West bracket: 2009 Mariners defeat 1973 Angels in seven games

Game One: Angels 7, Mariners 5 (11 innings)
WP: Ryan (1-0)
LP: Vargas (0-1)
HR: B Oliver (1)
Save: Sells (1)

Game Two: Angels 4, Mariners 1
WP: Singer (1-0)
LP: Rowland-Smith (0-1)
HR: Beltre (1)

Game Three: Mariners 7, Angels 2
WP: Snell (1-0)
LP: Wright (0-1)
HR: F Gutierrez (1)

Game Four: Angels 2, Mariners 1
WP: Ryan (2-0)
LP: Bedard (0-1)

Game Five: Mariners 6, Angels 2
WP: F Hernandez (1-0)
LP: Singer (1-1)

Game Six: Mariners 5, Angels 1
WP: Fister (1-0)
LP: R May (0-1)
HR: Suzuki (1), Sweeney (1)

Game Seven: Mariners 1, Angels 0
WP: Batista (1-0)
LP: Ryan (2-1)
Save: Aardsma (1-)

Seattle overcame a three-games-to-one deficit, holding the Angels to a total of three runs over the final three games.

The opening matchup -- Nolan Ryan vs. Felix Hernandez -- figured to be a pitching duel. Instead, it was the highest scoring affair of the series, with the two teams each scoring five runs in the first four innings. King Felix left after five innings, but the Ryan Express kept going through 10 innings. The Angels broke through in the top of the 11th for two runs on singles by Ken Berry, Jeff Torborg, Richie Scheinblum and Sandy Alomar.

Bill Singer went the distance in the second game, holding the Mariners to one run on six hits. Vada Pinson hit a bases-clearing triple in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie.

The series moved from Safeco Field to the Big A in Anaheim, and Ian Snell and four relievers got the M's their first in in Game Three. Franklin Gutierrez had four hits, three runs and two RBIs, with a homer and two doubles, to power the Seattle offense against Clyde Wright. Snell went five innings for the win.

Ryan overpowered Seattle in Game Four, striking out 11 men in his five-hit complete game win. Both runs California got off Eric Bedard were unearned; Torborg led off the sixth with a single, and two outs later Jack Wilson booted Vada Pinson's grounder. Frank Robinson followed with a double, and Pinson scored from first.

One win from advancing, the Angels bats fell silent. Hernandez allowed one run on six hits in eight innings in the final game in Anaheim, while Singer gave up four runs in a disasterous sixth inning that featured two errors and a fly ball that Scheimblum played into three bases.

The series moved back to Seattle for Game Six, and the M's went deep twice against loser Rudy May, with Ichiro Suzuki's two-run homer in the eighth giving Seattle some margin. Mike Sweeney had a solo homer in the fourth Doug Fister allowed three hits in 6.1 innings for the win.

Seattle ran a bullpen game in the finale against Ryan, with Mark Lowe allowing one hit in three innings. The M's scored in the first when Ichiro scored from first on Jose Lopez's two-out double, and that was all the scoring for the contest. Miguel Batista, Jason Vargas and Sean White divied up the next five innings, and David Aardsma finished for the save.

Player availability: Lowe should not pitch in the first two games of Round Two. Adrian Beltre is injured and unavailable until Game Four. Russell Branyan is injured and unavailable until Game Three.

Projected rotation: Hernandez-(Rowland-Smith)-Snell-Bedard-(Hernandez)-(Fister)-(??). Under the Pasqual Perez rule, Hernandez is the only M's pitcher allowed to make more than one start in a series.