Line Score and Summary
As per normal MLB practice at the time, the home team for this game was determined by a series of coin tosses held on September 18 to determine home teams for all potential one-game tiebreakers. All statistics compiled during the game were added to each player's and/or team's regular season statistics. The game was nationally televised on ESPN with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan making the call.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Seattle Mariners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | X | 9 | 12 | 0 | |||||||||||
| WP: Randy Johnson (18–2) LP: Mark Langston (15–7) Home runs: CAL: Tony Phillips (27) SEA: None |
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The first six innings of the game were largely a pitchers' duel between Seattle staff ace Randy Johnson and California's Mark Langston, the Mariners' former staff ace who was traded to Montreal for Johnson in 1989. Seattle put runners in scoring position in the first and fifth innings, but only scored one run in the fifth when Dan Wilson scored on a single by Vince Coleman. Johnson was perfect—that is, he allowed no runners to reach base—until the 6th inning when Rex Hudler singled but was stranded at second base.
In the seventh inning, Langston allowed a single to Mike Blowers, then allowed Tino Martinez on base via fielder's choice, then hit Joey Cora to load the bases with two outs. Luis Sojo followed with a double to right field that glanced off of first baseman J. T. Snow's glove and rolled under California's bullpen bench, scoring Blowers, Martinez, and Cora. Sojo himself scored on the play as a result of Langston's throwing error, and Langston was replaced by relief pitcher Bob Patterson.
California, behind by five runs, threatened again in the 8th inning with runners on second and third, but Hudler grounded out to end the threat. In the bottom of the 8th, the Mariners again had the bases loaded when Tino Martinez singled to score Edgar Martínez, followed by a Dan Wilson double that scored Jay Buhner and Blowers, and finally a sacrifice fly double play hit by Cora that scored Tino Martinez but got Wilson thrown out at third. California led off the top of the 9th with a Tony Phillips home run to avoid the shutout, but Johnson retired the next three Angels hitters to record his sixth complete game and 18th win of the season.
Read more about this topic: 1995 American League West Tie-breaker Game
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