The curse of winning 116

Fans seem to remember the colossal choke jobs more than they remember the great teams.

The 1988 A's, 1969 Cubs, 1964 Phillies, 1954 Indians, 1951 Dodgers; those teams had either significant leads heading into September or, as is the case with the 1988 A's and 1954 Indians, seemed destined to win it all that season.

Then you have clubs like the 1998 Yankees, 1986 Mets, the Big Red Machine of 1975 and 1976, the early 1970s A's, or farther back the 1927 Yankees and 1908 Cubs; those clubs finished the season just as they started it, on top, the cream of the crop.

So where will the 2001 Seattle Mariners fit in?

For their sake, and the sake of their great season, the Mariners better hope their 5-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the divisional series was just an aberration.

Maybe they were caught flat-footed. Maybe loss 47 of the season is just a wakeup call for the 116-win Mariners. Maybe they needed to be shutout for the first time this season to get that kick in the pants.

Then again, maybe this is the choke job everyone in baseball has been waiting for.

For the Mariners, they lost much more than just the first game of the ALDS, they lost their intimidation factor and home field advantage. They can be beat. Freddy Garcia proved to be hittable, the bullpen seemed human and Ichiro Suzuki missed a couple of chances to turn the game around.

Suzuki did his best to disrupt things, going three-for-four, but missed a pair of opportunities to really disrupt pitcher Bartolo Colon. With one out in the third, Suzuki was caught stealing on a pitch out, ending the Mariners threat that inning. Then in the fifth Suzuki, one of the best hitters this season with men in scoring position, failed to come up with the clutch two-out hit with the Tribe up 3-0.

Those are the little things that need to be done for a team to advance in the playoffs. Seattle's Game 1 problems went beyond Suzuki's misfortunes, though. They failed to move runners over, something the Mariners were successful with during the season, and had trouble getting clutch hits. They were sloppy in the field and didn't seem mentally ready to take the field.

Someone better remind them that they don't have the luxury of a 162 games now to win the title.

If you're looking for a bright spot, however, the Mariner pitching was solid despite giving up five runs on 11 hits. Garcia pitched well, striking out eight and walking two, while the hits he did allow were mostly soft line drives just out of reach of infielders.

But, in a short series like this, a loss is a loss and the pressure only gets thicker from here. With each mistake, the grip on that 116-win season gets a little looser. The 1998 Yankees know all about that pressure. After winning 114 games and sweeping the Texas Rangers in the first round of the playoffs, the Yankees lost Games 2 and 3 of the ALCS to the Indians, falling into a 2-1 hole. The doubters appeared out of nowhere to proclaim the Yanks the biggest chokers since the 1986 Angels. They rebounded, of course, and went on to win the World Championship.

Even if the Yankees didn't pull out the title that season it wouldn't be as devastating as it would be for the Mariners this season. The Yankees have 26 world titles to their credit, they are the class of the Major Leagues and a franchise that has stood the test of time. They have Monument Park and a host of retired numbers. They have more playoff series losses than the Mariners have appearances.

The Mariners are the new kids on the block. Heck, the city of Seattle has just one sports championship, and now they are faced with being labeled chokers if they can't pull out the title. They need to legitimize their 116 wins with a title. Anything less would make the record meaningless and would be a helluva blow to this young franchise.

How's that for pressure, Seattle?