“I don’t like to pitch around anybody in any situation,” said Seattle’s Randy Johnson. “No free runners on base. No intentional walks . . . even to somebody as great as Frank Thomas.”
“It was a great confrontation for the fans,” said Lou Piniella. “Why cheat them?”
That’s why Johnson, who is on course to break Nolan Ryan’s 1987 record of 11.48 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, went head-to-head against White Sox slugger Thomas in the moment of drama in Tuesday night’s 9-5 Seattle Mariners victory in Comiskey Park.
There were two out in the seventh. The Sox, trailing 5-3, had a runner on third. First base was open. Thomas, who had hit a two-run homer in the first inning, represented the tying run.
“If someone hits one off me, I’m the first to tip my hat to him,” said Johnson. “The first time, I got behind Frank 3 and 0. I grooved a fastball and Frank did what he does best. Now, I was more into the game. I got ahead of him.”
Johnson slipped two called strikes over on Thomas. Thomas fouled off two pitches. Johnson then made Thomas his 10th strikeout victim on a swinging strike on the 126th and last pitch he threw.
Johnson (7-1) was every bit the 6-foot, 10-inch intimidator. He yielded only five hits in the seven innings he worked. He struck out everybody in the Sox lineup at least once, except Ray Durham and Craig Grebeck.
“I thought he came inside more than he usually does,” said Grebeck, “and he got the ball over the plate more than he has against us.”
“He turned it over more,” said catcher Ron Karkovice, who joined Thomas with two hits. “He didn’t throw as hard as he did in Seattle. More breaking balls tonight, but he was effective.”
Wilson Alvarez (1-4) took the loss for the Sox.
“They only hit four or five balls hard off Wilson,” said Sox manager Terry Bevington. “The homers, the triple , the single up the middle. But Wilson lost command at times. He couldn’t get his breaking pitch over.”
Alvarez walked seven batters, one intentional, in his seven innings.
“We’ll stay with him,” said Bevington, “but obviously, he has to get better.”
“Randy really wanted to finish the inning,” said Piniella. “I thought he settled down after the home run and threw like he can.”
Scott Radinsky, who relieved Alvarez in the eighth, threw two pitches and left the game with a strained groin muscle.
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NEXT: vs. Seattle, Wednesday, 7:05 p.m., SportsChannel.
