Jun 17, 2006 12:54 am US/Pacific
Mariners Beat Giants, 5-4
SEATTLE (AP) ―
After hitting homer No. 718, Barry Bonds struck out looking against J.J. Putz to end the game and the Seattle Mariners defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-4 on Friday night.
Ichiro Suzuki hit a leadoff home run for Seattle and Felix Hernandez (7-6) won his fourth straight start, despite allowing a career-high three home runs -- all in the first 10 Giants batters.
Mike Morse knocked in two runs for the Mariners, who ended a three-game losing streak.
In the second inning, Bonds fouled off a 95 mph fastball from Hernandez to even the count at 1-1. He quickly turned on the next pitch, another fastball that Hernandez tried to get on the inside corner, and lined it like a laser about a dozen rows into the packed right-field bleachers.
For Bonds, it was his second consecutive plate appearance with a home run. He went deep in the ninth inning homer Wednesday at Arizona and is now 37 behind Hank Aaron's major league record.
Bonds walked on four pitches in the third inning, prompting many in the crowd of 41,333 -- the largest at Safeco Field since opening day -- to boo. Hernandez struck him out in the fifth on a 2-2 curveball, to the roaring delight of many, before the boos intensified when Eddie Guardado intentionally walked Bonds with Winn at second base and two outs in the seventh.
Rafael Soriano relieved and retired Moises Alou on one pitch, a flyout to left field.
Soriano got into two-on, out-one trouble in the eighth. But he struck out Todd Greene. Then Putz blew a 97 mph fastball past Randy Winn for an inning-ending strikeout.
With no body on in the ninth, Putz went right after Bonds, finishing off the seven-time MVP with a breaking ball.
Putz has 11 saves in 12 chances.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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