Langston Strikes Out a Club-Record 15 as Mariners Beat Indians

The Seattle Mariners, who once struck out 20 times in one game this season, had an opportunity to see the opposition suffer on Wednesday.

Mariners left-hander Mark Langston pitched a three-hitter and struck out 15 Cleveland Indians, establishing a club record while leading the Mariners to a 6-1 victory over the Indians.

“That was the hardest I’ve thrown in a long time. I had a good fastball and slider,” Langston said of his performance that broke the previous club record of 13 strikeouts set by Gaylord Perry in 1982. “If I can throw the fastball and slider for strikes I can get a lot of strikeouts.”

Langston, now 8-5, also recorded his fourth straight victory and second complete game of the season.

“Langston was ahead of the count most of the time and he had good command of four pitches,” Seattle Manager Dick Williams said.

“Nobody was going to hit that kid today,” Indians Manager Pat Corrales said. “He had a Steve Carlton slider from 1972.”

Langston got a lot of support from right fielder Danny Tartabull, who drove in three runs with his ninth homer and a two-run single and helped put out a Cleveland rally in the seventh with a catch against the right field wall.

Seattle got additional support from Phil Bradley, who hit his sixth homer, and Spike Owen and Bob Kearney, who had run-scoring singles.

Cleveland scored its only run of the game in the seventh when Andy Allanson drew a two-out walk, went to second on Langston’s throwing error and then scored on Tony Bernazard’s double.

John Butcher, 0-4, making his first start since being traded to Cleveland from Minnesota, was the loser.