Cleveland opens with 5-0 surprise over Seattle

SEATTLE (AP) -- While closing in on history last week, the Seattle Mariners couldn't escape hearing about their unbelievable record.

They still can't.

They're 0-1.

Just days after tying a 95-year-old record with their 116th win, the Mariners lost Game 1 of the AL playoffs on Tuesday as Bartolo Colon pitched eight shutout innings in the Cleveland Indians' surprising 5-0 win over Seattle.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. The Mariners came in as heavy favorites to beat the Indians, who weren't given much of a chance despite winning their sixth AL Central title in seven years.

Until now.

"The postseason is real weird," Indians first baseman Jim Thome said. "We would for sure have taken a split when we came out here."

Ellis Burks went 3-for-4 with a homer as the Indians outplayed the Mariners, who ran away with AL West.

"There's no reason to panic," second baseman Bret Boone said. "We've come too far, and this club is too good to panic at this point."

Colon dominated the Mariners, who led the league in batting average, runs and virtually every other offensive category. He gave up six hits, struck out 10 and allowed only one runner to reach third base -- and that was on a throwing error.

"He told us on the flight, 'Give me a couple runs and I'll do the job,"' Burks said. "He did. He was just overmatching those guys."

The Indians won a playoff opener for just the third time in 11 series since 1995.

"We're here and we deserve to be here," Burks said. "We didn't sneak in. We won our division by seven games."

The Mariners didn't look like the same group that dominated the AL this season.

Rookie sensation Ichiro Suzuki had three hits, but got nailed stealing and left two on in the fifth when his shot to the gap in left-center was caught by Kenny Lofton.

"We've come back after losing the opening game of a series all year," Mariners manager Lou Piniella said. "There's no sense of urgency."

Following an off day Wednesday, the series resumes with Game 2 on Thursday. Chuck Finley, back in the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season in 1986, will start against Jamie Moyer.

Moyer was 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two starts against the Indians this season.

"It's a true test for us," Mariners shortstop Mark McLemore said. "I'll put it this way. We need to win on Thursday."

The Indians, sloppy and uninspired in the final week after clinching the AL Central, did everything better than Seattle. They hit in the clutch -- their Nos. 6-9 hitters had eight hits -- and played solid defense.

With a runner on in the fourth, Thome, better known for his long homers and not his glove, back-handed John Olerud's hard smash and turned a 3-6-3 double play. Vizquel also made several nice plays at short.

Colon, though, was the difference.

He lost twice to the Mariners during the regular season and looked horrible in a tuneup start against Kansas City last week, going just 1 1-3 innings. But he was in control from the outset, working the corners and blowing high heat past the Mariners.

In his previous playoff outing, Colon didn't get out of the second inning in Game 4 of the 1999 division series against Boston. He struggled during the regular season, going just 14-12, and the Indians wondered which Colon would show up Tuesday.

"We want Bartolo to be the ace," Fryman said, "and today he showed he wanted to be the ace, too."

Bob Wickman pitched a perfect ninth as the Indians extended their scoreless innings streak in the postseason against the Mariners to 22 innings.

The Indians scored three runs in the fourth off losing pitcher Freddy Garcia on a leadoff double, a walk and four singles.

Juan Gonzalez, who had 140 RBIs during the season, but none against the Mariners, drove in Cleveland's first run with a broken-bat single after Roberto Alomar's leadoff double. Thome walked and Burks beat out an infield single to load the bases.

Burks, who batted .136 vs. Seattle this season, opened the eighth with his homer off Jose Paniagua to make it 5-0, and a record crowd of 48,033 began facing the likelihood that the Mariners would lose just their 25th home game all year.

Now Seattle fans know there's another team in town.

"I don't think we're being overlooked," Burks said. "We won our division. But when you've got Seattle with 116 wins, Oakland with 102, and New York, based on what they've done the last five years, they are going to get all the notice. But we deserve to be here."

Notes: The Mariners have lost four straight postseason games to the Indians. ... Gonzalez's RBI single snapped an 0-for-16 hitless streak going back into the regular season. He's currently in a 1-for-20 slump and has eight strikeouts in 11 at-bats. ... Mariners shortstop Carlos Guillen, recently diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, received a warm ovation during pregame introductions. Guillen will not play in the series.