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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) -- A squeeze, a sweep and now the Seattle Mariners are headed for the AL championship series.
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GAME 3 AT A GLANCE
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Every game a hero
Making his first appearance of the postseason with one out and runners on first and third in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Guillen hit for Joe Oliver and on the second pitch he saw pushed a bunt down the first-base line that easily scored Rickey Henderson with the winning run. Said White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas, who fielded the bunt: "It was a perfect bunt, a perfect spot. He threaded the needle there. The only thing you can do there is catch it in the air."
Key play
John Olerud led off the bottom of the ninth by slamming a line drive off the chest of White Sox pitcher Kelly Wunsch. In a hurried attempt to throw out Olerud, Wunsch threw wildly to first base, allowing Olerud to take second. Henderson then went in to run for Olerud, setting the stage for Guillen's dramatics.
ESPN analysis
It all comes down to that great ending. How much luck was involved there? Carlos Guillen stepped on the plate, it was a bad bunt, if Frank Thomas could play first it was a double play, Rickey Henderson didn't even know what was going on -- he didn't break for the plate. It was fascinating. Since 1995, Seattle has become a great baseball town. The emotion that was shown in that park was staggering. Indians players told me that when they were in Seattle at the end of this year fighting for the wild card, the only places they had played where the fans were louder were Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.
-- Peter Gammons
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Shutting down the highest-scoring team in the majors for the
third straight game, the wild card Mariners beat the Chicago White
Sox 2-1 on pinch-hitter Carlos Guillen's bunt single in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday.
The Mariners, who didn't clinch their postseason spot until the
final day of the regular season, won their AL playoff series with
one out when pinch-runner Rickey Henderson scored on Guillen's safety-squeeze bunt.
"It's a storybook season so far," said Aaron Sele, who pitched 7 1/3 strong innings. "Hopefully, it will continue."
Guillen was one of the players Seattle received from the Houston
Astros in the trade for ace Randy Johnson on July 31, 1998.
The 3-0 sweep in the opening round -- achieved in the year the
Mariners traded Ken Griffey Jr. to Cincinnati -- sent the Mariners
into the ALCS for the first time since 1995. They will play the
winner of the Oakland-Yankees series.
"This goes to show you that we're not the same old Mariners
team," Seattle's Jay Buhner said.
The White Sox hit .286 and averaged just over six runs during the regular season. Against the Mariners, they hit .185 and scored a total of seven runs on 17 hits.
"We feel like we let everyone down," said Frank Thomas, who
was 0-for-9 with four walks in the series after hitting .328 with
43 homers and 143 RBI during the regular season.
Guillen made the decision to bunt on his own. But he some good
advice from manager Lou Piniella.
"I told him Rickey's on third," Piniella said. "Push it
towards (first baseman) Thomas. It was a perfect, perfect bunt."
Guillen said he understood Piniella's meaning perfectly. On an
0-1 pitch from Keith Foulke, Guillen dragged a sharp bunt past a
lunging Thomas.
"Lou told me to hit the ball to Frank Thomas," he said. "He
doesn't play first base that much. I wanted to bring Rickey
Henderson to home plate. I made the decision (to bunt). I did it
myself."
Thomas played first base in 30 games and was the White Sox DH
for 127 during the regular season. He was the DH in the first two
games.
"It was a perfect bunt, a perfect spot," Thomas said. "He
threaded the needle there," Thomas said. "The only thing you can
do there is catch it in the air."
It was the second time in the series that Piniella gave the right advice.
In Game 1 in Chicago on Tuesday, he came out of the dugout and
told Mike Cameron to steal second base in the 10th inning. Cameron
did it, and Edgar Martinez and John Olerud followed with home runs
on consecutive pitches to win the game.
"I was just waiting for a chance," said Guillen, who made his first appearance in the series.
|  | | Rickey Henderson scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, sending the Mariners into the ALCS for the first time since 1995. |
In Friday's game, Olerud led off the ninth with a hard liner off
the stomach of Kelly Wunsch. The reliever scrambled to pick up the
ball, but threw it wildly past Thomas.
"I just wished he'd have held it, but he wanted to get him
out," Thomas said.
Olerud reached second on a play scored as a single and an error. Henderson, baseball's career stolen base king and second on the all-time runs list, replaced Olerud, and Foulke relieved Wunsch.
Henderson moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Stan Javier and David Bell drew a four-pitch walk.
With Chicago's infield and outfield playing in, Guillen, batting
for Joe Oliver, dragged a sharp bunt between the mound and first
base. When the ball rolled past a lunging Thomas, Henderson easily
scored.
"That was me," Guillen said. "I just wanted to try to hit the
ball hard."
Seattle's bullpen again was the star of the game. For the
series, the bullpen had 11 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three
hits and striking out 14.
Jose Paniagua got the victory by striking out Magglio Ordonez
for the final out in the ninth. Arthur Rhodes pitched 1 1/3
scoreless innings before Paniagua entered.
Wunsch, who was doubled over in pain in the dugout, took the
loss.
The White Sox, who scored 978 runs this season, managed only
three hits off Sele, Rhodes and Paniagua. Chicago also hit into
three double plays.
In the first playoff game ever at Safeco Field, the AL's best
road team could not win.
The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the second when Harold Baines
led off with a double and eventually scored on Herbert Perry's
sacrifice fly. Baines barely slid under Oliver at the plate.
The Mariners tied it in the fourth on Javier's RBI single. Raul Ibanez opened with a single, Alex Rodriguez sacrificed and Javier singled with two outs off second baseman Ray Durham's glove.
Sele, a 17-game winner who was 4-0 in September, continued his
strong pitching. He allowed three hits and three walks.
Chicago's James Baldwin, who pitched despite a case of painful
tendinitis in his right shoulder, gave the White Sox a strong six
innings, leaving after giving three hits and three walks.
Game notes
White Sox manager Jerry Manuel used Baines at DH for the
first time in the series and moved Thomas to first base in an
effort to get more offense into his lineup. To take the pressure
off Carlos Lee, Manuel moved him from No. 5 to No. 8 in the batting
order. ... Piniella sat down Henderson in left field and Jay Buhner
in right field. In their place, Piniella started Ibanez in RF and
Javier in LF. ... The largest crowd in the 1½ seasons of Safeco
Field, 48,010, attended the first playoff game in the stadium's
history. Temporary bleachers were added for the game.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Chi. White Sox Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
White Sox go down without much of a fight
RECAPS
Seattle 2
Chi. White Sox 1
NY Yankees 4
Oakland 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mariners/White Sox postgame news conference.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 John Olerud talks with ESPN's Shelley Smith.
wav: 721 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Aaron Sele talks with ESPN's Shelly Smith.
wav: 706 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mark McLemore talks with ESPN's Shelley Smith.
wav: 126 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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