Mariners Sign Wilson Through ’99

The Seattle Mariners will have Dan Wilson behind the plate when they begin playing in their new outdoor ballpark in 1999.

The All-Star catcher on Friday received a two-year contract extension--through the 1998 and 1999 seasons--worth $6.55 million.

Wilson, 28, hit .285 with 18 home runs and 83 runs batted in in 138 games last season.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited return of Randy Johnson was pushed back to tonight night after his 1-year-old son was hospitalized with a viral respiratory infection.

Johnson, the 1995 AL Cy Young Award winner, was scheduled to start Friday against the Boston Red Sox. He is recovering from back surgery and hasn’t started since last May.

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Right-handed reliever Paul Shuey and the Cleveland Indians agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $3,203,000 guaranteed. An option for 2001 and performance bonuses could push the package to $11,603,000 over four years.

Shuey, 26, was 5-2 with a 2.85 earned-run average last season.

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Prosecutors rested their case against Cleveland Indian pitcher Jose Mesa, accused of raping a woman and assaulting her friend after a night in Cleveland’s nightclub district.

Assistant Prosecutor Frank Gasper was not permitted to call a witness he said could cast doubt on Mesa’s character. Cuyahoga County Judge Thomas Curran ruled the testimony would be prejudicial, but left open the possibility the witness could be called during the state’s rebuttal case.