Griffey's 53rd HR Lifts Seattle

While most of the attention is focused on the home run derby between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr. is putting the finishing touches on an awesome season.

Griffey

It was Griffey's 11th homer in the last 23 games, and came less than 24 hours after he stole a base to join Willie Mays and Brady Anderson as the only players in major league history with 50 homers and 20 steals in a season.

But Griffey knows there's little chance of catching Sosa and McGwire in the home run standings. When asked whether he was headed for a 60-20 season, Griffey just laughed.

"I'm on a tight schedule right now," he said. "I don't know how many more at-bats I've got."

Griffey celebrates with Alex Rodriguez after hitting No. 53 Thursday.(AP)

Griffey's homer, a drive into the right-field stands, came after Carlos Guillen and Alex Rodriguez began the game with singles off Tom Candiotti (11-16).

"Their first two guys got hits and then (Griffey) put them up," Candiotti said. "Moyer just needed one run today, he was that good. I had a lousy knuckleball today, and when it's bad it gets hit."

The Mariners, who have won four straight, added three runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Russ Davis and Joe Oliver and an RBI double by Shane Monahan. Raul Ibanez had RBI singles in the fifth and ninth.

Moyer (14-9), who had just three shutouts in 11 seasons before 1998, pitched his third shutout of the year. He struck out four and walked none.

"I didn't think I had a real good fastball today, so I had to move the ball around and change speeds and keep them off balance even more than I usually do," Moyer said. "I was able to locate the ball."

Moyer, who has won nine of his last 11 decisions, retired 12 straight batters after allowing two hits to start the first inning.

"What can i tell you? The ball just disappeared on you," said Oakland's A.J. Hinch, who went 0-for-3 against Moyer.

Candiotti, who allowed seven runs on nine hits in five innings, leads the AL in losses. He became the first A's pitcher with more than 15 losses in a season since Matt Keough lost 18 in 1982.

Oakland has lost four straight.

"Junior got us going with a three-run homer in the first inning and Jamie did the rest," Seattle manager Lou Piniella said. "When he's hitting his spots and changing speeds, he can make it a tough afternoon for anybody."

Seattle second baseman Guillen, one of the players acquired from Houston in the July 31 trade for Randy Johnson, injured his left knee in the second inning while making an acrobatic catch of a popup in short center field.

Guillen, who has hit in nine of 10 games since being recalled from the minors on Sept. 6, came out of the game immediately. The Mariners said he was scheduled to fly to Seattle on Thursday night for an MRI.

"I think he's done for the year," Piniella said. "It's more than a sprain, but we don't know what yet."

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