Mariners Jaywalk All Over White Sox

Kenji Johjima? Really? I didn’t know he had it in him.

But that’s just it about this team. Heroes come from the unlikeliest of places, and tonight it was simply Johjima’s turn to be the savior.

The former starting catcher belted a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Mariners a decisive 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. The longball was only Johjima’s fourth of the season, and came in the midst of a 1-15 hitting slump that dates back to July 29.

The team also received an effective, if not strong, pitching performance from rookie starter Luke French.

French, acquired from Detroit in the Jarrod Washburn deal, tossed four innings of shutout ball before ceding two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

He was relieved in the sixth by Sean White, who was hit hard before turning the ball over to Mark Lowe in the eighth, followed by closer David Aardsma in the ninth.

Aardsma pitched a scoreless final inning to notch his 27th save of the season.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the little jaywalking quip in the headline, take a look at this.

Turns out that White Sox GM Ken Williams was cited for jaywalking while crossing the street outside Safeco Field.

Coincidentally, Williams was leaving the stadium after having just pulled off the waiver acquisition of former Toronto Blue Jay and current contract bust Alex Rios, a move that could haunt his ballclub for years to come (and ultimately cost Williams his job, if Rios continues to perform at his subpar level).

Some M's fans may remember the last celebrity to get cited for a jaywalking ticket outside Safeco Field: Manny Ramirez.

Ramirez was in town with Boston at the time and was wearing headphones when he committed his pedestrian infraction. On top of that, he's Manny Ramirez and we kind of expect that behavior from him.

But Ken Williams? A veteran general manager, who reportedly told police that the laws weren’t so strict in Chicago? Well, I guess that’s just Kenny being Kenny.

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