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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) – Alex Rodriguez's millions didn't get him a win in
his return to Seattle.
|  | | Ichiro Suzuki singles as part of the Mariners' five-run second inning. Seattle increased its lead over Texas in the AL West to 3½ games. |
Booed every time he walked to the plate, Rodriguez was 1-for-5
with a single Monday night as his Texas Rangers lost to the
Mariners 9-7.
A sellout crowd of 45,657 not only booed the four-time All-Star,
whose $252 million, 10-year contract is the richest in sports
history, but some fans threw fake money from the upper decks of
Safeco Field.
"I think it's all in fun," he said. "That's why they're some
of the greatest fans. They were in postseason form. If I was
wearing a Mariners' uniform tonight, they would have been cheering
for me."
Seattle, which leads the AL West, took a 6-0 lead after two
innings against Ryan Glynn (0-3) and beat the Rangers for the third
time in four games this season.
Rodriguez played with Seattle from 1994 until 2000, helping the
Mariners reach the AL Championship Series last season. He is
5-for-16 (.313) with no homers and two RBI against Seattle this
season.
With the fans holding up signs such as "A-Wad" and "A-Rod
Please Buy Me A House," the Mariners improved their franchise-best
start to 10-3.
"I was expecting it," Rodriguez said. "I've been expecting it
for a long time. I expect it to be just the same the next two
nights."
Manager Lou Piniella and the Mariners players were taken aback
by the fans' actions.
"It was surprising," Piniella said. "I didn't expect that. I
was expecting more of a mixed-type reaction. It was almost like the
Yankees were in town, right? Remember, Alex had some wonderful
years here."
Seattle's Mike Cameron was disappointed.
"That's tough. No respect. I can't deal with it," he said.
"People have their own opinion. Maybe the first time. But every
single time? Forty-five thousand people made a decision to boo him.
You've got to remember what this guy brought to the city."
Rafael Palmeiro provided most of the Rangers' offense, homering
twice and driving in five runs.
Aaron Sele, given a 6-0 lead, was chased in a four-run third
inning. Ryan Franklin (2-0) relieved and allowed one run and three
hits in four innings.
"I just got some pitches up and when you get pitches up against
a good lineup like that, you're going to get bad results," Sele
said. "I'm disappointed in myself. I've been around long enough to
know what to do with big leads."
Norm Charlton pitched two perfect innings and Kazuhiro Sasaki
allowed a two-run homer to Palmeiro in the ninth.
Seattle got a run in the first on Bret Boone's RBI single. In
the second, the Mariners increased the lead on Mike Cameron's
two-run single, John Olerud's RBI single, Boone's run-scoring
double and Al Martin's RBI groundout.
Texas closed in the third on a a two-run single by Palmeiro
followed by RBI singles by Ivan Rodriguez and Andres Galarraga.
David Bell's sacrifice fly made it 7-4 in the fourth, but
Palmeiro homered off Franklin leading off the fifth.
Jeff Brantley walked Cameron in the seventh with the bases
loaded in the seventh.
Mark McLemore singled in Seattle's final run in the eighth.
Glynn allowed seven runs, six hits and six walks in three-plus
innings.
Game notes
Safeco's retractable roof was closed in the middle of the
eighth inning because a storm went past the stadium. ... The
Mariners got 10 walks, giving them a major league-leading 71. ...
Franklin has allowed one earned run in 12 2-3 innings this season
for an 0.71 ERA.
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Caple: Seattle fans sound off at A-Rod
Mariner fans have mixed feelings on A-Rod's return
AUDIO/VIDEO
 ESPN's Harold Reynolds catches up with Alex Rodriguez after his first game back in Seattle as a member of the Texas Rangers.
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A-Rod's first game back in Seattle had the feel of a playoff game according to Mike Cameron.
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