Seattle calls up left-hander

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SEATTLE -- Left-hander Randy Williams was brought up by the Seattle Mariners from Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday to take George Sherrill's spot in the bullpen.

The Mariners said Friday that Sherrill will not pitch during the final three weeks of the season because his arm was fatigued.

Williams had just completed a 38-hour drive from Tacoma to his home in Houston when he got a telephone call from the Mariners on Thursday night. He flew to Seattle on Friday and was at Safeco Field for Saturday night's game with Boston.

"I'd been home for three hours when they called," Williams said. "It's a long ways to Texas."

The Mariners called Williams on his cell phone when he was in Amarillo, Texas, to let him know they might need him.

"I told them they better let me know soon because I was headed into some woods," he said.

He had to miss daughter Bailey's first birthday party on Saturday, but he was excited about the prospect of making his major league debut.

"I'll get her a nice present," he said. "Besides, this way my wife is doing all my unpacking."

His wife, Sherry, is an assistant principal at an elementary school in Houston.

"We were a little bit short in the left-handers' role yesterday," Mariners manager Bob Melvin said.

Williams was 7-2 with eight saves and a 3.35 ERA in 48 games and 75 1-3 innings ay Tacoma this season. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs on the 12th round 1997 and had elbow ligament replacement surgery in 2000.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Williams said.

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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