Yankees Want More Magic

The Seattle Mariners have a very subjective view of history as the American League championship series shifts back to Yankee Stadium for Game 6 tonight.

They’re aware that of the eight previous teams that took 3-1 leads in the series, only the 1985 Blue Jays and the 1986 Angels did not advance to the World Series, Toronto losing to Kansas City and the Angels to Boston.

They choose to focus on recent history: After dropping the first two games of the 1995 division series to New York, the Mariners swept the final three games dramatically to beat the Yankees.

Seattle won three straight during a four-game series in New York in August. And the Mariners outplayed the Yankees in New York for the first 16 innings of this series before the Yankees forged a split with a seven-run rally in the eighth inning of Game 2.

But the Mariners countered with their own outburst in a 6-2 Game 5 victory Sunday, a five-run fifth inning they believe could propel them to three consecutive victories, just as New York’s Game 2 rally did.

They are loose and confident, despite trailing the best-of-seven series, 3-2, and knowing a loss will send them home to wonder whether shortstop Alex Rodriguez and Manager Lou Piniella will stay.

But to force a Game 7 and reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history, the Mariners must overcome an enormous obstacle: They have to beat Yankee pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, whose reported birth years outnumber his postseason losses, 2-0.

The crafty right-hander with the chin-high leg kick and wide array of off-speed and breaking pitches is 7-0 with a 1.21 earned-run average in nine playoff appearances.

Whether he’s 35, as the “Baseball Register” lists him, or 31, as the team’s media guide lists him, matters not to the Yankees. All they know is that when Hernandez takes the mound in October, they’re going to win.

“He does it time and time again, and I know you’re not surprised by it,” Manager Joe Torre said. “But you still marvel at it.”

After a rather pedestrian regular season, in which he went 12-13 with a 4.51 ERA and gave up 34 home runs, Hernandez has turned this month into another 0-ctoberfest.

Hernandez gave up only two runs and four hits in seven innings of a 4-2 victory over Oakland in Game 2 of the division series, then limited the Mariners to one run and six hits in eight innings of the Yankees’ 7-1 victory in Game 2 of this series.

“Sometimes a language barrier keeps you from getting to know somebody,” Torre said, “but I think what he has done in a short period of time has made me very comfortable penciling his name in very important spots.”

The Mariners would love to take an eraser to that zero in Hernandez’s playoff-games-lost column.

“Everyone has their runs, but it’s about time for El Duque to get beat,” Seattle outfielder Rickey Henderson said. “We’ve got to attack him, score early and prevent them from getting the momentum.”

Henderson doesn’t figure to be part of that attack. Piniella will load his lineup with left-handed hitters and is expected to start Al Martin and Stan Javier over Henderson and Jay Buhner in the outfield, and he could go with switch-hitting Carlos Guillen instead of David Bell at third base.

Right-handers hit only .210 with 14 homers and 90 strikeouts in 357 at-bats against Hernandez this season. Left-handers hit .280 with 20 homers and 51 strikeouts in 397 at-bats against him.

“El Duque can be very tough,” Mariner center fielder Mike Cameron said. “We have to have quality at-bats and make him work. We have to score some runs and put some pressure on him. We just have to battle.”

Rodriguez thought of one more thing the Mariners should do: “Pray a lot.”

Hernandez is not overpowering. He won’t blow fastballs by the Mariners, as Roger Clemens did in Game 4. Opposing hitters simply never know what’s coming because Hernandez changes speeds and arm angles so much.

“Warren Spahn said a long time ago that hitting is timing, and the pitcher’s job is to upset that timing,” Torre said. “There is no question that when you change speeds, it makes it a lot tougher to hit.”

Hernandez is the first pitcher to win his first seven postseason decisions since Orel Hershiser (1985-95). He seems unflappable in October and his remarkable ability to remain calm is probably the primary reason he has done so well in the playoffs.

“[Tonight’s] game to me is the same as a regular-season game,” Hernandez said. “I always feel pressure. What I don’t have is fear.”

That’s about as in-depth as Hernandez will go in discussing himself. He is a man of few words.

And even fewer playoff losses.

The Yankee Stopper

A look at Orlando Hernandez’s playoff statistics:

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Year IP H ER BB SO W-L ERA 1998 14 9 1 5 13 2-0 0.64 1999 30 15 4 14 27 3-0 1.20 2000 15 1/3 11 3 8 12 2-0 1.76 Totals 59 1/3 35 8 27 51 7-0 1.21

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A look at Orlando Hernandez in AL championship series play:

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Year (Opponent) IP H ER BB SO W-L ERA 1998 (Cleveland) 7 3 0 2 6 1-0 0.00 1999 (Boston) 15 12 3 6 13 1-0 1.80 2000 (Seattle) 8 6 1 3 7 1-0 1.13 Totals 30 21 4 11 26 3-0 1.20

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Seattle vs. New York

Yankees lead series, 3-2

TODAY

Seattle at

New York, 5 p.m.

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