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Ross, Phillips homer twice as Griffey returns to Seattle

Jun 23, 2007 - 6:42 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- It was Junior's night to shine in Seattle, but it was his Cincinnati Reds teammates who supplied the Griffey-like fireworks his former hometown fans had come to expect.

Brandon Phillips and David Ross each homered twice as the Cincinnati Reds routed the Seattle Mariners, 16-1, to help make Ken Griffey Jr.'s return to Seattle a happy occasion for the former Mariners star Friday night.

Ross drove in five runs and and Phillips added three more as the Reds hammered five home runs to give Aaron Harang (8-2) his first victory against the Mariners after three losses.

Griffey was given a lengthy standing ovation during a 15-minute pregame ceremony and was cheered each time he came to bat by a sellout crowd of 46,340. It was his first appearance at Safeco Field, dubbed "The House That Griffey Built," since he was traded to the Reds on February 10, 2000.

"I didn't expect all that," Griffey said. "I expected a lot, but not what I got. That was just, like I said, over the top. It was unbelievable."

The 37-year-old outfielder singled and scored a run in the first inning, but struck out in his final three at-bats before being replaced in right field by Jeff Conine.

Griffey made 10 All-Star teams, won 10 gold gloves, clubbed 398 homers and won the 1997 American League MVP award with Seattle.

Rookie lefthander Ryan Feierabend (1-2), making only his fifth start, was rocked for nine runs and six hits while issuing five walks in just 2 2/3 innings.

"When this type of game happens you just shake it off, laugh about it and get ready for your next start," Feierabend said. "There's not a whole lot you can do. They came to play and hit the ball hard."

The Reds got off to a quick 4-0 lead as they capitalized on Feierabend's first-inning wildness. With one out Feierabend hit Phillips and Griffey lined his first pitch under the glove of first baseman Richie Sexson for a single, sending Phillips to third.

Phillips came around to score on Jeff Conine's sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Griffey went to second on a wild pitch and Feierabend walked Adam Dunn and Edwin Encarnacion to load the bases, setting the stage for Alex Gonzalez's bases-clearing double.

That was all the support Harang needed. The 29-year-old righthander yielded just two hits in eight innings while striking out seven. His lone run allowed was unearned.

"It kind of gave me chills, goosebumps, hearing that kind of appreciation for Junior," Harang said. "It always helps to score a lot of runs so you can settle back and not have as much pressure on you."

The Reds added another pair of runs in the second and Ross' 10th homer of the season - a two-run shot to left-center - gave Cincinnati an 8-0 lead in the third. One out later Phillips' 12th homer made it 9-0, and Josh Hamilton's blast over the center field fence in the fifth extended the lead to 10-0.

"I wish he (Griffey) would have got one," Ross said. "I would like to have seen this place erupt for him."

While he was at it, Ross tipped his hat to Trey Griffey, the slugger's 13-year-old son who accompanied his dad on the trip and helped Ross pick out his bats before the game.

"I think that's the third time Trey Griffey has picked out my bats and I have hit a home run, so he's got some good mojo working," Ross said. "I told him that if his dad didn't make so much money I'd buy him something."

The Reds erupted for six more runs and a 16-1 lead in the sixth off reliever Jason Davis, highlighted by Ross' three-run homer and Phillips' solo shot.

The Mariners run came on a groundout by Willie Bloomquist in the fifth inning.

Ironically, the Mariners entered the game with a string of 20 consecutive scoreless innings, including back-to-back shutouts over the Pittsburgh Pirates.