SEATTLE – On a day of a thousand cheers, Carlos Guillen received a standing ovation.
The Mariners shortstop, who missed the ALDS because of tuberculosis, stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first inning as the fans at Safeco Field rose to their feet.
Guillen focused on his at-bat against Andy Pettitte, not tipping his helmet or otherwise making a big deal of his return. He went 0-for-3 and was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the ninth, but his comeback is remarkable in its own right.
While the switch-hitting shortstop will probably never be as beloved as Alex Rodriguez was in this town, Guillen has already become a player on the postseason stage. Last year, he laid down a suicide squeeze in Game 3 of the ALDS to beat the White Sox.
Against the Yankees in last year’s ALCS, he crushed a two-run homer off Orlando Hernandez to give the M’s a 4-0 lead in Game 6. That lead didn’t last, but it was an indication that the Mariners would be OK with A-Rod in Texas.
Guillen was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis late in the regular season, and there was a thought he might miss the entire postseason. There was concern that additional Mariners were infected by TB, but they tested negative.
The time off due to illness didn’t seem to affect Guillen’s defense, as he ranged up the middle to throw out Derek Jeter on a fourth-inning grounder. But he was involved in one of the game’s most controversial moments in the fourth.
Jorge Posada slid into second with a double ahead of Guillen’s tag, and Paul O’Neill followed with a two-run homer. Posada was ruled safe by second base ump Gary Cederstrom despite a perfect throw from Ichiro in right field.
The throw beat Posada, but Guillen appeared to apply the tag a moment too late. Manager Lou Piniella quickly stormed out of the dugout to argue but made a U-turn almost as fast.