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Rallying the troops Piniella fires up Mariners with postgame pledge
NEW YORK (AP) -- Lou Piniella was clear and unequivocal: His Mariners will send the AL Championship Series back to Seattle. Now all they have to do is win at least two of three at Yankee Stadium starting Saturday. "I like that fire," Jamie Moyer, Seattle's Game 3 starter, said Friday after the overnight cross-country flight. "We're here to play. We're here to compete. I hope we can fulfill that." Following Thursday night's 3-2 loss at Safeco Field, which gave New York a 2-0 series lead, Piniella didn't even wait for a question to make his public pledge. "We will back here for Game 6 -- just print it," the manager said, his voice filled with emotion. After going 116-46 and tying the regular-season record for wins, Seattle needs to win four of five to get to the World Series. Pressure? No way, the Mariners insisted. "It fired me up," Mark McLemore said. "I wanted to go out and play right there again." Piniella was making a point -- to his players, to Seattle's fans, to the Yankees, to anyone willing to listen. And remember, Seattle lost three in a row only once all year, dropping four straight from Sept. 20-23 against Anaheim and Oakland. "Last night when I talked, I talked out of my heart, I talked out of pride and passion, but at the same time of a little frustration," he said Friday. "We need to get to this next level, and this year here, we've got a chance. Let's go for it, and whatever happens, happens." The Yankees seemed more amused the angered by Piniella's promise. "Our team has always focused on what we need to do. There's never been a real focus on what other people are doing," said Game 2 hero Scott Brosius, whose two-run double sparked a three-run second inning. But in the cauldron of the Yankees and their rabid fans, Piniella's guarantee was not going to pass unnoticed. "Especially out here, it's going to gain headlines," Brosius said. "It's just kind of fun playing in New York." Yankees manager Joe Torre understood why Piniella said what he said. "He's trying to rally his troops," Torre said. "He made that statement because that's the way he's rallied his troops before and that's his job, basically." Seattle could accept Piniella's assurance only because most of its players are veterans. "Maybe three of four years ago, I would have went into a panic," Mike Cameron said. "But playing with some of the best guys in baseball, as far as this year is concerned, we obviously know how to handle this situation." The vocal fireworks partially masked a lack of spark at the plate. The Mariners have just four runs and 10 hits in the first two games, going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Piniella planned to talk to his team before Saturday's game, when the Mariners face Orlando Hernandez, who has struggled more than any of the other starters the Yankees are using in the postseason. "There's nobody pointing fingers; there's nobody that is not giving the effort," McLemore said. "There's nothing that need to be said. We have a veteran ballclub and everybody knows what they need to do. We just have to go out and do it."
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