Seattle saves its splendid season

SEATTLE -- Shut out at home. Blown out on the road. Down to their final nine outs. Twice in danger of having their record-setting, season of seasons end in failure.

The Seattle Mariners endured it all during five pressure-packed games against the Cleveland Indians.

And as they did all year, the Mariners came out winners.

Jamie Moyer tamed Cleveland's bats for six innings, Ichiro Suzuki got three more hits and Mark McLemore drove in two runs Monday as the Mariners advanced to the ALCS with a 3-1 win over the Indians in the deciding Game 5 of the playoffs.

Back home where their magic multiplies, baseball's best team during the regular season guaranteed it would be around for some more postseason fun.

The Mariners faced elimination twice and twice refused to let this season of seasons end.

"We were down 1-0, and we had to win Game 2," reliever Jeff Nelson said. "We had to win Game 4, and we had to win today. It shows what kind of players we have and what kind of team we are. We tied history, but it wouldn't have looked very good if we got knocked out in the first round."

After nearly seeing their record-tying 116 wins in the regular season overshadowed by an early October exit, the Mariners returned to the safety and screaming fans in Safeco Field and did what they've done all season.

They got solid starting pitching, clutch base hits, solid relief work and defense and improved to 119-48 since opening day.

And now, the Mariners advance to their third ALCS -- they also appeared in '95 and '00 -- but for the first time, they'll have home-field advantage when they get there.

"We've been in this situation before," Edgar Martinez said. "We've been behind. We've bounced back and won. It's amazing the way this team is able to bounce back."

Suzuki, the speedy Japanese sensation whose legion of fans grows with every infield single, gave Cleveland headaches all series long. He went 12-for-20 (.600), scored four runs and set the table for nearly every Mariners' rally.

The Indians managed just four hits and will have the winter to think about what might have been.

Cleveland was in command of the series following a 17-2 blowout in Game 3, but the Indians couldn't put away the Mariners, who after running away from the AL all year, showed they're not bad at comebacks, either.

Moyer beat the Indians for the second time in the series and fourth time this season, allowing one run and three hits in six innings.

Relievers Jeff Nelson and Arthur Rhodes got the Mariners to the ninth and Kazuhiro Sasaki pitched a perfect final inning for his first save of the series.