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SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Stan Javier's infield hit scored pinch runner Al Martin in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Seattle Mariners clinched a playoff spot with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. John Olerud led off the 11th with a single that fell just between second baseman Brent Abernathy and center fielder Jason Tyner. Martin ran for Olerud and stole second, but Tampa Bay closer Esteban Yan (4-6) struck out Carlos Guillen. With first base open, the Devil Rays elected to pitch to rookie sensation Ichiro Suzuki, who hit a bouncer up the middle and barely beat shortstop Chris Gomez's throw. Javier followed with a high chopper to third that easily scored Martin as Seattle improved to 9-3 in extra innings. "I got a chance to put the ball in play and I just got a lucky hit," Javier said. "I knew he was going to score when you hit the ball that high and you've got Martin running. It's just going to be too tough to catch." Norm Charlton (3-1) retired both batters he faced in the top of the 11th for the win. The Mariners will be making their fourth postseason appearance, having reached the American League Championship Series in 1995 and 2000. They lost to Baltimore in a 1997 AL Division Series. Seattle's magic number for clinching the AL West title was reduced to seven. "Our ambitions are a little bit more than getting into the postseason, but we are pleased, obviously," Seattle manager Lou Piniella said. "It's nice to be back in postseason." The Mariners were one out away from losing in the 10th inning. Ben Grieve's leadoff homer in the top of 10th gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead and Yan got the first two hitters in the bottom of the inning. But Mike Cameron singled and stole second before Mark McLemore's RBI single forged a 2-2 tie. "I don't run much but when I get the opportunity I try to make it count for something," Cameron said. "Obviously, that was pretty big for us. I've stolen the last 26 or 27 in a row, so I think I should have a green light. I was just hoping they didn't pitch out." "The pitch he made to Cameron wasn't a bad pitch," Devil Rays manager Hal McRae said. "He hit it off the end of the bat, broke the bat and got a base hit. That's just a tough break. The pitch to McLemore was probably fat." An RBI double by Randy Winn in the first opened the scoring for Tampa Bay. But Seattle came right back with a run in the bottom of the first to tie it. Suzuki led off with a single and Javier followed with an infield hit. Both runners moved into scoring position on a groundout by Bret Boone and Cameron followed with a sacrifice fly. Paul Wilson, who tossed seven innings and combined with two relievers on a six-hitter in a 6-0 win over Seattle last Tuesday, allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings. "Last week, I was able to throw a lot more offspeed," Wilson said. "Today, we threw a lot of fastballs. I was kind of concerned with facing these guys back-to-back and them being familiar with what I've been throwing." Wilson pitched out of a huge jam in the seventh inning. Tom Lampkin led off with a single and David Bell sacrificed. After Carlos Guillen walked, Charles Gipson ran for Lampkin. Suzuki then hit a grounder that Abernathy booted to load the bases. But Javier grounded into a forceout at home and Boone flied out. Seattle starter Jamie Moyer went seven innings and surrendered one run and eight hits. Moyer has yielded one run in seven innings in his last four starts.
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