004 11:49 pm

    The wife and I were at a new local Irish pub that had the game on. The air was lively, as the place was packed. As soon as Ichiro came to bat, though, the noise level dropped and everyone turned to watch Ichiro’s AB. The whole place went crazy when Ichiro tied the mark, and the applause lasted maybe 3-4 minutes after he set the new hits mark. The wife was a bit emotional 🙂

  11. tede on October 1st, 2004 11:52 pm

    Fourth best Mariner game. Way behind Game 5 and Game 4 ’95 ALDS, and the ’95 Divisional Playoff game. I’m mean way behind.

    But perhaps the top individual feat in Seattle baseball history. I can’t even think of what would be the second best individual feat, perhaps Griffey’s eight consecutive HR games? (Definitely not ARod’s 40-40. The SBs on that one still have an ugly smell to them.)

  12. Wm on October 2nd, 2004 12:00 am

    I had to watch the game on the tv, but JUST after Ichiro hit 259, my best friend called to tell me he’s now a proud papa, and I’m a godfather, and the kid’s a healthy boy. What a great night…

  13. tede on October 2nd, 2004 12:11 am

    Oh by the way, Scott Miller just wrote another one on CBS Sportsline dissing Ichiro and the record. I’d respect his position (1) if he actually watched the M’s games instead of Sportscenter highlights and (2) if he wrote the same thing when Ripken broke Gehrig’s record. I bet he couldn’t answer what game Ripken’s streak end at.

  14. Raymond on October 2nd, 2004 12:44 am

    Joe Morgan is so predictable. He contradicts himself every time he speaks, and this sidebar on Ichiro is no different:

    http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1893214

    “While Ichiro’s single-season hits accomplishment is impressive, we never should push accomplishments from the past aside”

    “what Ichiro has done is impressive”

    I can’t believe he didn’t find a way to tie in the Big Red Machine in that sidebar. I’m so sick of Morgan, I wish he would STFU and retire.

  15. Paul Covert on October 2nd, 2004 12:46 am

    Oh, and as an added bonus, tonight also clinched a non-100-loss season. 🙂

  16. Bobby on October 2nd, 2004 1:02 am

    I had to wait for my friend to get off work before we could leave for the game. We left Bothell a little before 7:00 and I chose to go down I-405 instead of I-5. We were going well until 520, then got stuck in traffic. On the radio, Ichiro had hit #1, 257, tying the record. I drove my damndest to get there, figuring he’d be up again in the third inning. We parked in Seahawks Stadium parking lot and took off up the corridor towards Safeco when the crowd erupted and the fireworks went off and it had happened. We stopped and watched the fireworks and listened to the crowd from outside the stadium. It was one of the more disappointing moments of my life. We did see hit #259, but still. I’m a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan who fell in love with the “We R Fam-i-lee” Pirates of 1979 and suffered through the “Drug trial” Pirates of the 80’s. The last time I was this disappointed over a baseball game was game 7 of the 1992 NLCS when Sid Bream slid into home inches ahead of Barry Bonds’ throw from left field. I felt sick to my stomach all night for not getting there in time to see Ichiro hit #258.

    Needless to say, for me, the one-game playoff against the Angels in 1995 is still the greatest game I’ve ever attended.

  17. JPWood on October 2nd, 2004 7:47 am

    Ichiro did this in style, 3 for 5, igniting a 6-run rally, shaking hands with the Sisler family immediately in the midst of all the cheers. One class act.
    Now think about this: if the Mariners win their last two games they’ll finish over .400.
    I’d like to call for a collective hex.

  18. Erik on October 2nd, 2004 8:41 am

    Re: Joe Morgan and the 162/154 game debate– I don’t see how anyone in their right mind can make that debate when they can take a look at the table in that same column. Ichiro is the only player since 1930 to have more than 240 hits in a season– and he’s done it TWICE!! (Wade Boggs had 240 in 1985 and finished 4th in the MVP ballot).

    Clearly there are factors at work in the modern game that more than counteract the advantage players get by playing 8 more games.

  19. Julie on October 2nd, 2004 9:18 am

    Everything that went on last night still hasn’t sunk in! That’s how amazing it all was! It was by far the greatest game I have ever seen. The crowd really was overwhelming. Who knew that fans of a last place team still had this much Mariner Mojo? Who knew that the M’s still had this much magic? After Ichiro’s at bat in the bottom of the third the M’s got six cosecutive base hits. They tied last night with the most consecutive base hits they’ve had this year. I was so excited! I lost my voice by the time Edgar came up in the 3rd. Oh my gosh it was amazing! I’m so glad I got to be here for it.
    I can’t wait for Edgar Day this afternoon. It will be awesome to see Poppi honored for all his great accomplishments over the years.

  20. Measure on October 2nd, 2004 9:24 am

    If the difficulty of breaking a record can be determined by the length of time the record has stood, Is this not one of the most significant achievements in baseball history?

    I was at the game last night, in the left field bleachers. The boom from the fireworks was enough to cause temporary hearing loss. It was worth it, though.

  21. Cliff Classen on October 2nd, 2004 10:17 am

    1. It is Joe “Unlistenable” Morgan. I believe in the ’70s when Joe was on the Reds they won 6 WS in a row, and in 1975 won 140 games. Or at least that is what he implies.
    2. How sad is this? Ichiro has been on base, just through hits and walks 308 times. With 36 stolen bases. No one on the M’s has 100 RBI’s. How is that even possible? Argh.

  22. bjh on October 2nd, 2004 10:58 am

    It was truly electric in there last night. I think it was even more charged up for 257 than 258, because of the anticipation and energy everyone had stored up. RE: Winn – IIRC, at least in our section (108) everyone was standing up for Ichiro for 257, and kept standing for Winn and then for Edgar.

    Also, I had a Bloomquist jersey sighting in section 107…wondered if the guy had to be a relative.

  23. Brandon on October 2nd, 2004 11:11 am

    I haven’t been to many of the biggest games in M’s history but for me that really was the best game I’ve been to. It would have been great for Ichiro’s two hits but then they managed to string seven hits together for five runs just keeping the crowd going. Plus, I can’t go on Saturday or Sunday but at least I got to see Edgar get a hit in his last at-bat.

    By the way, they presented their yearly awards. Of course Ichiro got the player of the year and Jolbert Cabrera got unsung player of the year, but how sad is this pitching staff when Ron Villone is named your pitcher of the year?

    One other jersey sighting. I saw a lady wearing a Bobby Madritsch jersey. That sure was quick. He probably deserves fans wearing his jersey more than Bloomquist. However I did recognize her from somewhere, I almost think she was his host-family when he played for us in Rio Grande Valley.

  24. eponymous coward on October 2nd, 2004 11:21 am

    How sad is this staff? Before this year, there had never been a year where we didn’t have a 9 game winner (and that was in 1981, a strike year). That’s how sad this staff is.

  25. Sub_Mariner Al on October 2nd, 2004 12:28 pm

    The Mariners pitchers benefit from defense. Moyer most of all. you cant expect any better next year unless they improve the defense. on the game last night WOW…Ichiro is a stud!! I am glad to be a mariners fan. we have been blessed with a great moment in an otherwise horrible year. Thank You Ichiro!