Mariners Are Behind Key’s 8-Ball

SEATTLE — Jimmy Key became the season’s first eight-game winner Saturday night when Baltimore’s bullpen survived a shaky ninth inning to preserve a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Key (8-0) gave up one run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings--equaling his shortest appearance this year.

A Kingdome sellout crowd of 57,304 watched Key leave with a 3-1 lead after giving up a single to Mike Blowers and walking Dan Wilson with two outs in the sixth.

Terry Mathews came on and struck out Russ Davis to end the threat and blanked the Mariners in the seventh and eighth.

But in the ninth, Seattle pulled to 4-3 against Randy Myers on run-scoring singles by Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. Armando Benitez then replaced Myers and got Edgar Martinez to fly to right for the final out and his fourth save.