Charged up: Martinez, Mariners show some fight in rout

ANAHEIM, Calif. — It's probably safe to say that there has never been a 112th win as odd as this one.

Because only the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 1998 New York Yankees ever won that many games before, it's not too risky to suggest that the Mariners' 14-5 scrum over the Anaheim Angels takes the prize.

For one thing, in the sixth inning Edgar Martinez was ejected — that, as they say, is not a misprint — for charging the mound. That is not a misprint, either.

In the eighth inning, M's Manager Lou Piniella and Joel Pineiro joined him in the sin bin, tossed after Pineiro hit Troy Glaus with a pitch.

For another, Mike Cameron had a night from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. He just missed one big catch in deep center field in the second, hit his 25th homer in the fourth, went down hurt with trainer Rick Griffin tending to him in the fifth, stayed in the game and robbed Tim Salmon of a grand slam in dead center to end the fifth. Then he left the game as a precautionary measure.

"If I don't jump that ball is out," Cameron said of his catch. "I should have had the one in the first. I was like J.J. Stokes out there dropping balls. But as you can see, no one is coasting out there. When you start coasting you make mistakes."

By the bottom of the sixth, Seattle fielded five players who weren't even on the club May 1. Pineiro was on the mound, Pat Borders behind the plate, Ramon Vazquez at short, Ed Sprague at third and Eugene Kingsale in left.

The Mariners had a season-high 21 hits, led by Stan Javier with four singles and Charles Gipson with three as the Mariners scored in six innings.

"As you can see no one on this team is letting up," Piniella said after his club improved to 112-45. "There's a lot of intensity here."

As wild a night as it was for the Mariners, Paul Abbott was the wildest of all, allowing six walks in five innings, but he still got the win to improve to 17-4.

But all else pales in the shadow of peaceable Papa Martinez getting tossed, only the second or third ejection of his career.

Martinez declined to comment after the game.

One Mariners player said he tried to offer Martinez a cup of water afterward on the bench "and he knocked it out of my hand and said he didn't want any damn water. I mentioned it to him later and Edgar said, 'I did that? I don't remember.' "

The Mariners had broken a 3-3 tie in the fourth on Cameron's belt to left-center and gone up 7-3 on Dan Wilson's second RBI double in the fifth.

Angels reliever Lou Pote was struggling in the sixth, with two on and one out when a fastball rode in on Martinez, hitting him in the right arm before ricocheting up and hitting him on the bill of the helmet. The DH fell hard, as if hurt or stunned.

Then suddenly Martinez got up, seemingly much faster than he usually moves, and headed for Pote, who seemed stunned in turn. The young pitcher backed away from the angry veteran as players converged en masse.

Anaheim catcher Bengie Molina and third baseman Glaus grabbed Martinez. Jay Buhner came out of the dugout and grabbed Pote, who had been entirely non-threatening.

Benches and bullpens emptied, but the only one showing emotion was Martinez, who had to be held by teammates, including Javier and Piniella.

"There was absolutely no intent on Pote's part," said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. "He was pitching aggressively. We are not about head-hunting. It's unfortunate what happened."

Pote said, "I pitch in a lot. I tried to get a fastball in on him, it really wasn't that far in, but it hit his arm then his face. I guess that's why he got so mad."

When the incident was over, the bases were full and John Olerud smacked a bases-clearing double to left-center to put Seattle in double figures in runs. Wilson later singled two runs in for his third and fourth RBI of the night to make it 12-3.

Seattle added runs in the seventh and eighth, and Pineiro worked as neatly in relief as Abbott had been messy, then dinged Glaus leading off the eighth.

"It was not intentional," Piniella said. "I'd never seen Edgar get that upset in all my years with him. But everyone is fine. We swung the bats better than we have in some time."

Bob Finnigan can be reached at 206-464-8276 or bfinnigan@seattletimes.com.