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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) -- This is the Rickey Henderson that Lou Piniella
remembers.
Henderson hit a leadoff home run for the second straight day,
sending the Seattle Mariners over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8-4
Sunday.
|  | | With two home runs in two days, Henderson is right at home in the Mariners' leadoff spot. |
Henderson has started twice for the Mariners since being
released by the New York Mets, and has homered in the first inning
both times. His 77 leadoff home runs are a major league record.
"It's amazing," said Piniella, who managed Henderson with the
New York Yankees from 1986-88. "That's two games in a row. I was
mentioning to him during the game that his bat is quick. It's
really quick."
Henderson has hit leadoff homers in back-to-back games three
times in his career, having done it in 1993 and '90 with Oakland.
Baltimore's Brady Anderson holds the record of four straight games
with a leadoff homer in 1996.
"Ten years ago, I used to do that all the time," Henderson
said. "Maybe it's now starting all over again."
Henderson homered on Steve Trachsel's second pitch, sending a
drive to left field.
"It was a curveball," Trachsel said. "I don't know if it was
down or up, but doing what he did is what Rickey is known for."
Dan Wilson and Mike Cameron hit consecutive homers for Seattle
and Martinez later connected. John Olerud went 4-for-4 with a walk
and scored two runs and Henderson finished with two hits and also
scored twice.
The Mariners signed the 41-year-old Henderson on Wednesday
night. In his first game for Seattle, he raced home with the tying
run as a pinch-runner Friday night.
After Henderson's homer, Seattle strung together four straight
singles. Jay Buhner's hit scored Olerud for a 2-0 lead.
"To lead off with homers in two straight games, that's
amazing," Aaron Sele (4-2) said. "He's got a flair for the
dramatic. He plays hard out there and he's obviously a wonderful
addition."
Sele left in the seventh inning after Gerald Williams blooped a
two-run double that made it 8-4.
Arthur Rhodes, ejected for his role in a bench-clearing brawl
Saturday, relieved and, after walking Vinny Castilla to load the
bases, struck out Greg Vaughn and Jose Canseco to end the threat.
"Rhodes challenged them with his best stuff, " said Piniella.
"He really threw the ball well and got us out of a jam."
Trachsel (3-3) allowed 10 hits and four runs in 3 2/3 innings,
his shortest outing of the year.
Mark McLemore, ejected from Saturday's game after charging the
mound and tackling pitcher Esteban Yan, followed Henderson's
sixth-inning single with an RBI double.
Alex Rodriguez then doubled and Martinez hit his 13th homer, a
two-run drive, for an 8-2 lead.
The Devil Rays scored twice in the second on Bubba Trammell's
RBI single and John Flaherty's sacrifice fly.
Henderson is definitely making an impact on the Mariners
offense, and the Tampa Bay players took notice.
"He gets on base and everybody in the park is aware of him over
there," Flaherty said. "He takes the pitcher's focus off the
hitter. When that happens, you probably don't make quality pitches
to the hitter. Seattle already has a good lineup and you can't
concentrate on the runners. There is no doubt in my mind that he
will help them."
Sele, who has faced Henderson as an opponent in the past, says
that Henderson is distracting.
"He really makes you split your concentration between first
base and home plate. That makes it tough to make quality pitches.
He has a little strike zone, and if you make a mistake he has the
power to take you out of the park. I'm glad I'm on his side now."
Game notes
Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 16 games. ... All
nine Mariners starters had a hit. ... Tampa Bay ended a 1-5 road
trip.
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