BASEBALL PLAYOFFS DAILY REPORT : AMERICAN LEAGUE

Seattle ace Randy Johnson appeared in four games during the 11-day period from Sept. 28-Oct. 8, throwing more than 400 pitches in 28 1/3 innings, striking out 35 and winning all four games.

But Indian Manager Mike Hargrove doesn’t expect fatigue to be a factor when Johnson pitches Game 3 in Cleveland’s Jacobs Field on Friday night.

“So Randy is going to throw 97 m.p.h. instead of 98?” Hargrove said. “I think if you talk to any hitter in either league and asked them who they least would like to face, Randy Johnson would head the list. Nobody relishes the idea of facing a guy who is 6-foot-10 and throws the ball 98 m.p.h. with as good a breaking pitch as you want to see.”

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Cat-and-mouse: Cleveland starter Dennis Martinez apparently wasn’t happy when Ken Griffey Jr. stepped out of the box during his first-inning at-bat, forcing Martinez to abort his delivery just as he was about to release the ball.

But the wily, 40-year-old veteran wasn’t going to let the 25-year-old Griffey show him up. So instead of throwing his next pitch, Martinez delivered a retaliatory strike, going into his full windup, rearing back, whipping his arm around and . . . holding on to the ball.