The Double (Seattle Mariners)

The Double (Seattle Mariners)

To fans of the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball club, The Double is a reference to a double hit by the Mariners' Edgar Martinez in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game 5 of the 1995 American League Division Series on October 8, by|1995. The hit scored two runs that gave the Mariners a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees to clinch the series, 3-2. [Citation
title = Seattle Mariners team site
url = http://www.mlb.com/sea/fan_forum/95.jsp
accessdate = 2008-06-15
] The play is held to be the "greatest hit in Mariners history" by many Seattle fans. It is also credited with saving baseball in the city of Seattle, as it generated excitement and a genuine sense of pride in a city that was on the verge of giving up on professional baseball.

Background

After being as many as 13 games out of first place at the beginning of August, [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1995_sched.shtml 1995 Seattle Mariners Schedule, Box Scores and Splits] ] the Mariners mounted a late-season comeback that, coupled with a late-season collapse by the California Angels, [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CAL/1995_sched.shtml 1995 California Angels Schedule, Box Scores and Splits] ] forced a one-game tiebreaker with the Angels. The Mariners won the tiebreaker, 9-1, winning their first division title and postseason trip in franchise history.

In the ALDS, the Mariners quickly fell into a 2-0 deficit to the Yankees in the best-of-five series. However, the Mariners won the next two games and forced a "winner-takes-all" game 5 at the Kingdome.

The play

After the Mariners took a 4-2 lead in the 6th inning, the Yankees came back to tie the score at 4-4 in the 8th inning and eventually forced extra innings. In the top of the 11th inning the Yankees scored a run on an RBI single by Randy Velarde and were three outs from reaching the American League Championship Series.

In the bottom half of the inning, Yankees starter Jack McDowell, who had entered the game in the 9th inning for a rare relief appearance, faced the heart of the Mariners' order. Second baseman Joey Cora dragged a bunt down the first base line and reached first base on an infield hit. Yankees manager Buck Showalter argued the call, believing Cora should have been called out for running off the baselines; however, the umpires' ruling stood. The second batter, right fielder Ken Griffey, Jr., singled to center field, allowing Cora to reach third base. Designated hitter Martinez then smashed a line drive down the left field line for a double that scored Cora with the tying run and Griffey with the go-ahead run. The Mariners' dugout emptied and mobbed Griffey, Martinez, and Cora on the field in celebration of the franchise's first ever playoff series victory.

Dave Niehaus' call

Dave Niehaus' call of The Double was equally as memorable to Seattle fans as the play itself, and became one of the hallmarks of his Hall of Fame career:

Off-field significance and legacy

Keeping the Mariners in Seattle

The Seattle Mariners ownership had been considering moving the team to a different city prior to the 1995 season, primarily due to: 1) low attendance as a consequence of the team's losing ways (prior to 1995 they only had two seasons with a record over .500) and the Kingdome's drab baseball environment; and 2) the Kingdome's declining state of repair, as highlighted by a ceiling collapse in 1994.

Towards the end of the 1995 regular season, the residents of King County voted against a 0.1% raise on sales tax to fund the building of a replacement stadium. Notwithstanding the subsequent loss to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series, the Mariners' late season comeback, first division title in franchise history, and ultimately The Double, brought the Seattle fan base back to life and sparked a desire to keep the team in town. Soon after the events of October 8, the Washington State Legislature held a special session to come up with an alternative funding package to enable the building of a new ballpark, which culminated in the construction of Safeco Field. [Citation
title = Seattle Mariners team site
url = http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/sea/ballpark/history.jsp
accessdate = 2008-06-15
]

Legacy

The image of Griffey at the bottom of the dogpile after scoring the winning run (pictured at top) is one of the most memorable images of Griffey's storied career with the Mariners. In by|2007, when Griffey returned to Seattle for the first time since his by|1999 trade to the Cincinnati Reds, that image was included in a photo collage of highlights of Griffey's Mariners career that was presented to him by former teammates Martinez and Jay Buhner (both retired by then).

The image of Griffey sliding into home plate has been immortalized in a mural at Safeco Field, part of the ballpark's public art collection.

ee also

*1995 Seattle Mariners season
*1995 American League Division Series
*1995 American League West tie-breaker game

References

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA199510080.shtml Box Score at baseball-reference.com]
* [http://www.1995mariners.com Fan site about the '95 Mariners with stories about the ALDS and links to audio and video clips]


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