Huskey Fattens Up on A’s Poor Pitching

Butch Huskey drove in three runs with a homer and a double and rookie right-hander Freddy Garcia won again as the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-3, Monday night at Seattle.

Huskey, who is splitting the Mariners’ left field job with John Mabry, broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Jimmy Haynes (0-2), an 11-game winner last season.

Domingo Cedeno, the sixth shortstop used by the Mariners this season, added a two-run homer after Huskey’s 419-foot drive to left.

Huskey homered after Edgar Martinez singled, while Cedeno, signed as a free agent Sunday after Carlos Guillen was lost for the season with a knee injury, homered after a single by Dan Wilson.

Garcia, a 22-year-old from Venezuela who was acquired in a three-for-one trade for Randy Johnson with Houston last July 31, made his second major league start after beating the Chicago White Sox, 7-3, last Wednesday night. In 6 2/3 innings against the A’s, Garcia gave up three runs and eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Garcia gave up two home runs, including Tony Phillips’ third of the season in the seventh.

After the game, the A’s sent down right-hander Brad Rigby, who had a 9.00 ERA in three relief appearances, to triple-A Vancouver. They recalled right-hander Kevin Jarvis.

Minnesota 1, Detroit 0--Todd Walker spoiled the final home opener at Tiger Stadium with a home run in the 12th inning.

Tiger Stadium opened in 1912, and never before had a home opener at the ballpark been scoreless going into extra innings.

The crowd of 47,449 was the biggest on opening day since 50,314 watched in 1994, before the seating capacity was changed.

Walker, who also doubled twice, led off the 12th against Sean Runyan (0-1) with a high fly ball into the second deck in right field. Rick Aguilera (1-0) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to send the Tigers to their sixth straight loss.

Detroit finished 49-39 in home openers at Tiger Stadium. Next year, the Tigers move to Comerica Park at the corner of Witherell and Montcalm, about a mile away.

Overall, this was the start of the 104th and final season at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. Baseball has been played there since 1896. The American League began in 1901.

Cleveland 5, Kansas City 2--As Travis Fryman rounded the bases, his Indian teammates gathered around the plate to welcome him home. A year ago, they had waited there for Jim Thome.

Fryman hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning off rookie Jose Santiago to give Cleveland the victory on opening day at Jacobs Field.

It was the second straight year the Indians had won their first home game with a three-run shot in the 10th. Last season, Thome connected off the Angels’ Troy Percival.

Roberto Alomar made his home debut for the Indians, but missed a chance to end the game in the ninth when he grounded out with the bases loaded and two out.

Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 1--David Wells pitched five shutout innings before being hit in the leg by a hard grounder and Tony Fernandez went four for four for the Blue Jays in their home opener.

Jose Canseco, who hit 46 home runs for Toronto last year and then signed with the Devil Rays, launched a 459-foot homer into the SkyDome’s fifth deck in the ninth inning. It was his 399th homer.

Wells fell to the ground after he was hit by Randy Winn’s line drive. He walked off the field under his own power and spent the rest of the game icing his shin in the clubhouse. He’s expected to be OK.