Sailing Along in Harmony

As the Seattle Mariners scorch the American League West, along with every other frontier, only the uninitiated would wonder how much better they would be if they still had Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. There is no answer, of course, because they wouldn’t be the same team in either personnel or personality, and maybe the latter trait is the most important.

Assessing one of the best starts in baseball history, the Mariners talk about their chemistry as much as their pitching, speed and defense, doting on this image of a comparatively anonymous, over-achieving team that is motivated to overcome the loss of three superstars.

As center fielder Mike Cameron put it: “We’re just a bunch of guys working the loading dock who find ways to get it done. I mean, there’s no peaches and cream in this group. We just put on our hard hats, pack a lunch, go to work in support of each other and do the job.”

The Mariners have captured lightning with this start, and whether the chemistry or the confidence came first, General Manager Pat Gillick, who did much of the construction, agrees that the attitude and solidarity have been vital.

“The more years I’m in it, the more important I think character is,” Gillick said. “There are so many examples now of how one bad apple can upset the bunch. Our guys are just a bunch of baseball players.”

As with all hot and confident teams, the Mariners now expect to win. A pitching staff that ranks third in the league with a 3.64 earned-run average features baseball’s best bullpen. A lineup triggered by Ichiro Suzuki includes the rally-sustaining Edgar Martinez and John Olerud and is second in runs.

The departure of Griffey and Rodriguez cost the Mariners considerable power, but it is a team astutely rebuilt for spacious Safeco Field.

“Instead of sitting and waiting for a three-run homer, we put more pressure on the defense because our rallies are longer, more extended,” relief pitcher Jeff Nelson said. “We’re getting hits and stealing bases and the defense has to be worried about making mistakes because they know we’ll capitalize.”

Said Manager Lou Piniella: “We have to play a different game than we did in the Kingdome. We have to put the game in motion a lot more. As a manager, I have to be more involved here, and that’s fine. I like a motion game. The way I’d put it is that we’re not flashy but we execute well. As much as I’d like to have [Johnson, Griffey and Rodriguez] back, I like what we’ve got.”

Of the seven players the Mariners got in trades for Johnson and Griffey, both made under the duress of imminent free agency, five play key roles. John Halama and Freddy Garcia are members of the rotation, Carlos Guillen is replacing Rodriguez at shortstop, Cameron plays center field in place of Griffey, and Brett Tomko is a spot starter and reliever. The Mariners will also receive two extra selections in the June draft as compensation for A-Rod’s departure as a free agent.

The mid-market Mariners still have a large-market payroll of about $75 million, but the savings on Johnson, Griffey and Rodriguez first enabled Gillick to sign closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, left-handed relief specialist Arthur Rhodes, starting pitcher Aaron Sele, first baseman Olerud and role players Mark McLemore and Stan Javier--all before the 2000 season--and then, before this season, reliever Nelson, right fielder Ichiro and second baseman Bret Boone.

Now, Gillick is hopeful Jay Buhner can return from a foot injury that has sidelined him all season but is searching the market for the type of hitter who could make a difference in October. He has the bait in a load of high-level pitching prospects and says, “I think we need the additional help.”

Although the Mariners have baseball’s best record since the start of the 2000 season, no one would have thought they might have a division title wrapped up by mid-May. Piniella said he addressed the Rodriguez loss in a team meeting on the first day of spring training.

“I told them we were facing a tremendous challenge but if we played as a team and took it to the other team aggressively, we’d be fine,” he said.

At 31-9, so fine.