Fri, Mar 21, 2003 page23

• Mariners cancel trip, play ball

  GROUNDED The Seattle Mariners had planned to play a series against Oakland in Japan, but the tour was nixed because of the war and it was back to spring training

  • AP
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  Instead of flying to Tokyo, the Seattle Mariners played a game in Arizona.

  At the same time as their charter flight to Japan had been scheduled to take off, the Mariners played in an unusual 11am start on Wednesday, beating the Texas Rangers 9-1.

  ``It is kind of disappointing not to go to Japan because there were so many people there who wanted to see us,'' Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki said. ``But we have nothing to do with that.''

  

  Members of the Oakland Athletics pause during the national anthem at the beginning of the team's spring training matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Arizona, on Wednesday. The A's were scheduled to head to Japan for games against the Seattle Mariners but Major Leagues Baseball canceled the games because of the war.

  PHOTO: AP

  Suzuki and Seattle closer Kazuhiro Sasaki had been looking forward to playing in their homeland. But baseball commissioner Bud Selig decided Tuesday to cancel the two-game series against Oakland next week, citing concern over travel with the possibility of war in Iraq.

  Instead of opening on March 25, the Mariners will start April 1 in Oakland.

  ``We have to go by the schedule,'' said Suzuki, who went 2-for-3 with a run and was caught stealing.

  Gil Meche pitched six shutout innings, a day after getting the final job in Seattle's rotation.

  At Phoenix, Miguel Tejada had three hits and drove in two runs as the Athletics beat a Milwaukee Brewers split squad 7-4. Mark Mulder allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings as the A's beat the Brewers for the fourth straight time.

  At St. Petersburg, Florida, new Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella wasn't happy with his team's hitters.

  The Devil Rays began Wednesday with a .232 spring batting average, the lowest among the 30 teams. Tampa Bay had 13 hits, three each by Greg Vaughn and Ben Grieve, in a 4-4 tie with the Toronto Blue Jays, but the Devil Rays stranded six runners in scoring position.

  ``Our offensive numbers this spring are dismal,'' said Piniella, the team's first-year manager. ``Some guys have done well -- I am not talking about everybody on the team.

  ``It isn't that hard to hit. It's hard to hit .330 or .340, but it's not hard to hit .240, 250 or .260. We need some offense help, and I hope we will be able to do something. This has persisted here for a couple of years. It isn't a three-week phenomenon.''

  At Port St. Lucie, Florida, New York Mets batters and pitchers played the same way they did in high-altitude Mexico City last weekend. The Mets had 18 hits and gave up 18, beating St. Louis 14-12 as the Cardinals' Rick Ankiel had a wild outing.

  Mike Matheny, Tino Martinez and Miguel Cairo homered for the Cardinals on Wednesday, while Ty Wigginton, Roberto Alomar and Vance Wilson connected for the Mets. Wilson hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth.

  Ankiel, still trying to come back from record wildness during the 2000 playoffs, threw 15 pitches in the seventh. He threw one to the backstop, gave up Alomar's homer, then nearly hit Cliff Floyd and Mike Piazza before walking both of them. Ankiel, who walked Floyd on four pitches, didn't get any outs and was charged with three runs.

  In a trade, the New York Yankees sent outfielder Rondell White to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Bubba Trammell and minor league left-hander Mark Phillips.

  New York had little room for White following the signing of Japanese star Hideki Matsui. .
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