There were a lot of things we did not have time to verify after last night's game, mostly because of tight deadlines and the late hour. But piecing it all together this morning, through some further conversations, it's become clear that Milton Bradley packed up and left the ballpark while last night's game was still going on.

Bradley was removed from the game after a sixth inning strikeout. It was not a particularly good at-bat, with Bradley hacking away at some less-than-quality pitches early to get behind in the count, then, after battling back a bit, staring at a third strike down the middle.

But that's not why he got benched.

From what I'm told, Bradley came back to the dugout and told manager Don Wakamatsu something along the lines of "I'm done. I'm not helping the team.''

Those probably were not his exact words, but that was the message he conveyed.

Wakamatsu had Ryan Langerhans warm up immediately and followed Bradley into a tunnel between the dugout and clubhouse to talk him off the ledge and tell him not to quit on his teammates. At some point, Bradley was about to return to the dugout, but once he saw Langerhans playing left field in his place, left again and returned to his locker.

From there, he quickly packed and exited the stadium with the game still in progress.

I should not have to tell anyone how serious this is.

Leaving the park while a game is still going on is a serious violation of every written and unwritten rule in baseball. It's something the organization will have to address as well as the veteran players on this team.

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told me this morning that he's not going to comment on any issue that may have taken place in the dugout or clubhouse. Nor will he verify whether our description of what took place was accurate.

"If there is an issue, it will be dealt with internally,'' he said.

Bradley has been putting enormous pressure on himself since the season began. He's been the team's best hitter for the past 10 days or so, which is why he found himself batting in the clean-up spot again last night. His ability to cope with the pressure, much of it self-induced, has been an ongoing topic of coversation within the team's ranks.

Last night, Bradley simply could not cope.

It's one thing to throw a batting helmet, or equipment after striking out. All players do it. This sport is enormously frustrating for even the best players in the game.

But it's another thing entirely to pack up your belongings and walk out on your team while a game is still in progress. That's a kind of anxiety, of pressure, that most players in the game do not succumb to.

Since spring training, I have heard a lot of players say good things about Bradley. About how he cares so much about this team and finding a place here in Seattle that he's gone overboard in putting pressure on himself to make it here. Just last week, he told reporters in Chicago: "God bless Seattle.''

Never have I heard him described as selfish. I've heard words like "He's such a good kid, he tries so hard, if only...''

If only.

Last night, the words would be "If only he could cope to the point where he didn't walk out on us in the middle of a 3-1 game.''

But he couldn't cope. He did walk out.

And now, the team has to pick up the pieces. Has Bradley played his final game for the Mariners? Probably not. This team needs him as much as he needs them. But first, they have to find a way to help Bradley cope. Let's face it, this isn't the case of a guy in an 0-for-24 slump blowing his stack.

Bradley entered the game 8-for-25 with three doubles since coming back from missing that series in Chicago because of a sore calf. He was barely a week removed from saying he'd finally found a baseball home in Seattle, a place where he felt more comfortable than at any time in his career.

So, no. Leaving the stadium was not a normal reaction to this situation.

And this isn't piling on. This isn't an attempt to villify Bradley for what he did because it would appear there are things at play here that we haven't come across before in 12 years of covering baseball.

This team has gone out of its way to make a place for Bradley in Seattle. Everybody from the front office on down to the players, who really don't have a bad word to say about the guy. But now, if Bradley is to remain in Seattle and be a contributing member of this team, those same people who welcomed him here will have to go the extra mile.

Somehow, some way, they have to help him cope. Because stuff like this can't keep happening. This team is in enough trouble already and worrying about when the next Bradley erruption is going to come is just too much extra stress for everyone involved.