The Mariners reached the post-season for the first time in their 19-year history, winning the American League West title by beating the California Angels 9-1 Monday night in the major league's first one-game playoff since 1980.
Johnson (18-2), maintaining his menacing stare on every pitch, was perfect for 5 2/3 innings and finished with a three-hitter and 12 strikeouts.
Leading 1-0, the Mariners broke open the game in the seventh when Luis Sojo's bases-loaded double -- aided by pitcher Mark Langston's throwing error -- turned into a four-run play.
The Mariners will play wild-card winner New York in the best-of-five first round. The series begins Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium with Chris Bosio likely to start for Seattle against David Cone.
Seattle was 9-4 against the Yankees, including a 3-3 mark in New York.
In the other first-round AL matchup, the Boston Red Sox visit Cleveland, which features the league's toughest lineup top to bottom led by Albert Belle, only the 12th player in history to hit 50 home runs. He led the majors in that category.
Belle's teammates Kenny Lofton and bullpen ace Jose Mesa also captured individual AL honors. Lofton finished with 54 stolen bases to lead the league and Mesa was 46-of-48 in save opportunities.
Like Cleveland, the Red Sox are out to overcome an ancient burden of failure, not having won a World Series since 1918.
Mo Vaughn, who tied Belle for the league lead with 126 RBI, has carried New Englanders to new heights of optimism, bolstered by the slugging of shortstop John Valentin and import Jose Canseco.
Boston ace Roger Clemens goes against Dennis Martinez in the first game. After problems with injuries, Clemens, a three-time Cy Young winner, looks to be back in form.
In the NL on Tuesday, the Colorado Rockies host the Atlanta Braves in the first game of their best-of-five series, and the Cincinnati Reds visit the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Colorado will first face Greg Maddux, at 19-2 the best pitcher in baseball with a dazzling 1.63 earned run average, and a certainty to win his fourth straight Cy Young Award.
While the Rockies have more long-ball pop -- four men with 30-plus home runs, a league-high team total of 200 -- a lot of that came in the thin air and over the short fences of Coors Field, where only the first two games will be played.
In the other NL matchup, the Western Division champion Dodgers have a couple of edges that might help them oust the Central-winning Reds the last NL team to win a World Series.
The Dodgers' Japanese rookie sensation Hideo Nomo is back in form, combining with Ramon Martinez to go 9-1 since the All-Star break.
And the right-handed power of the Dodgers -- Eric Karros, Mike Piazza and Raul Mondesi -- could benefit from the predominantly left-handed rotation headed by Pete Schourek, whose 18 wins were second best in the league.
The production of the Reds' big three -- Reggie Sanders, Ron Gant and Barry Larkin -- is not quite up to Karros, Piazza and Mondesi, but the Cincinnati team totals are higher.
(AP, Reuters)
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