| Larry Stone / Baseball reporter A-Rod's game finally shows up, ends slump ANAHEIM - Alex Rodriguez, in the midst of The Slump Heard 'Round The World, has talked often about the need to "let the game come to me," which is baseball-speak for trying to keep your head while all others around you lose theirs. Yesterday, the game the Mariners had to win came to A-Rod, who greeted it warmly, reminisced about old times, and then picked up his bat and went to work. By the time it was over, it was hard to remember that Rodriguez had ever been struggling. When it comes to slump-busters, a four-hit, four-run, two-homer, seven-RBI extravaganza in a 21-9 win does the trick every time. Especially in a game that had barely started before Cleveland's win over Toronto had been posted, and which hadn't gotten much further before it became apparent that Oakland was going to humiliate Texas. A Mariner loss would have greatly imperiled their playoff hopes, and Rodriguez - enduring a 3-for-29 stretch that has caused an entire region to feel his pain - delivered the two biggest hits of the game. His two-run homer in the first inning started the Mariner barrage, and his three-run homer in the sixth, after Anaheim had crept back within range, put it out of reach for good. For a nice flourish, it was his 40th of the year. And so now, heading into their latest "biggest game of the year," the Mariners now have reason to hope that, once and for all, irrevocably and irretrievably, A-Rod is back. "I think it was a little unfair, putting so much on A-Rod," Jay Buhner said. "But superstars have to deal with that. You can have one bad day, but you're not supposed to have three or four. He made up for it in one day." "He needed a big day like that," manager Lou Piniella said. "That could get him going the way we've been accustomed to seeing for so many years." "I think this allows him to relax a little," added Mike Cameron. "The pressure was on him - from you guys (the media). He knows what it takes to get it done." Rodriguez disputes the notion that he felt any heat, but after the game, with a rueful smile, he said, "Obviously, the pressure has been working, because I haven't been doing much. Everything now is magnified, and people scrutinize everything I do, but all along I felt I've weathered the storm. I've gotten myself out of slumps before. It's part of baseball." Rodriguez said he did nothing differently yesterday. He didn't get a pep talk from agent Scott Boras, who sat in the box seats looking increasingly contented. He did nothing consciously to relax, or hone his competitive edge. "I felt the same the last day or two," he said. "I just had better results. I'm not results-oriented. I'm more concerned about preparation. If you worried about results, you'd drive yourself crazy." The Mariners most definitely have to worry about results today, though if they beat Anaheim no other result will matter. They'd be in the playoffs, no questions asked. The Mariners have no reason to expect the A's to lose, not with ace Tim Hudson going against young Ryan Glynn, not with Jason Giambi apparently having been crowned King of the Baseball World, not with the cumulative momentum of an unreal September coupled with yesterday's 23-2 win over the Rangers. After a beating like that, you'd expect Texas to fire its pitching coach. Oh, wait - they did that Friday. The expectation of a Cleveland stumble, which would also put the Mariners into the playoffs, regardless of their outcome tomorrow, is more realistic, though Rodriguez said, "We fully expect Cleveland to win, and Oakland to win." The Indians are hoping that David Wells parties hard tonight, maybe gets a relapse of his gout, because Wells has devoured their team. He's 17-3 lifetime against Cleveland and has allowed one run in 17 innings this season. Cleveland counters with Steve Woodard, who did beat Pedro Martinez two starts ago. With the Cleveland game starting three hours ahead in the Eastern time zone, it's possible the Mariners could be celebrating before they even take the field. But that would be too easy, of course. The way this race has twisted and dived and ebbed and flowed, it seems destined to stay alive until its last possible moment. That could mean one more game for the Mariners or two more games, for the right to play at least three more games. And Rodriguez will do his best to not only let each one come to him, but to treat them with the same hospitality he displayed yesterday. |