ICHIRO SUZUKI unofficial blog

M's may hit Lopez second behind Ichiro

2008-03-26T18:32:00.000+09:00

http://www.king5.com/
06:44 AM PDT on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Associated Press

SURPRISE, Ariz. - Jose Lopez is likely to be hitting second in the Seattle Mariners' lineup next week when Seattle opens the regular season against Texas.

Heading into Tuesday night's game against Texas, Lopez was hitting .347 (8-for-23) since manager John McLaren inserted him into the second slot on March 17.

"We're thinking about it strongly, I think that's safe to say," McLaren said Tuesday. "He's hit behind the runner. He's swinging at more strikes. I'm not going to say it's 100 percent but we're leaning that way."

It's a move Lopez welcomes.

He hit .290 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs while hitting in the second spot during his All-Star season of 2006 and has looked relaxed and comfortable batting there this year.

The move up in the lineup means Lopez will be batting behind speedy leadoff hitter Ichiro Suzuki, whom the Mariners are pushing to steal more bases in 2008. That will require Lopez to be more disciplined at the plate, something Seattle's second baseman is prepared to do.

"When Ichiro gets on base in the first couple innings, you want to take a pitch and let (him) run and move the runner," Lopez said. "The pitcher, when Ichiro's on first base, he wants to throw a strike. He doesn't want a breaking pitch."

The Mariners experimented with several different players hitting in the second spot of the lineup this spring, including designated hitter Jose Vidro and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. Since Lopez was inserted at No. 2, Vidro, who batted second eight times this spring, has been dropped to third, fifth and seventh.

Lopez batted second in 74 games during the 2006 season and hit .282 overall. He hit there only 30 times last season, batting .266 and finished the year with a .252 overall average.

The 24-year-old, who spent his winter in Venezuela working on his batting stroke, was batting primarily in the seventh spot before the Mariners made the change last week.

"From day one he's had an excellent attitude," McLaren said. "His whole approach has been outstanding for me."

As for hitting behind Suzuki, who went into Tuesday having stolen five bases without being caught, McLaren says Lopez will be learning on the fly.

"Part of hitting No. 2 is when Ichiro takes off and you don't have two strikes, you gotta know when to take a pitch and give him an opportunity to steal a base," McLaren said. "It's going to be kind of a little bit of a learning process for him and we'll see how it goes. I'm very confident that he'll fit in the slot very well."

Miguel Batista, Ichiro Suzuki lead Mariners in 6-6 tie with Padres

2008-03-21T18:35:00.000+09:00

Mar 21, 2008

http://canadianpress.google.com

PEORIA, Ariz. — Ichiro Suzuki broke out of his spring training slump, Miguel Batista became the first Seattle starter to pitch six innings and the Mariners tied the San Diego Padres 6-6 in 10 innings Thursday night.

The right-hander, who was 16-11 with a 4.29 ERA in 33 games last year, allowed three runs and seven hits. San Diego's Chase Headley hit a tying, two-run homer off Eric O'Flaherty in the ninth.

Suzuki, who started the spring hitless in 21 at-bats, went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. He raised his batting average to .174.

"I thought (Batista) threw the ball hard," Seattle manager John McLaren said. "He showed signs of really pitching well. I thought he got careless a little bit in that one inning when he gave up three. He settled down and pitched well after that."

New centre fielder Jim Edmonds, who hasn't played since March 6 because of a right calf strain, could start the season on the disabled list, according to Padres general manager Kevin Towers.

"I think he's still a ways away from being in a game," Towers said. "It's tough to tell."

Padres manager Bud Black said his starter, Justin Germano, has pitched well since camp opened.

Competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, Germano allowed four runs - three earned - and six hits in five innings. He finished with three strikeouts and a walk.

Black said the key to Germano's success is that he's thrown his improved changeup more often this spring. Last season, Germano was 7-10 with a 4.46 ERA in 26 appearances for the Padres.

"I think his changeup is solid," Black said. "That development has been a pleasant surprise and his fastball command has been good. He's thrown well."

Germano said he didn't do any extra work on his changeup in the off-season but has had a good feel for it all spring.

"I've seen quite a bit of swings and misses," Germano said. "That's definitely a good sign. Definitely my first choice is going to be that fifth spot in the rotation. I feel like I've been consistent."

San Diego right fielder Brian Giles, who is coming off microfracture knee surgery, singled and walked in three plate appearances.

Ichiro raises average to .040

2008-03-14T18:24:00.000+09:00

Ichiro Suzuki, after an 0-for-21 start, gets his first hit in spring training.

By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer

PEORIA, Ariz. -- As the sun set on another glorious Arizona day, the Seattle Mariners walked away Thursday with something just as special:

A batting average for Ichiro Suzuki.

He finally got his first hit of spring training, an infield single in the first inning of the Mariners' 3-3 tie against the San Francisco Giants. It ended an 0-for-21 start.

After it happened, baseball writers circled it on their scorecards.

Many in the crowd of 9,125 stood and cheered.

Trainer Rick Griffin walked to the dugout rail and tried to get the baseball from Giants pitcher Kevin Correia, who didn't give it up.

OK, it's only spring training and nothing is important but getting a feel for hitting. But Suzuki's 0-for-March had gained not only attention but notoriety.

Early in the week he said he enjoyed experiencing something so different.

Thursday morning, after the Mariners had cut 12 players from the major league camp, manager John McLaren noted that Suzuki "survived this cut."

Five hours later, Suzuki had his first hit.

He pulled a grounder into the hole between first and second, then beat Correia to the bag.

"As soon as I saw the first baseman go out, I knew it was going to be a hit," he said.

Then he got wispy about the end of the slump -- his comments dripping heavy sarcasm.

"I'm not sure what my next challenge is," he said. "I'm kind of sad. Sad to say good-bye."

Suzuki also wanted the ball but Correia wouldn't let it go. Eventually, it was hit out of play.

"I was planning to send the ball to Cooperstown," Suzuki said.

He hit three more ground balls and finished the game 1-for-4, giving him a .040 average. He's now batting .541 points lower than the Mariners' best hitter, Mike Morse, who went 3-for-3 Thursday.

"I don't care how good you are, it's always good to get the first hit," McLaren said. "I kind of compare it to the home-run contest at the All-Star game. You know you can hit home runs. But until you get the first one, it's not happening. I think he'll be on his way now."

Morrow sore: Relief pitcher Brandon Morrow, dinged for four runs without getting anybody out in his last outing Monday, has a sore right arm and has been pulled from the pitching schedule for now.

McLaren didn't say it was serious.

"We're just holding him back a little," he said.

Morrow has an 11.25 earned run average in five exhibition outings. He pitched a perfect inning Saturday against the A's but gave up two hits and three walks Monday against the White Sox in Tucson.

Air time: Baseball players can be a tough audience, and Thursday the Mariners weren't easy on themselves. Their annual TV commercials aired in the clubhouse and the response was mild laughter at some of the seven spots and groans at others.

Based on the players' response as they watched the commercials before Thursday's game, the most popular featured Felix Hernandez in a mustache-growing contest and Adrian Beltre as a human "L" screen.

The least popular seemed to be "Slide Show" featuring Raul Ibanez and new pitchers Carlos Silva and Erik Bedard, and one titled "Hit the Target" with Suzuki.

The most dazzling was "Fungo" with closer J.J. Putz and several pitchers, plus a circus-like gathering that includes a fire breather, belly dancer and clowns on stilts. That one drew scattered laughs in the clubhouse, but also some expressions as if to say, "I can't believe I did that."

Cut day: The clubhouse got a little less crowded Thursday morning when the Mariners cut 12 players.

Pitcher Joe Woerman, infielder Yung Chi Chen and first baseman Bryan LaHair were optioned to Class AAA Tacoma; pitchers Stephen Kahn, Brodie Downs, Phillippe Aumont and Robert Rohrbaugh, infielder Mark Kiger, outfielder Bronson Sardinha and catchers Jair Fernandez, Adam Moore and Brant Ust were re-assigned to the minor league camp.

None of the cuts came as a surprise.

"The next time around will be a little tougher, and the final cut will be the toughest," McLaren said. "These kids, they know it's time to start playing regularly with their respective clubs and we need to start tightening things up here."

Of note: The Mariners not only cut Sardinha, they sent out a player with the longest name in the majors. His middle name is Kiheimahanaomauiakeo. "It means protector of Kiehe, the guardian," said Sardinha, who is from Hawaii. "My ancestors are Hawaiian chiefs on Kiehe." ... Former Mariner Rich Amaral returned Thursday and will work again with baserunners. ... Miguel Batista was the honorary chair of the Latino Béisbol Award Festival celebrating Latinos in baseball Thursday night in Phoenix.

Read Kirby Arnold's blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com

Notes: Ichiro still looking out for No. 1

2008-03-09T18:28:00.000+09:00

03/09/2008 8:51 PM ET
By Mark Thoma / Special to MLB.com

PHOENIX -- The Mariners had a hard time getting on base against the Brewers on Sunday and an even harder time staying there.

The Mariners were held hitless until the seventh in a split-squad game against Milwaukee. Jose Vidro singled leading off the seventh and Adrian Beltre singled leading off the eighth, but both were erased by double plays.

Only Willie Bloomquist, who walked in the third and was stranded, kept the Brewers from facing the minimum of 27 batters in a game that took only two hours and five minutes.

While a spring shutout isn't a big deal, Ichiro Suzuki's hitless streak is at least a curiosity. The single-season hits record-holder was hitless in three at-bats Sunday and is 0-for-17 this spring.

Bench coach Jim Riggleman, acting as manager while John McLaren helmed the other split-squad in Tucson, pointed out that an 0-for-17 streak in the middle of the season wouldn't attract much attention, but that doing so at the start of the season makes the streak easier to spot and more compelling to follow.

"I managed a team that was 0-14 one year to start the season," Riggleman said, referring to the 1997 Cubs. "When you open up that way, it gets a lot of attention."

While the Mariners did little at the plate, they didn't allow much on the mound, holding the Brewers at bay in eight of nine innings. Lefty Jake Woods was sharp, striking out four in two perfect innings.

Split-squad story lines: While Seattle struggled offensively in Phoenix, it had plenty of game in Tucson, as the Mariners cranked out 14 hits in a 10-7 win over the Diamondbacks.

Starter Horacio Ramirez allowed two hits, four walks and three earned runs in three innings, striking out three. But things went swimmingly for the Seattle swingers, as Jeremy Reed doubled in the third and hit a two-run single in the fourth, while Mike Morse clubbed a two-run homer in the second.

Unlikely sources: The Mariners have seven official home runs this year, even though the team's power hitters have yet to take a single round trip.

Wladimir Balentien and Morse each have two homers, while Yuniesky Betancourt, Yung Chi Chen and Greg Norton have one each.

Of those players, only two (Balentien and Betancourt) hit a home run for Seattle last year.

High praise: Riggleman singled out first-base coach Eddie Rodriguez for his impact on the club this spring by laying out the team's schedules.

"I tell anyone who'll listen, Eddie Rodriguez has put together an outstanding camp," Riggleman said. "... That really sets the tone, everything is so organized. ... And the players respect the schedule."

Getting started: Minor League Spring Training is now under way at Maryvale Baseball Park. The Minor League camp's first full workout was Saturday, although rookie-level players won't report for another two weeks. Minor League games begin on Friday.

Up next: Left-hander Erik Bedard starts for Seattle on Monday in Tucson against White Sox southpaw Mark Buehrle. R.A. Dickey, Ryan Feierabend, Sean Green and Brandon Morrow are also scheduled to pitch for the Mariners in the 1:05 p.m. PT game.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Your secret is safe with me, Ichiro

2008-03-06T18:12:00.002+09:00

Dear Ichiro,

Few people are cool enough to be known by only one name. You make it look easy. You even have your first name on the back of your Seattle Mariners jersey. No one else would dare try a move like that.

You are powerful. I believe you invented Sudoku.

You are probably secretly worried you will turn out like Fabio or Yanni or Alf.

But you will not become one of those flash-in-the-pan-one-name-only-people. I believe you will be the next Cher... or Batman!

Until then, your secret is safe with me.

Sincerely,

R. LeBaron

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11896-MLB-Seattle_Mariners-Your_secret_is_safe_with_me_Ichiro-050308#

Ichiro, Fukudome meet on field

2008-03-04T18:22:00.000+09:00

Associated Press

PEORIA, Ariz. – Ichiro Suzuki got a good look at the newest sensation from Japan.

The Seattle star watched, smiled and reminisced as the Cubs’ Kosuke Fukudome made a running catch on the warning track in right field. Fukudome then wheeled and almost doubled the unsuspecting Brad Wilkerson off first base with a strong throw in the second inning of Chicago’s 6-5 victory Monday.

“I thought the umpire should have called him out on the difficulty of the play alone,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said, chuckling.

Did Ichiro have any advice for his first-year countryman learning the league?

“No. I’m not a coach,” Ichiro said through an interpreter, smiling.

Piniella said Alfonso Soriano will miss a week. He fractured his right middle finger Sunday.

“His finger was really swollen today,” Piniella said. “It’s going to be a while.”

Communication key for Mariners' Ichiro, Ibanez

2008-03-01T18:16:00.000+09:00

http://www.theolympian.com

Kirby Arnold
For The Olympian

PEORIA, Ariz. - Don't be surprised if, someday on a fly ball to the left-center field gap, Ichiro Suzuki yells, "I got it!" in Spanish and Raul Ibanez screams, "You take it!" in Japanese.
Amid the universal vernacular of baseball, there's a collision of languages taking place within the Seattle Mariners, at least in their corner of the outfield.

Ibanez has been speaking Japanese since he was a roommate with pitcher Mac Suzuki in the minor leagues in the late 1990s. Meanwhile, Ichiro Suzuki is becoming reasonably proficient in Spanish.

"Last year I walked into Safeco Field and Raul is rattling off Japanese to me," said Ted Heid, the Mariners' project coordinator for international scouting. Heid speaks Japanese and served as Suzuki's interpreter much of 2001. "We talked for probably three to five minutes with nothing but Japanese. Then I asked Ichiro about it and he said, in perfect Spanish, "I don't speak Japanese.' Then they start rattling off Spanish to each other."

Ibanez claims he only "dabbles" in Japanese and doesn't know more than a few words or phrases, although those who've spoken with him say he's just is being modest about his proficiency. Besides Ichiro Suzuki, he brushes up his Japanese from catcher Kenji Johjima and trainer Takayoshi Morimoto.

"Raul is amazing," said Heid, who served as Suzuki's interpreter during his first year in the majors. "He never forgets anything. He'll say, 'How do you say this?' And then you'll come back three months later, and he's saying it perfectly. His intonation and accent are amazing. For him to be able to nail it is amazing. That's the real hard part. If they were to do a voiceover for Raul in Japanese, they could use his voice."

For Ibanez, speaking Japanese doesn't just make things more convenient around the ballpark. He enjoys greeting Japanese visitors to the U.S. in their language.

"I'll run into Japanese people on the street or at Disney World or wherever, and I'll start talking to them in Japanese," he said. "They light up, and they love it. They're really surprised to hear it, but they're happy.

"Then they'll start talking to me a little bit, and that's when I have no idea what they're saying."

Heid isn't surprised to hear that Ibanez strikes up such conversations.

"He's a great human being," Heid said. "He genuinely loves people."

n HERNANDEZ DEAL IN THE WORKS: The Mariners have signed everyone on their 40-man roster except the big one - pitcher Felix Hernandez - and they may be close to getting that done.

Hernandez is among players with three years or less of major league service time whose contracts are renewed if an agreement can't be reached with the club. The signings of outfielder Jeremy Reed, infielder/outfielder Mike Morse and pitcher Sean White were announced Friday.

Look for a deal with Hernandez soon.

"Nothing is set in concrete, but the concrete is wet," a team source said.

The Mariners have said all unsigned players would be signed or renewed by Sunday, although that's not a hard deadline and a deal with Hernandez could go past that if the two sides are close.

SHORT HOPS: The Mariners' pitching schedules are posted through Tuesday's game, and there's a big omission. Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, the Mariners' first-round draft pick last year, experienced some soreness in his back and hip early this week. Mariners trainer Rick Griffin said Aumont is OK now, but it's unclear when he'll make his exhibition debut. … With single-game regular-season ticket sales beginning at 10 a.m. today, a small tent city had formed outside the Safeco Field as fans began a line to get the first tickets. … Despite playing in the Giants' ballpark, Friday's game was played with the designated hitter. Greg Norton was the Mariners' starting DH, with Ray Durham DH'ing for the Giants. ... Tim Lincecum, a former star at the University of Washington, started for the Giants. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one in 2 2/3 scoreless innings of the Mariners' 5-3 victory. ... Morse drove home the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning with a single.

Beltre and Sexson join Mariners camp early, Ichiro yet to report

2008-02-18T11:38:00.001+09:00

Feb 17, 5:05 PM EST

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) -- Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre, first baseman Richie Sexson and outfielder Raul Ibanez all checked into camp on Sunday, three days before the team's first full squad workout.

Brad Wilkerson, who is expected to start in right field after signing a one-year contract with the Mariners in January, also showed up, as did shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

"It's fun to see these guys coming in," manager John McLaren said. "We're getting more and more every day. I think overall, everybody that's in camp is in real good shape and the (position) players that I've seen are all in real good shape."

Among those yet to report are shortstop Jose Lopez, designated hitter Jose Vidro and center fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

Suzuki, who signed a new $90 million contract with the Mariners last summer, generally doesn't make his way to camp early but when he arrives he'll have to clear out some space to get to his locker. Three large cardboard boxes are stacked in front and a pile of mail that grows daily sits inside.

KNUCKLING UP: R.A. Dickey hasn't secured a spot yet on the Mariners' 25-man roster yet he's already being dubbed a "staff saver" by McLaren. That's because Dickey has something that no other pitcher in Seattle's camp has: a knuckleball.

"He's got a pitch hitters do not like to hit against," McLaren said. "There's not a fear factor there. It's just an embarrassment factor really."

The knuckleball is one of the most difficult pitches to hit, though very few pitchers use it. That's why the Mariners picked up Dickey in the Rule 5 Draft in December almost a week after he had signed a minor league contract with Minnesota.

The veteran right-hander went 13-6 with a 3.72 earned run average last season playing for the Texas Rangers' Triple-A team in Nashville. He was particularly effective over the second half of the year, going 9-2 over his final 15 starts.

Dickey's last appearance in the major leagues was a brief stop with Texas in 2006 when he started one game. In 77 starts over five seasons with the Rangers, the 33-year-old went 16-19 with two saves and a 5.72 ERA.

With Seattle, Dickey will work in long relief and as a spot starter. And because throwing a knuckleball isn't as taxing on his shoulder and arm, the Mariners can use him as frequently as they need to. Hence the term staff saver.

"You can tell he's a hard-nosed guy," McLaren said. "Staff-savers for me really play a big role because you don't have to use all your pitchers to get through the game. There's some nights you might have to have the staff-saver pitch two games in a row just to get you through the games, winning or losing, and save some innings."

SHORT HOPS: Newly acquired RHP Anderson Garcia reported to camp, one day after being claimed off waivers from Philadelphia, but won't pitch until Sunday. "I just know he's got a real good arm," McLaren said. "I got some good reports from some of our scouts." ... C Kenji Johjima had to borrow a mitt from teammate Jamie Burke when he tried to catch pitches from Dickey. Burke had an extra-large glove, having caught Dickey in the past.

© 2008 The Associated Press.

Ichiro tops Mariners' fantasy rankings

2008-02-06T12:55:00.000+09:00

02/05/2008 12:00 PM ET

MLB.com

Many fantasy fans prefer to stock their rosters full of players from their favorite team, as opposed to players who make a living playing for a feared rival. Wouldn't you rather go through the season checking Ichiro Suzuki's stats every night, instead of a player from another American League West team?

If competing for a title feels empty without having a bunch of Mariners on your team, here are 10 guys to focus on come draft day:

1. Ichiro Suzuki | OF | $27
The 2007 season gave us more of the same from Ichiro, who continued to pester opposing defenses with his slap-hitting style and wheels. The 34-year-old is one of the safest players to draft, having batted above .300 with at least 100 runs and 30 stolen bases in every season since he joined the Mariners in 2001. Just remember, if you draft the speedster in the early rounds, make sure to nab a big bat soon after to help compensate for his minimal power.

2. J.J. Putz | RP | $27
Putz proved that his 2006 breakout season was no fluke by saving 40 games for the Mariners in dominating fashion last year. Ringing up a 22-inning scoreless streak along the way, he topped all regular relievers in ERA and WHIP while recording an overpowering K/BB ratio. Even though Putz has logged more innings than any other top closer over the past two seasons, owners shouldn't worry about him breaking down. Expect Putz to be right there at the top of the pack again in '08.

3. Adrian Beltre | 3B | $22
Last season, Beltre set a career high in doubles and posted homer and RBI totals that were second only to the marks from his freakish 2004 campaign. In fact, with the exception of '04, Beltre has been one of the most consistent producers at his position, and he's still shy of his 29th birthday. Beltre slugged 100 points higher on the road (.533) than at Safeco Field (.430) last season, so he likely would benefit from a move to a more hitter-friendly venue. Nonetheless, he should deliver plenty of help with his usual across-the-board production in '08.

4. Felix Hernandez | SP | $18
We may not have to wait much longer for Hernandez's coronation. Although he struggled at times last season, Hernandez had the highest strikeout rate of any pitcher with at least a 2/1 groundout-to-flyout ratio. He also finished with a lofty .337 opponents' batting average on balls in play, suggesting that he'll allow fewer hits this year. Set to turn 22 shortly after Opening Day, the burgeoning ace appears poised to put it all together. At the very least, expect him to top 200 innings and 200 strikeouts for the first time.

5. Kenji Johjima | C | $14
For the second year in a row, Johjima delivered steady numbers behind the plate. Safeco Field's spacious dimensions will likely prevent the 31-year-old from realizing the 20-homer pop he delivered in Japan, but his outstanding plate coverage (8.5 percent K rate) makes him a good bet to continue delivering solid Triple Crown numbers, even if he doesn't draw many walks.

6. Raul Ibanez | OF | $13
Thanks to an impressive surge that saw him bat .357 with 15 homers and 44 RBIs over the final two months of the season, Ibanez finished 2007 as one of fantasy's most productive outfielders. Owners are no doubt hoping the veteran bottled some of that magic for his '08 campaign. At 35, he's certainly rung up plenty of mileage on the odometer, but Ibanez likely has enough left for one more .280-20-90 campaign.

7. Adam Jones | OF | $8
Don't let Jones' struggles in his first Major League go-round dissuade you from gambling on him in the latter portion of your draft. With Jose Guillen no longer on the roster, the Mariners have faith that Jones can make good on the promise that enabled him to bat .309 with 25 homers and 84 RBIs at Triple-A last season. Although the 22-year-old continues to chase pitches more often than he should, youngsters with high upside are what the later rounds are all about, and there are few blue-chippers more talented than Jones.

8. Richie Sexson | 1B | $7
If you compiled a list of last year's most disappointing players, Sexson would rank near the top. Owners who hung onto him in expectation of a second-half surge were left hanging their heads, as the big guy produced the lowest batting average of any regular first basemen. To be fair, his struggles can at least be partially attributed to thumb and ankle injuries. Keep in mind, too, that his underlying skills -- namely his K rate, BB/K ratio and fly-ball rate -- remained identical to those he displayed in years past. Given Sexson's long-term track record, look for a rebound on some level in the final year of his contract.

9. Yuniesky Betancourt | SS | $6
Betancourt has been a decent contributor over his first two full big league seasons, but there's a limit to his offensive abilities. For starters, although Betancourt has good contact skills, he exercises little plate discipline. And while he showed gap power with 38 doubles in 2007, he's not going to hit many home runs at spacious Safeco Field. Taking everything into consideration, Betancourt really isn't an ideal mixed-league shortstop. Of course, you could do far worse than land a 26-year-old who hits for a solid average, especially since he has the speed to develop into a threat in that category.

10. Jose Vidro | 1B, 2B | $3
Vidro benefited from the move to Seattle last year, as he batted .330 at home and finished with his highest overall average since 2002. Of course, Safeco Field's cavernous dimensions ate into his already diminished power, leaving him with his lowest full-season marks in homers and slugging percentage. The 33-year-old has never been a basestealing threat, so he's essentially a one-category contributor at this stage of his career. Even with his eligibility at first and second base in most formats, he's no more than a marginal mixed-league option.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Mariners Homepage | MLB.com

Ichiro's All-Star Heroics, 5-Year Extension Top 2007

2007-12-19T19:48:00.000+09:00

Speaking as a Mariners fan, there was no better moment for me this year than the 2007 MLB All-Star Game.

Seattle center fielder Ichiro Suzuki was named the game's most valuable player following a superb three-hit performance that included the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star history.

What made that day particularly special, though, was the soon-to-be-confirmed rumor that Ichiro had signed a five-year contract extension with the Mariners.

Ichiro is the man in the Pacific Northwest. He is the shining star of the Seattle sports scene—a man whose talent, hustle, and desire have endeared him to the city from his first game in 2001.

From a baseball standpoint, he is the motor that drives the Mariners offense. The man set the all-time single season hits record in 2004. He's a speed demon on the bases who can manufacture a run out of thin air.

On defense, he catches anything remotely near him and possesses a throwing arm that is the stuff of legends.

Thus, much of the talk in Seattle over the first half of the baseball season revolved around whether Ichiro would re-sign with the Mariners, be traded midway through 2007, or opt for free agency at year's end.

The situation looked grim when Ichiro stated in spring training that he'd like to test the free market, something he'd never had the chance to do in his baseball career.

But with the Mariners' improbable early-season success—including a home sweep of the Boston Red Sox amidst an eight-game winning streak—it began to look more likely that Ichiro would stay.

Watching Ichiro in the All-Star Game was a thing of beauty. It had become increasingly rare in recent years to see Ichiro smiling or having fun, as the consistent losing by the Mariners took its toll on his motivation.

But he had a massive grin on his face after flying around the bases for the inside-the-park homer that clinched his All-Star MVP trophy.

Fittingly, it was Ken Griffey Jr. who couldn't corral Ichiro's drive to right field. The symbol of the Mariners' past glory gave way to its present—and, thankfully, its future.

Ichiro committing to the M's for five more years gave me the most pure joy I experienced in sports this year.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5066-MLB-Seattle_Mariners-Ichiro_s_All-Star_Heroics_5-Year_Extension_Top_2007-191207

Ichiro nabs second Silver Slugger

2007-11-10T07:23:00.000+09:00

11/09/2007 4:00 PM ET
By Bob Sherwin / Special to MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Ichiro Suzuki is in mid-offseason form, accepting the laurels for yet another stellar season.

On Friday, the Seattle Mariners center fielder won his second career Silver Slugger Award, which recognizes the best offensive producer at every position in both leagues. He also won the award in 2001, his rookie season in which he captured the batting title (.350), the stolen-base title (56) and the American League MVP.

The award comes three days after Ichiro won his seventh straight Gold Glove.

The Silver Slugger winners are determined by a vote of Major League Baseball coaches and managers. Selections are based on a combination of offensive statistics, including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value.

Managers and coaches were not allowed to vote for players on their own teams.

Ichiro finished the 2007 season with a .351 average, second in the AL behind Detroit's Magglio Ordonez (.363). He had a Major League-leading 238 hits, reaching the 200-hit plateau for a seventh straight season. Only Wee Willie Keeler had a longer streak of eight seasons (1894-1901).

Ichiro led the league in infield hits (53) and multihit games (76), was fourth in steals (37), eighth in runs (111) and ninth in on-base percentage (.396). He had the league's second-longest hitting streak, a club-record 25 games, was first in average against right-handers (.396), and had the highest average in Interleague Play (.486).

While power guys traditionally dominate this award -- Ichiro hit just six home runs -- the 33-year-old native of Japan earned his way into this elite group with the league's second-best average with runners in scoring position at .397.

Among the other formidable achievements for Ichiro last season were:

• MVP of the All-Star Game in San Francisco. He went 3-for-3, including the first inside-the-park home run.

• First player in modern history to have three 230-plus-hit seasons (262 in 2004; 242 in 2001).

• Played in his 1,000th big league game on May 24, and his 1,414 hits were the second most in that span.

• Finished the season with 1,592 hits, most for any player in any seven-year period.

• Hit .427 in June, highest average in club history for that month, his sixth career month at .400-plus.

• Set the AL record with 45 consecutive stolen bases without being caught.

• Led the Majors with a club-record .998 fielding percentage, one error in 433 chances.

Joining Ichiro with Silver Slugger Awards in the AL are: first baseman Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay; second baseman Placido Polanco, Detroit; third baseman Alex Rodriguez, New York; shortstop Derek Jeter, New York; outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles; catcher Jorge Posada, New York; designated hitter David Ortiz, Boston; and Ordonez.

The National League team is comprised of: first baseman Prince Fielder, Milwaukee; second baseman Chase Utley, Philadelphia; third baseman David Wright, New York; shortstop Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia; outfielder Carlos Beltran, New York; outfielder Carlos Lee, Houston; outfielder Matt Holliday, Colorado; catcher Russell Martin, Los Angeles; pitcher Micah Owings, Arizona.

The specially designed Silver Slugger Award will be presented to each player by a representative of the Hillerich & Bradsby Co., makers of Louisville Slugger, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, in a ceremony early in the 2008 season.

The trophy is three feet tall and bears the engraved name of the winner and his Silver Slugger teammates in his respective league.

The Silver Slugger Award was instituted by H&B in 1980 as a natural extension of the Silver Bat Award which is, as its name indicates, a silver-plated bat presented by Louisville Slugger to the batting champions in the AL and NL. This year's Silver Bat Award winners are Colorado's Matt Holliday and Ordonez. Holliday hit .340 to win the NL batting title.

Both will receive their Silver Bat Awards in on-field presentations early in the 2008 season.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Ichiro wins seventh-straight Gold Glove award

2007-11-07T17:46:00.000+09:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- San Diego Padres pitcher Greg Maddux won his record 17th Gold Glove while Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis earned his first award Tuesday for fielding excellence in Major League Baseball.

Detroit catcher Ivan Rodriguez won for the 13th time and outfielders Andruw Jones, Ichiro Suzuki and Torii Hunter added to their totals. The Colorado Rockies, who set an MLB record for fielding percentage, did not have a winner.

Maddux broke a tie with Baltimore third baseman Brooks Robinson and pitcher Jim Kaat for the most Gold Gloves, awarded in each league to the best fielding players at their position.

Known for his quick reflexes on the mound even at 41, Maddux won his first Gold Glove in 1990 with the Chicago Cubs. The 347-game winner has taken home the honor every year since except for 2003, when Mike Hampton broke his streak.

Earlier this week, Maddux and San Diego agreed to a one-year contract for next year.

The Gold Gloves were first awarded in 1957. Managers and coaches vote on players in their own leagues.

Detroit second baseman Placido Polanco was among 10 first-time winners. Polanco did not make an error this season.

Suzuki won his seventh in a row, earning the honor after shifting from right field to center for Seattle.

"I am very happy for this award because it ties my accomplishment reached in Japan of seven straight Gold Gloves," Suzuki said through a translator.

Among the other AL winners: Minnesota pitcher Johan Santana, Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera, Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre and Cleveland outfielder Grady Sizemore.

Other NL winners were: Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, Arizona second baseman Orlando Hudson, Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins, Mets third baseman David Wright and outfielders Carlos Beltran of the Mets, Aaron Rowand of Philadelphia and Jeff Francoeur of Atlanta.

Rowand and Francoeur tied in the voting.

M's Notebook | Ichiro, Beltre get Gold Gloves

2007-11-07T17:42:00.000+09:00

By Larry Stone
Seattle Times staff reporter

Ichiro was named an American League Gold Glove winner Tuesday — hardly earth-shattering news. After all, he has earned the fielding honor in each of his seven Mariners seasons. The fact that Ichiro was joined on the Gold Glove team by Seattle teammate Adrian Beltre was more surprising. Not only was it Beltre's first Gold Glove — voted on by major-league managers and coaches — but it ended the six-year reign of Oakland's Eric Chavez at third base.

Ichiro, 34, made the team in his first full year as a center fielder. He led all major-league outfielders — and set a club record — with a .998 fielding percentage (one error in 433 total chances).

McLaren had the pleasant duty of informing Beltre he had won a Gold Glove. Beltre, 28, said he thought his best previous chance was in 2004 while with the Dodgers, but the Cardinals' Scott Rolen won that season in the National League for the fifth consecutive year.

"I wasn't expecting it or waiting for it to happen, because there is a lot of competition in the American League," Beltre said in comments released by the Mariners. "I was actually pretty shocked when John told me, but shocked in a very good way."

Beltre is the first Mariners' third baseman to win a Gold Glove. He ranked first among AL third basemen in total chances per nine innings (3.00).

The Mariners have had a Gold Glove winner for 21 consecutive seasons, longest streak in the majors.

The rest of the AL team: Minnesota pitcher Johan Santana, Detroit catcher Ivan Rodriguez (his 13th), Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis, Detroit second baseman Placido Polanco, Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera, Minnesota outfielder Torii Hunter and Cleveland outfielder Grady Sizemore, an Everett native.

The NL team: San Diego pitcher Greg Maddux (a record 17th), Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, Arizona second baseman Orlando Hudson, Mets third baseman David Wright, Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins, and outfielders Andruw Jones (his 10th) and Jeff Francoeur of Atlanta, Carlos Beltran of the Mets and Aaron Rowand of Philadelphia. (Four outfielders were named because of a tie.)

Perlozzo hired

Former Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo was hired Tuesday as the Mariners' third-base coach.

When Larry Bowa opted to join Joe Torre's Dodgers staff in Los Angeles, McLaren turned to Perlozzo, who had been Lou Piniella's third-base coach with the Mariners from 1993 to 1995.

"The key is you want to go somewhere where you're wanted and where you're comfortable," Perlozzo said. "These people make it that way."

Perlozzo, fired by the Orioles on June 18, still has a year left on his Baltimore contract. McLaren, who spent 2006 out of uniform after Piniella resigned as Tampa Bay manager, sensed that Perlozzo was eager to get back in the game.

"I think he was like me," McLaren said. "He was going to have to sit the year out. We're baseball people. Our passion is to win. I got the impression he wanted to stay in the game. He didn't want to sit out. That tells you what kind of person he is."

Perlozzo, 56, will work with the Mariners infielders in addition to coaching third.

Telecast contract

The Mariners and FSN Northwest announced Tuesday a long-term rights agreement extension that calls for at least 150 games to be telecast next season.

Under the new agreement, FSN Northwest will telecast all available games, which excludes only those games restricted by MLB national television agreements.

The agreement also calls for FSN to produce "significantly more Mariners games in high definition on FSN HD," according to a joint news release by the Mariners and FSN.

FSN has also agreed to produce and distribute a Spanish audio feed of all home games.

According to industry sources, the new agreement runs through 2020. It appears to eliminate the farming out of Mariners broadcasts to KSTW (Channel 11).

All four of the Mariners' primary announcers — Dave Niehaus, Rick Rizzs, Dave Sims and Mike Blowers — are under contract for the 2008 season.

EPTE Newsletter from Japan - The Analogy Between Ichiro Suzuki and Toyota Motors

2007-11-07T17:37:00.000+09:00

I am trying to think of an analogy between Ichiro Suzuki, a star player for the Seattle Mariners and Toyota Motors, the largest automobile manufacturer in Japan.

Ichiro Suzuki is not a typical Major League Baseball slugger. His mission at the plate is not to hit homeruns, but get on base as much as possible. He seldom swings for the fence.

An infield ground ball turns into a hit because of his speed, and singles and doubles stretch to triples because of this on base quickness. Do you remember the inside park home run hit in the All Star Game? Another dimension he brings to the game is base stealing. Additionally, his fielding is also outstanding, as witnessed during several fine plays during the season. He is one of three outfielders nominated for Major League Baseball’s Golden Glove Award.

Ichiro once commented that it would be possible for him to hit more homeruns, however, his batting average would be much lower. Sticking to this philosophy has resulted in his batting average to be the second highest in the league at 0.351 on 238 hits (the highest number of hits in the league). He also scored 111 runs and stole 37 bases. Over the last seven years in the league, he has averaged over 200 hits, 100 runs and 30 stolen bases each season.

What kind of analogy can I draw between Ichiro Suzuki and Toyota Motors? Well, Toyota does not produce a flashy sports car, but does provide reliable sedans and trucks to a consumer market that demands quality. Ichiro may not swing for the fence on every at bat, but he can be counted on to get on base. Toyota’s management team does not make long term business plans, but it hits its yearly unit production target as well as its profitability target. The entire workforce, around 70 thousand employees, is conducting Kaizen actions (small improvements, continuously) everyday to make high quality cars while reducing costs.

As a result of this philosophy, Toyota Motors will be the top automobile manufacturer in the world, displacing General Motors this year. Toyota has set new income records every year, with profit of 2 trillion yen for fiscal year 2007 (about 18 billion US dollars). This remarkable achievement could give Toyota bragging rights for recording the highest level of income for any manufacturing company.

Toyota will cerebrate its 70^thyear anniversary this year, and as a reward to its employees announced it will pay out an average of 2.6 million yen as bonuses to each of its employees ( more 20 thousand US dollars). Toyota will provide another 4 billion yen as a commemorative bonus for all of the employees, 50 thousand yen for salaried employees and 100 thousand yen for managers.

The similarities between Ichiro’s and Toyota’s performance begin with both their makeup. Neither is too glittery; however, both show up for work everyday and strive to continuously become better. The result of their work ethic and common goal towards excellence has positioned them as true leaders in their respective industries. This may not be a typical Japanese way; very few companies and people in Japan perform at these high levels.

Unfortunately, the Seattle Mariners did not qualify for a Wild Card berth, but they were very close. Hopefully, next season.

Dominique Numakura, DKN Research (dnumakura@dknresearch.com)

Ichiro named to Sporting News all-star team

2007-10-16T17:51:00.000+09:00

07:35 AM PDT on Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - Seattle Mariners center fielder Ichiro Suzuki has been named to The Sporting News American League All-Star team for the 2007 season.

The team was selected in voting by major league players and managers. The results will appear in the October 22 issue of the magazine that will be on the newsstands this week.

The 34-year-old Suzuki hit .351 in his seventh season with the Mariners, collecting 238 hits and stealing 37 bases in 161 games.

In July, he signed a $90 million, five-year contract extension after he was selected as the MVP of the All-Star game.

Yesterday was the third time Suzuki was picked for The Sporting News American League All-Star team. He also was chosen in 2001 and 2004.

Ichiro named Sporting News All-Star

2007-10-16T17:50:00.000+09:00

10/16/2007 7:13 PM ET

By Jim Street / MLB.com

For the third time in his seven seasons with the Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki has been selected by Major League players and managers to The Sporting News American League All-Star team.

Ichiro also was selected to the elite team in 2001, his first season with Seattle, and again in '04.

The full list of winners will appear in the Oct. 22 issue of the magazine.

By the standards he set since making the jump from the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League seven years ago, the 32-year-old Ichiro had a "typical" season in 2007. He finished second in the AL batting race with a .351 batting average, scored 111 runs and drove in 68 runs, one short of his career high.

Along the way, he became the first player since 1900 to record at least 230 hits three times and his 1,592 career hits are the most in MLB history during a seven-year span, breaking the record Jesse Burkett held since 1901 with 1,526. Ichiro also extended his own record for most consecutive seasons of at least 200 hits to start a career.

Ichiro is joined in the AL outfield by Tigers right fielder and batting champion Magglio Ordonez and Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero.

Two former Mariners also were represented on the All-Star teams. Yankees shortstop Alex Rodriguez was selected as Player of the Year and Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin -- the Seattle skipper in 2003 and '04 -- was named as the NL Manager of the Year by one vote over Charlie Manuel of the Phillies.

Players voted for peers in their own league, but could not vote for any teammates.

Ichiro was selected as the AL Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player following the 2001 season and shattered the single-season hit record in '04 with 262 -- five more than George Sisler accumulated in 1920.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Ichiro earns Sporting News honor

2007-10-16T17:48:00.000+09:00

By Geoff Baker
Seattle Times staff reporter

Mariners center fielder Ichiro has been named to the Sporting News American League All-Star team as voted on by players and managers. It's the third time Ichiro has been selected to the team, the others coming in 2001 and 2004.

Ichiro hit .351 this season, battling Detroit's Magglio Ordonez (.363) for the AL batting crown. Ichiro also led the league with 238 hits and stole 37 bases.

The New York Yankees were the only AL squad with three players named, with Alex Rodriguez at third base, Derek Jeter at shortstop and Jorge Posada at catcher. Rodriguez was named player of the year for both leagues. Ordonez and Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels joined Ichiro as the other AL outfielders.

Other members of the AL team were Tampa Bay first baseman Carlos Peña, Detroit second baseman Placido Polanco, Boston DH David Ortiz. Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia and Joe Borowski were named starting pitcher and reliever.

Cleveland's Eric Wedge was AL manager of the year, Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia was rookie of the year, and Peña was the comeback player of the year.

Former Mariners manager Bob Melvin of Arizona was named the National League's top manager, Milwaukee third baseman Ryan Braun was the top rookie, Washington first baseman Dmitri Young was the comeback player of the year.

The NL team: C Russell Martin, Los Angeles; 1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee; 2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia; 3B David Wright, Mets; SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida; OF Matt Holliday, Colorado; OF Aaron Rowand, Philadelphia; OF Carlos Lee, Houston; SP Jake Peavy, San Diego; RP Jose Valverde, Arizona.

Braves welcome Ichiro, M's in '08

2007-10-10T17:50:00.000+09:00

10/10/2007 4:02 PM ET

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

Ichiro Suzuki and the Mariners are scheduled to make their first visit to Turner Field next year.

Suzuki's initial visit to Atlanta is one of the highlights on the tentative 2008 schedule the Braves released on Wednesday. They'll open the season with a six-game homestand against the Pirates and Mets, hosting Pittsburgh for their Opening Day game on March 31.

The portion of next year's Interleague schedule includes home series against the A's (May 16-18) and the Mariners (June 20-22). The Braves will travel to play the Angels (June 13-15), Rangers (June 17-19) and Blue Jays (June 27-29).

With the Mariners scheduled to come to Turner Field next year, the only Major League team that hasn't played a regular season game in Atlanta is the Twins. Next season will also mark the first time the Braves have played the Angels in Anaheim.

While the Braves won't be playing the Red Sox in 2008, the home portion of the schedule provides multiple series that will draw increased interest. The Mets' first visit to Turner Field will come April 4-6. They'll also close the home schedule with a three-game series on Sept. 19-21.

The defending National League East-champion Phillies will make the first of three trips to Turner Field on June 6-8. Their last trip to Atlanta will be on Sept. 16-18.

The always-popular Cubs will be in Atlanta on Aug. 12-14.

The Braves will host the Indians for two exhibition games on March 28 and 29.

Those wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2008 season can now submit a deposit on braves.com or by calling the Braves at 404-577-9100.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

WILL MAGGLIO BEAT ICHIRO? We analyze the race

2007-09-28T18:07:00.000+09:00

September 28, 2007

BY JON PAUL MOROSI

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Earlier this week, someone suggested to Magglio Ordonez that it would be fun to end the year at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, his home ballpark for eight big-league seasons.

"Not really," he said. "I wish it was here."

Ordonez made four All-Star teams with the White Sox and earned a reputation as one of the American League's finest hitters. But he signed a $75-million contract with the Tigers following the 2004 season amid concerns that his left knee -- and his career -- would never be the same.

He has since grown comfortable in Detroit as the team's cleanup hitter and top run producer. Now, any uncertainty surrounds more favorable topics, such as which feat -- hitting a pennant-clinching home run, playing in the World Series or pursuing a likely batting title -- has been the most satisfying part of his post-Chicago career.

Ordonez has heard boos as a visiting player in Chicago. It will be interesting to see if that changes in a three-game season-ending series there this weekend, with the White Sox out of contention and Ordonez nearing the Tigers' first batting title since Norm Cash in 1961.

Detroit has had 21 batting titles, but only three since 1950: Hall of Famer Al Kaline led the league in 1955 and finished second to teammates Cash and Harvey Kuenn (1959).

Kaline recalled this week how Cash had an "unbelievable year" in 1961 with home runs and key hits off right-handers and left-handers alike.

Yet Kaline acknowledged how special Ordonez's season has been.

"I marvel at that guy," Kaline said. "He's had a great, great year.

"People don't realize how smart a hitter he is. I look at that probably more than anything else. He just makes adjustments, pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat.

"For me, as a former player, it's a thing to behold. It's wonderful to watch."

Ordonez has a .359 average with three games to go. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki, his closest competitor, went 1-for-4 in Thursday's win over Cleveland and stayed at .350.

Suzuki went 5-for-14 in the first three games of the Mariners' series against the Cleveland Indians, but his average barely nudged upward, from .35031 to .35045. He would need a torrid final four games to catch Ordonez.

Suzuki often has five plate appearances a game because of his role as the leadoff hitter.

A 10-for-20 finish would leave him at .35484. A 12-for-20 finish would leave him at .35777.

How realistic are those numbers? Well, Suzuki has had 11 hits in a four-game span multiple times this season. So, a 10-hit push is plausible. Twelve would be a stretch.

Ordonez, though, likely won't need to worry about the math if he hits safely four times this weekend. Presuming four official at-bats in each game -- and Ordonez's nagging heel injury may prevent him from having any more -- a 4-for-12 finish would end his year at .35893.

So, unless Suzuki bats better than .600 over his last 20 at-bats, consider Ordonez's personal magic number to be four.

The timing of this weekend's schedule could add some drama to the chase. Today, Saturday and Sunday, Seattle's game will begin well after the Tigers and White Sox start in Chicago. Ordonez may need to wait until after Sunday's game to learn whether he finished first.

It's hard to say if the time difference will create an advantage for one player or the other. Tigers designated hitter Gary Sheffield recalled earlier this season how difficult it was to contend for a batting title while playing on the West Coast.

He led the National League with a .330 average in 1992, as a member of the San Diego Padres. Andy Van Slyke, now the Tigers' first-base coach, finished second at .324.

"It was draining for me," Sheffield said. "I was always conscious of what other people were doing, and I never played the game that way.

"That's what made it hard for me. I didn't want to know."

NOTEBOOK:Placido Polanco also begins the weekend with a magic number of four: He's that many hits away from reaching 200 for the first time. ... Tigers prospects Michael Hollimon, a shortstop, and Dallas Trahern, a pitcher, are expected to play for Team USA in the International Baseball Federation World Cup in Taiwan this November. As a result, Burke Badenhop has replaced Trahern, a fellow right-hander, in the Arizona Fall League.

Contact JON PAUL MOROSI at 313-223-4097 or jmorosi@freepress.com. Check out his Tigers blog at www.freep.com/sports. Sports writer John Lowe contributed to this report.

One more race: Magglio vs. Ichiro

2007-09-21T18:14:00.000+09:00

by Danny Knobler
Friday September 21, 2007, 8:57 AM

AP Photo

Magglio Ordonez still has a real shot to beat out Ichiro Suzuki for the batting title since Ordonez's average is so good at Comerica Park.

DETROIT -- OK, so it appears the Tigers won't win the division and are unlikely to win the wild card either.

And when Magglio Ordonez fell behind Ichiro Suzuki in the American League batting race the other day, you had to wonder whether this is just a second-place kind of year for the Detroit Tigers.

Second in the division. Second in the wild card. Second in the MVP, and second in the batting race, too?

Well hold on a minute, because there's one race that's not over. Ordonez still has a real shot at the batting title, and one of the biggest reasons is Comerica Park.

He is hitting .377 at Comerica, where he and the Tigers will begin their final homestand of the season tonight. The Tigers will play six of their final nine games at home. And while Seattle is home for seven of its last 10, Ichiro's batting average at Safeco (.365) doesn't match Magglio's mark at Comerica.

Surprised? Scott Boras isn't.

Boras represents Ordonez. When the Tigers showed interest in Ordonez as a free agent in January 2005, it was Boras who told his client that he would do well at Comerica Park. Boras cited the stats, which showed that in 2003, the last time Ordonez had played in Detroit, he batted .394 in nine games at Comerica.

Ordonez said this week that he remembers the conversation. It certainly wasn't the biggest reason he chose to sign with the Tigers -- the guaranteed $75 million had a lot more to do with it -- but at least Comerica didn't hurt.

And now that he is going for a batting title, Ordonez has Comerica on his side.

"It's a good place to hit," Ordonez said. "You can use the gaps. It's a doubles park, a base-hit park."

Ordonez's .377 average at Comerica is 45 points higher than his average on the road. It's the highest home average any Tiger has had over a full season in at least 50 years, topping Harvey Kuenn's .361 mark in 1959 (the year Kuenn won the batting title).

What about Norm Cash, you ask? Cash is the last Tiger to win a batting title, but in 1961 he batted .331 at Tiger Stadium, .388 on the road.

Cash won the '61 title easily. He hit .361, and teammate Al Kaline finished second at .324.

Ordonez won't have it nearly that easy. He led the league for most of the second half, but Ichiro was always close behind. When Ordonez went 0-for-4 on Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland, and Ichiro went 2-for-3 that day in Oakland, Ichiro moved ahead, .354 to .353, taking the lead for the first day since Aug. 2.

"It's going to be tough," Ordonez said. "He's not going to give up. But I'm not going to give up, either."

Ichiro has all of Japan behind him, and also history, as he has won two of the last six AL batting titles. Ordonez has never finished higher than fifth before, but he also has an entire country supporting him, hoping he will join Andres Galarraga and become just the second Venezuelan ever to win the batting crown.

Ordonez knows by now that the MVP race is over, if only because Alex Rodriguez's New York Yankees are going to the playoffs and the Tigers aren't. He knows that the Tigers are going to finish second to Cleveland in the division, second to the Yankees in the wild card.

Oh well, the '61 Tigers finished second to the Yankees, too. And Cash still won the batting crown.

Maybe Ordonez will, too.

Down to the wire: Magglio vs. Ichiro
Remaining games:
-- Magglio: 3 vs. Kansas City (*.339), 3 vs. Minnesota (*.314), 3 at Chicago (*.310)
-- Ichiro: 3 at Los Angeles (*.388), 4 vs. Cleveland (*.286), 3 vs. Texas (*.388)

*2007 average vs. opponent

The splits
BATTING AVERAGE
Magglio: .353
Ichiro: .353

AVERAGE AT HOME
Magglio: .377
Ichiro: .365

AVERAGE ON THE ROAD
Magglio: 332
Ichiro: .341

AVERAGE VS. RIGHT HANDERS
Magglio: 339
Ichiro: .3642

AVERAGE VS. LEFT HANDERS
Magglio: .408
Ichiro: .325

Mariners Notebook: Ichiro eyes third title

2007-09-20T18:17:00.000+09:00

M's leadoff hitter passes Ordonez, leads by slim margin

Thursday, September 20, 2007
Last updated 12:12 a.m. PT

By JOHN HICKEY
P-I REPORTER

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Is a third batting title in the works for Ichiro Suzuki?

It very well could be.

Ichiro has spent much of the summer shadowing Detroit right fielder Magglio Ordonez, who is an MVP candidate enjoying a career year.

But Wednesday, Ichiro finally caught Ordonez in the batting race. Ichiro had two hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly in the Mariners' 9-5 victory over Oakland.

Ordonez went hitless in four at-bats against the Cleveland Indians and sits at .353.

Ichiro, who hit .350 to lead the American League in 2001 and .372 to win again in 2004, has a .354 average.

Ordonez has not spent one day in the past month lower than .352. Ichiro has not been above .354 since being at .355 on July 12. It's been a race. And it's a race the two-time batting champion believes he can win.

"I like my chances," he said. "Impressing my fans is something I like to do. And I've been in this position before. I think that's important."

The center fielder said the batting race isn't the only important thing on the agenda, not as long as the Mariners have a mathematical chance to make the playoffs. Even so, he keeps tabs on Ordonez.

"We have ESPN and SportsCenter in the clubhouse, and I read the newspapers in my room," Ichiro said when asked how closely he tracks the race. "It's not like the most important thing I have to do now. I've got a DVD to watch."

What DVD?

"It's 'Without A Trace,' " he said. "It's very good. I enjoy it."

Seattle manager John McLaren said he believes that Ichiro, having caught Ordonez, will win the batting title.

"He's a superb hitter; I think he'll do it," McLaren said.

J.J.'S RETURN: For the first time in his career, J.J. Putz warmed up for the ninth inning with a pitching coach (Rafael Chaves) and a trainer (Rick Griffin) watching him.

Putz was held out of the past two games because of right triceps tightness, and if there was any trace of it, he wasn't going to pitch the ninth inning.

"It was different, but I didn't have a problem with it," Putz said. "Probably they wanted to see my eyes, to see if I was ready."

He was, and he pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the Mariners' sweep of the A's.

"I knew J.J. was good to go before I brought him in," McLaren said. "I looked down to the bullpen, and I got two thumbs up from Griffin and Chavvy. And I saw him pop a ball out there, so that was good.

"It was nice to see his first two pitches at 95 and 96 (mph)."

George Sherrill, who pitched the Mariners out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, said he was ready to pitch the ninth, if needed.

"I could have gone," he said. "But once J.J.'s ready, that's that."

THE BURKE STOPS HERE: For the first time this season -- and if you listen to Jamie Burke the first time in many seasons -- the Seattle catcher scored from first base on a double by Yuniesky Betancourt on Wednesday.

Burke isn't particularly fast, but third-base coach Carlos Garcia waved him home for the second run of a three-run second inning.

"I don't know when the last time was I scored from first on a double," Burke said. "I know it wasn't this year. All I know is that it took me two innings before I could catch my breath."

Burke wound up having a big day for the Mariners. He singled home a run, he doubled and scored a run and walked with the bases loaded, forcing home a run.

"He's done a great job for us all year," McLaren said. "He calls a good game, he watches the game and he'll make recommendations based on what he's seen. He's been around a while and he accepts his role.

"We need him to play behind Kenji (Johjima). And he's been great doing that."

EXTRA BASES: Seattle secured at least a .500 season by winning for the 81st time Wednesday. The Mariners had not finished .500 or better since 2003. ... Betancourt had four hits in a game for the first time this year and the third time in his career in getting his average up to .291. He'd had seven three-hit games before this. ... Felix Hernandez is 8-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 13 road starts this year, and the Mariners are 10-1 in his past 11 starts. ... Ryan Feierabend, who starts Thursday in Anaheim will get one more start, pitching one game in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Indians. Jarrod Washburn will start the other game.

VIRTUAL TIE

Ichiro Suzuki was 2-for-3 against Oakland on Wednesday and squeezed past the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez in the AL batting race. Ordonez was 0-for-4 against Cleveland.

.35396

Ichiro

.35325

Ordonez

Notes: Ichiro to face wrath of Tribe fans

2007-08-29T18:05:00.000+09:00

08/29/2007 9:46 PM ET

By Bob Sherwin / Special to MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Mariners center fielder Ichiro Suzuki will find out Thursday just how the Cleveland Indians feel about him. It's not good.

As an example of how the Internet has shrunk the world, there's a decent chance that Ichiro will be greeted with a rousing chorus of boos by Tribe fans for something he said 2 1/2 months ago. It's also something that may have been misinterpreted.

Ichiro's offending comment came after a June 10 game in San Diego. The Mariners were about to fly into Cleveland for the second of three makeup games (the third is on Thursday) following their snowed-out early April series at Jacobs Field.

"To tell the truth, I'm not excited to go to Cleveland, but we have to," said Ichiro when asked how he felt about the trip. "If I ever saw myself saying I'm excited going to Cleveland, I'd punch myself in the face, because I'm lying."

That quote has been buzzing around the fans' chat rooms.

After years of Cleveland jokes, the citizens there have developed a inferiority complex. They are fully in tune to slights and disparages. Many of the fans took his comment as a slam to the city. What Ichiro likely meant, however, is how tough it is, travel-wise, to have these stop-and-go trips there.

Blame it on nasty April weather. Blame it on the Internet. Blame it on misinterpretion, but Ichiro won't get Cleveland back.

Player shuffles: Decisions are being made now on many of the organization's best prospects on where they will play this fall, and possibly next season.

The club has just about determined the final list for the September callups. Manager John McLaren would not reveal names or the number of prospects get the call, but said the team is, "Looking for depth, an extra catcher, pinch-runner and the chance to get guys out of the lineup when a game goes one way or the other."

The obvious choice for catcher would be 2005 No. 1 Draft choice Jeff Clement, who has had a nice season for Triple-A Tacoma (.273, 20 home runs, 76 RBIs). But Clement is not on the 40-man roster. The club might have to move someone off to get him on. Rene Rivera, who played with the big club all of last season, is on the 40-man roster. But Rivera has not had a strong season for Double-A West Tennessee (.210, five homers, 40 RBIs).

"It might be two callup-type dates," McClaren said. "One on [Sept. 1] and then after Tacoma's season."

Rivera is one of only two West Tenn. players on the 40-man roster. The other, outfielder Michael Wilson, is not having a good season.

The candidates from Tacoma include left-handers Ryan Feierabend, Jake Woods, John Parrish and outfielders Jeremy Reed and Michael Morse.

The Mariners also have six players heading out to the Arizona Fall League, which runs from Oct. 9 to Nov. 17. The six players who will play for the Peoria Javelinas are Clement, infielders Yung Chi Chen and Matt Tuiasosopo, and right-handed pitchers Stephen Kahn, Kameron Mickolio and Joe Woerman. Another player from the Seattle organization will be added.

The Mariners also can count on right-hander Sean White to be part of the organization next season. White, a Rule 5 Draft acquisition who had to remain with the big club all season or be returned to Pittsburgh, has been on the disabled list, likely through the rest of the season. He is now on his third rehab start, but Tacoma's season ends next week. He can remain on the DL through September.

The West is the target: McLaren made it clear Wednesday that, despite this tough series against the Angels, the team goal remains the American League West Division title.

"We want to win the West," McLaren said before the game. "That's our goal. There are so many different [Wild-Card] scenarios that could happen. So many teams involved.

"Your focus is always to win your division. We haven't changed that focus. It's still within our reach," he added. "When you start looking at the Wild Card, you're kind of giving in a little bit."

Mariners' log: Pat Casey, coach of the Oregon State baseball team that won back-to-back NCAA championships, threw out the first pitch on Wednesday to catcher Jamie Burke. Burke played his college ball at OSU. ... entering the game, Ichiro was four hits shy of 200 for a seventh straight season. Only Wee Willie Keeler (eight, 1894-1901) and Wade Boggs (seven, 1983-89) are in that realm for consecutive 200-hit seasons.

On deck: The Mariners begin a brutal 10-game road trip Thursday through Cleveland (one game), Toronto (three), New York Yankees (three) and Detroit (three). Left-hander Horacio Ramirez (8-4, 6.67) takes the mound against Cleveland southpaw Aaron Laffey (2-1, 4.76) at 4:05 p.m. PT Thursday in the makeup game at Jacobs Field.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Ichiro headed for another Gold Glove

2007-08-03T15:45:00.000+09:00

08/02/2007 3:18 PM ET

By Patrick Brown / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- The glove glitters wherever it goes.

It has been almost one year -- Aug. 19 to be exact -- that Ichiro Suzuki moved from right field to center field for the Mariners and nothing much has changed.

He won six Gold Gloves as a right fielder and should win another one this season as a full-time center fielder.

Ichiro willingly switched positions in an effort to get Chris Snelling's left-handed bat into the lineup, and he decided near the end of the season that the move would be permanent.

More than 100 games later, Ichiro has gone from being one of the premier right fielders in the league to being one of the premier center fielders in the business.

The move has been a win-win situation all the way around. It gives the Mariners a chance to have one of their quickest players cover a lot of ground in the outfield, and allows Ichiro a chance to lead the team in a new fashion.

"I don't know if by me going to center field it would be a better team, but the decision of going to center field was not a hard decision for me," Ichiro said through his translator Ken Barron. "Actually, some things became easier for me. Nothing became harder for me in the process of moving to center field."

So far, it's worked well. He was an All-Star for the seventh straight time and the Mariners are competing for a playoff spot for the first time since 2003.

Ichiro has no errors and eight assists this season, including an in-your-face throw that nailed the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero at home plate to complete an inning-ending double play in Wednesday night's game at Safeco Field.

The new position has opened the door for the Japanese icon to become a team leader for the first time.

Being in the middle of the outfield allows him to direct traffic, cover a lot of ground and move whichever way he desires. The amount of ground he covers often leads him into far left or right-center field, but has not become a nuisance to his outfield teammates, Raul Ibanez and Jose Guillen.

"It's good when you're playing with a guy who can cover so much ground," Guillen said. "Everybody can see it. He goes to left field, he goes to right field. He's pretty smart, and he knows what he's doing."

Center field, or "Area 51" as it's known to some of the Mariners faithful, has become a stretch of land where base hits are rare. Whether it's a long fly ball caught near the wall, or a shallow pop-up with which he makes a lunging, backhanded catch, few dispute that Ichiro makes it look easy, no matter where he's at on the field.

It certainly makes his manager and coaches wonder, is there anything he can't do?

"He was the best right fielder in the league, and now he's the best center fielder," Mariners manager John McLaren said. "I don't see any position changes coming any time soon, but I'm sure if there was, he'd be the best at that position, whatever that would be."

Ichiro's numbers rival those of the top center fielders in the league. Toronto's Vernon Wells, who has won three straight Gold Gloves, and Minnesota's Torii Hunter, who has won six straight, have both committed one error this season.

Bench/outfield coach Mike Goff said Ichiro possesses the key traits of a standout center fielder -- speed, instincts and fearlessness.

All three of those are certainly necessary, especially considering Safeco Field's monstrous dimensions -- 390 feet to left-center, 405 feet to center and 386 feet to right-center.

Safeco Field's wide-open spaces and Ichiro's speed, though, simply make sense for him to be the center fielder.

"You want a center fielder that's aggressive," Goff said. "You want him to want every single ball that's hit. Ichiro is definitely that."

Much like the tough plays he makes in the field, Ichiro made the transition look seamless, despite having little Major League experience in right field -- four games prior to the switch last season.

When an outfielder switches locations, he must adapt to different spins on the ball and different contact points on the bat.

Simply put, for the ball to travel to center field, it has a much different spin on it than one hit to right or left field. Ichiro welcomed the transition, though, because it offered him a much larger role with the Mariners.

"Center field is the leader of the outfield, so basically I could move in the ways that I wanted to," Ichiro said of the change. "I no longer had to worry about the players around me."

The role is no longer new, though, and the smooth transition has helped Ichiro earn even more respect from his teammates.

"Ichiro's right there," Guillen said of Ichiro's ranking among center fielders. "I can say he's probably the best center fielder that I've played with."

His leadership role is also welcomed by the coaching staff.

"It's something that's good for us because he's our best player," McLaren said. "When your best player speaks up, it carries extra weight."

Ichiro welcomed the change with an open mind and his teammates, coaches and fans have all learned something about Seattle's iron-man. Whether it's earning six straight Gold Glove Awards, or becoming the third-fastest player to achieve 1,500 hits, there isn't much Ichiro can't do.

Well, almost nothing.

"If I was changing positions to become a pitcher," Ichiro quipped, "that would be a challenge."

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Ted Miller's Sports Rant

2007-08-02T22:05:00.001+09:00

Ichiro: Bully for Batista

Tick, tick, tick... just minutes until the trade deadline... if anything happens, here's where it will be posted first.

Some thoughts from a day at The Safe on Monday and an impressive Mariners performance in the series opener with the Angels...

Mostly without prompting, Mariners skipper John McLaren started talking about how Ichiro has become more of a leader inside the clubhouse this season, particularly after he signed a contract extension.

"He's really coming out of his shell," said McLaren, who's cultivated a strong relationship with Ichiro since the Lou Piniella days.

This was interesting because: 1) There's been a long-standing debate on whether Ichiro needs to lead or just needs to continue being a disciplined, productive professional; 2) McLaren is an honest guy, so he's not the sort to just plant something with reporters.

So this may be a change that will reveal itself gradually.

What I've always found interesting when talking to Ichiro is his opinion on other players and teammates. It's sometimes a challenging tango because he's working through a translator and is prone to spitting out questions he doesn't want to engage.

Here's what he said about Miguel Batista giving the M's seven scoreless innings Monday:

"Some players can't perform well in important situations," Ichiro said. "To be able to produce in such a situation means to me that he is reliable. His performance was not only good for today but also for the future."

Remember a few weeks ago when Ichiro gave an extended tip of the cap to Jose Lopez for bunting? My guess is that Lopez, Batista and other players would break into satisfied grins upon learning that Ichiro praised them to the media. And Ichiro is starting to recognize that his words carry more weight than any other player. At least, that's what McLaren has been telling him all season.

Also, I like how the Mariners, taking a cue from the honest McLaren, are admitting that this is a big series; they are not just playing the old "one game at a time" routine.

Said Batista: "Of course, it is -- I know this series is important for us and I wanted to make sure we started with a great tone. The last two series against them haven't had good results."

He's referring to the Mariners' 2-7 record vs. the Angels before last night's victory.

But if they manage to win the series -- or, golly, break out a broom -- it surely will feel like a statement that the Mariners, as Batista said, are fighting for the division, not just the wildcard.

---MLS in Seattle? The PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL (subscription) -- as noted by Sports Business Daily -- is reporting "a group of L.A.-based investors known as Atletico Seattle Management Co. 'wants to bring [a Major League Soccer] team to Seattle to start play in 2010' and 'build a 25,000-seat soccer stadium somewhere in a suburban city near Seattle.'"

---Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press calls out the NAACP for speaking up in the Michael Vick Case. Sharp is aptly named.

---Matt Leinart's child support case apparently has ended, according to TMZ.com. The PC thing to do with this story is to trash the celebrity -- and the man -- Leinart. But I'm sure the 21-year-old Baby Mamma, Brynn Cameron, will manage to struggle by on $180,000 a year child support (she wanted $30,000 a month, by the way), which surely will all go toward the baby, nine-month-old Cole. And surely it's just a mad coincidence that Baby Mamma Brynn got pregnant when A) her relationship with Leinart was ending; and, B) Leinart was about to become rich. Why do we always only rag on the athlete about out-of-wedlock pregnancies? Why not also at least raise an eyebrow on women who apparently view pregnancy as a for-profit enterprise?

Posted by Ted Miller at July 31, 2007 11:51 a.m.

· Return to Ichiro: Bully for Batista

Ichiro's latest milestone: Hit No. 1,500

2007-07-30T14:16:00.001+09:00

Last updated July 29, 2007 9:12 p.m. PT

By JOHN HICKEY
P-I REPORTER

Ichiro Suzuki reached another major number with a second-inning single Sunday that was the 1,500th hit of his big-league career.

He reached 1,500 hits in 1,060 games, getting there faster than all but two players since 1900 -- Al Simmons (1,040 games) and George Sisler (1,048), both of whom are in the Hall of Fame.

Ichiro said it was personally difficult to judge what he's done so far.

"My pace is my pace," he said. "It's hard to evaluate myself. But unless you get to 1,500, it's impossible to get to 1,501."

For the record, Ichiro reached 1,501 in the seventh inning, getting a single that started a three-run rally.

Ichiro looking for 1,500th hit

2007-07-29T05:53:00.000+09:00

07/28/2007 - Oakland (49-54) at Seattle (55-46) 4:05 pm EDT

SEATTLE (Ticker) - Ichiro Suzuki will hope to get halfway to 3,000 hits when the Seattle Mariners host the Oakland Athletics in the third of a four-game series Saturday.

Ichiro recorded his 1,499th hit in Friday's 7-1 triumph over the Athletics, which snapped the Mariners' season-long seven-game losing streak.

Chad Gaudin (8-5, 3.66 ERA), who is winless in his last three starts, will try to stop Suzuki from becoming the third fastest player since 1900 to reach 1,500 hits. The 24-year-old righthander is 0-2 with a 9.88 ERA in his last three outings.

He will be opposed by Horacio Ramirez (5-3, 6.75), who was tagged for eight runs and 11 hits with five strikeouts in Monday's 8-7 loss to the Texas Rangers.

The Athletics have won three of their last five contests.

Ichiro on Hall of Fame path

2007-07-29T05:52:00.000+09:00

Outfielder has numbers similar to all-time best

By ANTHONY ANDRO, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
First published: Sunday, July 29, 2007

Despite his odd, whirligig swing, Ichiro Suzuki is one of the best hitters in the major leagues, and when you figure his career in Japan, he ranks right with some of the best of all time.

Ichiro won the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001, a feat last matched by Boston's Fred Lynn in 1975. In 2004 he set the record for most hits in a season with 262, breaking an 84-year-old record previously held by George Sisler.

Ichiro, 33, is one of three players to collect 200 hits in six consecutive seasons. If he does it again this year he'll equal the mark of Wade Boggs and trail only Willie Keeler (eight times).

So how does the seven-time All-Star stack up against some of the top players in major-league history? If you add his numbers from his nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave of Japan's Pacific League, they're pretty staggering.

Entering this week's series with the Oakland A's, Ichiro has 2,768 hits, 184 home runs, 930 RBI, 459 stolen bases and a .342 career average.

Here's how he compares with a few Hall of Famers who share some of his traits:

Wade Boggs: The power numbers are similar but Ichiro has a higher batting average than Boggs, who hit .328. The Hall of Famer finished with more hits (3,010) than Ichiro has, but he played until he was 41.

Tony Gwynn: The lifelong Padre finished with a .338 average and, like Ichiro, played in the outfield. Gwynn had speed (319 career stolen bases) and more RBI (1,138).

Rod Carew: Another member of the 3,000-hit club, Carew is better in career hits, but he played until he was 39. Ichiro has better power numbers and a better batting average.

Ted Williams: The Splendid Splinter is a member of the 500-home run club and finished his career with 1,839 RBI. Ichiro probably won't match Williams' .406 average in 1941 (Ichiro's best season was .372) but Ichiro has already surpassed the two-time MVP in hits (2,654).

Go 2 Guy: Ichiro, promotion mysterious

2007-07-27T23:16:00.000+09:00

Last updated July 26, 2007 11:34 p.m. PT

By JIM MOORE
P-I COLUMNIST

FINALLY, IT'S HERE, the promotion we've all been waiting for -- Ichiro Hydroplane Night.

What a combination, Ichiro Suzuki and hydros -- I just don't get that at all, but his name sells and attracts, and that's what matters. The Mariners could have Ichiro Toilet Paper Roll Night and his many fans would want one of those, too.

Ichiro Hydroplane Night got me to thinking about Ichiro. I wasn't his biggest fan. I didn't appreciate him and I wasn't sure why. I guess it's because he seemed distant, aloof, unapproachable, inaccessible and a few other unflattering words I can't come up with at this moment.

I could never be certain if he was that way, and thankfully he's not.

Thursday afternoon, a 90-minute tour of the Mariners clubhouse proved otherwise. My goal was to find out about Ichiro the person. This was a difficult assignment. The man is known for being extremely private, and the cultural differences are not easily explained. But I gave it hell anyway because I didn't have a Plan B.

I started with Ichiro himself, and boy did that go well. I asked his interpreter, Ken Barron, if Ichiro could answer a few questions even though I wasn't sure what I was going to ask -- something about his dog, of course; and whether he drank beer and played golf; if he and his wife wanted to have kids; if he had heard of Paris Hilton; and what he liked to do for fun.

"This is not a good time," Ichiro said through Barron.

"Well, how about in an hour?" I asked.

"Not today, we just got back from a long trip," Ichiro said through Barron.

"I was just wondering what he thought about having his name on a hydro," I said, sounding desperate.

"Not today," Ichiro said through Barron again.

Ichiro did not understand that tomorrow does not work for me, nor does Sunday, and I might be too busy next week, too. Apparently this does not bother him.

I was left to badger his supporting cast for details and got off to a roaring start with Willie Bloomquist.

"You know anything about Ichiro off the field?" I asked the utility man.

Long pause. Dumbfounded look. "He's got a dog," Bloomquist said. "His personal life, I don't think anybody knows much about it."

Bloomquist has never gone out to dinner with him on the road, and never even sees him on the road.

Ichiro sits two rows behind reliever Chris Reitsma on the team plane. Reitsma notices that Ichiro watches Japanese videos on his laptop.

Most of the players I talked to said Ichiro spends a lot of time listening to his iPod. Bloomquist sits behind him on the team bus and once asked him what he listens to.

"Japanese hip-hop," Ichiro told him.

Most of his teammates are in the dark, and it's so dark, it's pitch black.

Another curiosity -- does he speak English better than he lets on? The answer to that is an emphatic yes.

"He's playing it stupid," starter Miguel Batista said. "He knows more English than you think he does."

You probably know he's married to a former TV reporter, Yumiko Fukushima. According to Wikipedia, they exchanged vows on Dec. 3, 1999, at a small church in Santa Monica, Calif.

He's got at least one dog, a Shiba Inu named Ikkyu that Ichiro supposedly consulted before signing his big contract. Ikkyu said "woof, woof, woof," which meant "stay, stay, stay" in Seattle to Ichiro. In an interview two years ago, Ichiro said he also has a golden retriever in Japan.

Ichiro's Shiba Inu is named after Ikkyu, a 14th century Japanese Zen Buddhist priest and poet. On one Web site, it says that Ikkyu is a tremendously important figure in the evolution of world thinking. I found it more interesting to learn that Ikkyu was a troublemaker who drank a lot and went to brothels, believing that sexual intercourse was a religious rite.

Ichiro loves his dog and likes to drive. He owns a Porsche that he drives to Safeco Field. I couldn't find out what kind of Porsche it is, but it's "souped up," manager John McLaren said. All indications are that Ichiro's a fast driver.

Depending on whom you talk to, Ichiro is many other things. "He's a normal guy," Raul Ibanez said. "He's a funny, witty guy," McLaren said. "He's a very smart guy," Batista said. "He's a great guy," Bloomquist said.

They're united on something else -- the Mariners have never seen a guy dress the way Ichiro does. Batista understands that "he's Japanese, he's going to dress Japanese," but still.

"One thing about him, he's not particular," said Batista, who's seen him wearing bright colors, drab colors and colors that don't match. "He's got his own style."

I never found out if he drinks beer, but crack research uncovered that Ichiro does indeed golf. McLaren played with him once in Arizona, and Ichiro showed up in a long-sleeve shirt and shorts and was wearing black socks. He swung right-handed.

His teammates respect Ichiro and speak highly of him. They've seen him do many things and marvel at his preparation, his dedication, but still they wonder: Does he ever eat?

Ben Broussard has never seen him eat, aside from one time when Ichiro was at his locker having "some kind of something he was munching on."

"If we knew what he was eating, a lot of us would try to eat it because it's working for him," Broussard said.

Batista thinks he saw Ichiro bring some "Japanese stuff" on the plane once but also said: "I've never seen him eat. Nobody has."

What about those postgame spreads in the clubhouse? He's never there.

Batista acknowledged that some people might think Ichiro's weird, but he's not. He's being himself. "He's Ichiro," Batista said.

P-I columnist Jim Moore can be reached at 206-448-8013 or jimmoore@seattlepi.com.

Ichiro viewed by Japanese as good English communicator, survey shows

2007-07-25T23:10:00.000+09:00

Many Japanese consider Seattle Mariners baseball star Ichiro Suzuki to be a good English communicator, while actress Norika Fujiwara is also perceived as being proficient in English, a survey by the operator of the TOEIC English communication test in Japan has shown.

The attitude survey on the internationalization of businesspeople, conducted by the Institute for International Business Communication, also found that 80 percent of respondents experienced times when they thought it would have been good if they could have communicated in English.

When asked what major league players had a good ability to express their own opinions in English through speech and writing, 74.3 percent of respondents listed Ichiro, putting him in top position by a long run. Next on the list was 39-year-old pitcher Masumi Kuwata, selected by 16.0 percent of respondents. New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui was chosen by 5.5 percent of people.

In another question asking respondents which famous people had an unexpectedly good ability to convey their opinions in English, 36-year-old Norika Fujiwara was chosen by 37.5 percent of respondents. The actress apparently appeared at the top of the list because she has made many overseas visits and participated in international goodwill activities. Also chosen by 36.3 percent of respondents was Yumiko Shaku, a regular on NHK's English language education program. Hitoshi Matsumoto, who appeared at the Cannes Film Festival with his movie "Dai-Nipponjin," was picked by 3 percent of respondents.

A total of 65.8 percent of the respondents said they focused on active English communication ability through speaking and writing, while 34.2 percent focused on a passive ability through listening and reading.

Altogether 80.5 percent of people said they felt it would have been good if they had been able to communicate in English. Situations included going on overseas trips, watching movies and talking with acquaintances. A total of 30.7 percent of respondents said they wanted to be able to read English while surfing the Internet.

When asked about the merits of active English communication, 55.3 percent of people said it could help them do jobs they wanted to do (thereby expanding their business chances). Another 49.8 percent said their personal connections would increase, while 32.0 percent said it would help them change jobs.

The survey was conducted over the Internet between July 10 and 12 on 400 men and women in their 20s and 30s in various professions. (Mainichi)

July 25, 2007

Trendsetter Ichiro continues to break new ground

2007-07-20T11:00:00.000+09:00

Ichiro Suzuki is the ultimate global baseball story and deserves every penny of his huge contract extension.

July 20, 2007 2:32 PM

In 2001, Ichiro Suzuki, all 5ft 9in, 190lbs of him, became the first position player to journey over from Japan and have a crack at making it in Major League Baseball. After a suspect spring training of lazy pop-ups and groundouts, few could have predicted what was to come.

By October, Ichiro had stacked up 242 hits, won the batting title, led the league in stolen bases, and electrified fans with his approach at the plate and in the field. He was voted Rookie of the Year and American League MVP for helping to lead the Seattle Mariners to an AL-record 116 victories.

Six-and-a-half years have since passed. Seattle, faced with the possibility of losing the heart and soul of their franchise to free-agency, signed Ichiro to a five-year $90m contract extension last week that, because of deferred payments, means Japan's most successful baseball export will receive cheques until 2032. There has been criticism of the deal, but in the context of the sport I believe Ichiro is worth every penny.

As a fan of Nippon Professional Baseball, I was gushing over the outfielder before he made it big away from Japan. As luck would have it, just after the conclusion of Ichiro's 2001 rookie year I produced the annual end-of-year show for Trans World International's flagship television program. This involved organising the vote for the annual male and female athlete of the year award, which the producer personally delivers to the winners. When it was time for the staff vote I lobbied heavily for Ichiro, who, thanks to his accomplishments and my persuasiveness, won in a landslide. He thus became the first baseball player to win an award usually reserved for pole-vaulters, skiers, tennis players, etc.

The lone dissenters were the crusty, elitist head honchos who snobbishly refused to take North American team sports seriously. They were horrified that a baseball player had won, and I was called into their office to discuss Ichiro's "worthiness". Despite repeated requests, I refused to invalidate the vote and the controversy ultimately led to staff being stripped of the right to determine future vote winners. Circumventing the bosses and helping to get Ichiro an award he deserved continues to be one of my favourite moments working in sport.

In the end, I travelled to Safeco Field in Seattle and on a chilly December afternoon handed the crystal vase to Ichiro, which he accepted graciously for our camera. With the assistance of a few learned friends, I had written down in Japanese "would you like to join the crew and I for a steak dinner?"; but after extended rehearsals, I bottled it and we ate without one of the purest hitters in the history of the game.

I hold Ichiro in such high regard for a couple of reasons. First off, for me he is the ultimate global baseball story - a player who helped prove to MLB that there's more to professional baseball than the American and National Leagues. Another reason to praise Ichiro is his incredible stats - he has accumulated nearly 1,500 hits in his first six-and-a-half seasons, and he owns the single-season record for hits with 262.

As a recent article in the Seattle press pointed out, Ichiro cannot be reasonably compared to modern-day players. He is a throwback from another era, which is part of the reason why some have been critical of his latest contract. Because he is so unique, those critics don't really have a basis for what he is worth on the open market.

Seattle believes it is a lot, and the data suggests they are correct - bear with me as I throw some numbers at you. Ichiro averaged 1.3 hits per game in Japan. Interestingly, since coming to North America, he has upped his hits output to nearly 1.42 per game. They play fewer games in Japan, and since he came over Ichiro has averaged 159 per season. Let's pretend that Ichiro played his entire career in MLB, averaging, say for arguments sake, 150 games per season and 1.35 hits per game. This means that, in theory, had Ichiro spent his entire career in North America he could have compiled his 3,000th hit in this his 15th season.

That would have been faster than Tony Gwynn, who is being inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 29, and other all-time greats such as Wade Boggs and Carl Yastrzemski. Ichiro is so good that if this all had really happened, and he was able to hang around long enough while keeping up some semblance of that pace, he could have challenged Pete Rose's all-time career-hit mark of 4,256.

Of course, Ichiro did not spend his entire career in North America, and therefore these stats can't be taken 100% seriously. But if you've seen what Ichiro can do - and the international audience was reminded of his greatness during his recent MVP performance at the All-Star Game - you have no reason to believe he couldn't have made a run at history.

He is now leading an overachieving Seattle club, putting up numbers similar to that magical summer of 2001. Should he continue his assault on AL hurlers, the Mariners may miraculously find themselves in the playoffs, while Ichiro could find himself in the running for more silverware - a second league MVP award.

Mariners to defer $25 million of Suzuki's contract, money to be paid through at least 2032

2007-07-18T05:51:00.000+09:00

By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer
July 18, 2007

AP - Jul 15, 7:14 pm EDT

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Seattle Mariners will be paying Ichiro Suzuki for at least a quarter century.

The All-Star outfielder's new contract extension calls for the team to defer $25 million of the $90 million he is owed, money that the team will not have to fully pay until at least 2032.

Suzuki, MVP of last week's All-Star game, gets a $5 million signing bonus and annual salaries of $17 million from 2008-12 under the terms of last Friday's deal.

Seattle will pay $12 million in salary each year and defer $5 million per season at 5.5 percent interest. Suzuki, who turns 33 in October, will receive the money in annual installments each Jan. 30 starting with the year after his retirement from the major leagues.

Because of the deferred money, the average annual value of the contract is discounted to $16.1 million under the provisions of baseball's collective bargaining agreement.

In addition, he gets a housing allowance of $32,000 next year, an increase of $1,000 from this season, and the amount will rise by $1,000 each year. He also will be provided with either a new jeep or Mercedes SUV by the team, which also gives him four first-class round trip tickets from Japan each year for his family. Provisions for the Mariners to give him a personal trainer and an interpreter were continued.

Suzuki, who would have been eligible to become a free agent after this season, began Wednesday with a .352 batting average and a major league-leading 133 hits.

Mariners Notebook: Ichiro shakes it off

2007-07-17T23:59:00.001+09:00

M's star used as DH after pitch hits him in leg

Last updated July 16, 2007 11:34 p.m. PT

By DAVID ANDRIESEN
P-I REPORTER

Ichiro Suzuki was back in the lineup Monday -- albeit as designated hitter -- a little more than 24 hours after putting a scare into Mariners fans when he was hit near the knee by a pitch.

Manager John McLaren had just finished his morning coffee run Monday at about 10 a.m. when he got a call from head trainer Rick Griffin that the All-Star outfielder was a little sore but otherwise OK and wanted to play.

"That was a nice good morning for me," McLaren said.

Ichiro was struck on the outside of his leg just above his right knee Sunday by a fifth-inning pitch by Detroit fireballer Justin Verlander. Ichiro limped to first base and was removed from the game. X-rays showed no damage, but the Mariners were holding their collective breath to find out whether the injury would force him out of action.

Before Monday's game, a bruise was evident in the area of Ichiro's lower quadriceps, and he admitted being sore, but he was walking normally.

Ichiro has started every game for the Mariners this season, 87 in center field and three at DH. He has played in 490 of the Mariners' past 491 games, including a club-record 396 in a row. In 6 1/2 years as a Mariner, Ichiro has missed only one game because of injury. That was in April 2002, after he cut his leg running into a concrete wall at Safeco Field.

McLaren said his staff sat down and mapped out a plan to get Ichiro a few days off in the coming months, but there was no getting him out of the lineup Monday.

"He wanted to play center field today, but I just felt like with everything he's been through this week, with the All-Star Game and those festivities, to the contract negotiations, the press conference, him getting hit ... I think it was a good time for him to DH and catch his breath," McLaren said. "It was a scare for us, but he feels real good."

Ichiro quickly showed his legs were working fine, leading off the first inning with a double and, after a failed sacrifice bunt attempt by Jose Lopez, stealing third.

So was Ichiro trying to send a message with the early stolen base? He was, but it wasn't a message about his own health. He said it was a message about the Lopez bunt attempt, which the second baseman did on his own without a sign from the dugout.

"The fact that he wanted to do that was something I thought was very big for this team," Ichiro said. "A player that does not have much experience tried to do something, and he showed that he understood how important today's game was. Although the bunt did not go well, I wanted to do something to show a feeling of appreciation for that play.

"I thought what he attempted to do was not only big for today, but also big for the future of this team."

KEEPING THEM HONEST: When Curtis Granderson steals a base against you, that's just part of the game. But when Sean Casey does it, that's a sign that something might be wrong.

The Tigers swiped five bags against the Mariners on Sunday, and the blame fell not to catcher Jamie Burke but to the pitchers who he said weren't holding the Detroit runners in check.

"They have to learn that early in their careers, so as minor league coaches you're always pounding on the kids," pitching coach Rafael Chaves said. "Pitching is not only throwing the ball to the plate. It has a lot to do with fielding your position and being able to hold runners on base, and that's a big part of our preparation."

Pitchers have several responsibilities to keep opponents from stealing, and the first is being quick to the plate. The Mariners don't want to see a span of more than 1.35 seconds between the pitcher beginning his motion and the ball popping in the catcher's mitt.

In addition to throwing over to an occupied base, a pitcher can use head fakes to make a runner think he's going to. The pitcher also must vary his routine, sometimes going into the windup immediately after coming set, other times pausing. They don't want the runner to be able to count on exactly when it's safe to take off.

"You don't want to be predictable, otherwise you have problems," Chaves said.

When a pitcher is devoting so much concentration to the coming pitch, the other responsibilities can be tough to keep in mind. But a gentle prodding from the coaches after a five-steal game is usually enough to do the trick.

"I think sometimes it's just a matter of a mental error, just not holding the runner as close as you should," reliever Eric O'Flaherty said.

"I think we've done a really good job for the most part this year. From time to time that's going to happen, guys are just going to steal some bases on you. I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"Some guys you just don't expect to run on you, and you get caught off guard," reliever Sean Green said. "There's definitely certain base runners where you have a greater level of awareness when they get out there. But sometimes guys you don't think would take off take off, and even the catcher's not paying that much attention to them. At the end of the day you have to make your pitch and get the out at home. That's your priority, and it takes care of everything."

THAT'S AN ORDER: The Mariners have used 56 different lineups in 90 games, so it's not as if the batting order is a sacred cow that can't be messed with. Still, with the team playing well, McLaren didn't want to do a massive overhaul when he took over after Mike Hargrove's July 1 resignation.

McLaren said he's beginning to assert his influence over the lineup, and Monday pushed red-hot Adrian Beltre up to the No. 5 spot while dropping ice-cold Richie Sexson to No. 6.

"I told him, if you keep swinging the bat you're going up," McLaren said of Beltre, who entered play Monday with a .500 average and 13 RBIs in his previous nine games.

NOTES: The Mariners on Sunday celebrated eight years at Safeco Field, and over that span they have the third-most home victories (375) in the AL, trailing only Oakland (406) and New York (405). ... Jose Guillen entered Monday's game with a .405 average against left-handers, the second highest in the AL behind Detroit's Magglio Ordonez (.408).

Ichiro Leaves Game After Being Hit by Pitch

2007-07-16T14:04:00.000+09:00

Monday, July 16, 2007; E08

Ichiro Suzuki carefully walked around the Mariners' clubhouse with a black wrap hugging a tender right leg.

"I won't know until tomorrow," he said through his interpreter.

A scare was put into Seattle yesterday when the Mariners' all-star center fielder was hit by a 96-mph fastball from Tigers starter Justin Verlander in the fifth inning.

Television replays appeared to show the ball hitting Ichiro squarely on the outside of his right knee. But the team said the ball hit in the muscle just above the knee and Ichiro has a right thigh contusion. X-rays were negative, and Ichiro will be evaluated today.

"I just talked to him and he said, 'I'll be ready tomorrow, Mac,' " Mariners Manager John McLaren said. "That was encouraging. We'll see how he is tomorrow."

Ichiro hobbled halfway to first, then stopped and was checked by trainer Rick Griffin and McLaren. Ichiro gingerly made his way to the base and remained in the game. But he continued to have a slight limp and was lifted moments later after slowly advancing to second on a wild pitch.

"You could see he was in pain," McLaren said. "He tried to stay in, but . . . he started limping and that was it."

· TWO-MAN TEAM: During a span of 13 batters from the first inning until the fourth, no Royals player other than LHP Jorge De La Rosa and C John Buck touched the baseball -- as the Indians got two homers, five walks and struck out six times.

De La Rosa wound up leaving the game in the fourth with a bruised left thumb.

· INTERNATIONAL CARE: A Japanese company read about Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka's indigestion during a start in Texas and sent the team a few cases of pills to treat the malady. They were distributed in the press box at Fenway Park, with explanations in English and Japanese.

· FAMILY BUSINESS: Seattle RHP Jeff Weaver and his brother, Angels starter Jered Weaver, both started yesterday, the first time they have pitched on the same day.

· RETURN ON HOLD: Twins LHP Glen Perkins had a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury, delaying his return indefinitely. Out since May 22 with a mild muscle strain, Perkins was originally expected to miss about a month.

-- From News Services

The majors: Ichiro’s interpreter enjoys the word play

2007-07-15T13:27:00.000+09:00

By SAM MELLINGER

The Kansas City Star

“If we’re talking about a tree and the tree has a problem, you need to look at the root. But you cannot see the root. The mistake is to keep watering the fruit. That’s not going to solve anything.”

SAN FRANCISCO | When the cameras point to Ichiro, you can almost always see Ken Barron’s smiling face close by.

Barron was in San Francisco, into the night, translating Ichiro’s thoughts after winning the MVP award in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Barron was in Seattle on Friday, at the front table, giving Ichiro’s take on his new five-year, $90 million extension.

And most of all, Barron has been there as Ichiro — part hit machine, part philosophical funnyman — has entertained the baseball world with quotes such as this:

And this:

“To tell the truth, I’m not excited to go to Cleveland, but we have to. If I ever saw myself saying I’m excited going to Cleveland, I’d punch myself in the face, because I’m lying.”

And our favorite:

“The ball became the same color as the sky. So, I wasn’t able to see it … I was sending mental signals for the ball not to come my way, because during that time of day it’s impossible for me to see the ball so I lacked mental signals. I lacked in that area. Usually, I don’t send mental signals. So, because this is the first time, I thought, please don’t come my way.”

Despite what you might think, Barron is not pulling a big goof on us all. He lived five years in Japan, played college baseball and takes his job as Ichiro’s translator very seriously.

“Ichiro … he’s very philosophical,” Barron says. “And he knows so much about baseball. Every interview he has is pretty complicated.”

This is Barron’s second season with the Mariners and Ichiro. Barron grew up a big fan, even before Ichiro came to the States.

The binder in which Barron kept all of his high-school work had a picture of Ichiro in his Orix Blue Wave jersey on the front. He liked it when kids would ask about it. He’d reply proudly, “This is Ichiro, an awesome baseball player from Japan.”

Barron has since come to admire Ichiro as a person and enjoys getting to see him in and out of the spotlight.

At first, Barron wasn’t quite sure how to handle some of Ichiro’s comments. Should he tone the statements down? Change the answers?

“I worried about that kind of thing at the beginning,” Barron says. “I talked to him; he said he wants to give his answers out honestly. What he says, he wants to make sure it comes out as he says it. He wants it that way.”

Antony Suzuki, who translates for Kenji Johjima, is a little more liberal.

“I don’t think you can just match word for word,” he says. “I think it’s more about trying to express their feelings using words. That’s very important. Especially when you’re dealing with catchers.”

Either way, Barron knows people often get a kick out of Ichiro’s statements. He thinks some of them have been overblown or taken out of context — “to get that ‘Ichiro’ effect,” he says.

One tough thing about Japanese-to-English translation is that there is so much of each language that lacks an exact match in the other.

Like the watering-the-fruit quote.

“That’s part of the challenge,” Barron says. “But that’s fun, you know? The way I think about it, when I’m able to translate something like that, that’s when I hit my home run.”

To reach Sam Mellinger, national baseball reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4365 or send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com

Ichiro signs five-year deal with Mariners

2007-07-14T12:33:00.000+09:00

07/13/2007 6:43 PM ET

By Patrick Brown / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Everyone seemed to want Ichiro. In the end, Ichiro wanted Seattle.

Mariners center fielder Ichiro Suzuki signed a five-year contract extension Friday, ending days of speculation about the seven-time All-Star's future in the Emerald City.

The deal, announced by the Mariners on Friday afternoon, goes through the 2012 season, although financial details were not disclosed per club policy. The Associated Press reported the deal is worth $90 million.

The move came with the Mariners 14 games over .500 and challenging for first place in the American League West.

"Now I have the opportunity to be on one team for a long time, and very few players have the opportunity to do that, and I'm very grateful for that opportunity, to at least be here for the next 5 1/2 years," Ichiro said through an interpreter. "I'm going to do my best to play the next 10 after that."

Ichiro has proven to be very valuable to the Mariners organization, attracting international attention while achieving numerous honors each season. This year he has already set a club record by hitting safely in 25 consecutive games, eclipsing Joey Cora's mark set in 1997.

In addition, Ichiro was selected as the Most Valuable Player in this season's All-Star Game after going 3-for-3 and recording the first inside-the-park home run in the game's history.

Simply put, he was invaluable to the organization, and Bill Bavasi, the Mariners' executive vice president and general manager of baseball operations, knew it.

"This is a tremendously important day for our ballclub, the club's fans and for Ichiro, but more importantly, it's a real exciting day for us," Bavasi said. "Ichiro is a cornerstone that you use to build a winning club. He plays hard, he plays the game right, he sets a great example for our younger players, and any players, just based on his dedication and his preparation."

Ichiro said during Spring Training that he may be interested in testing free agency, something that wasn't a total shock considering he had never been in the open market as a Major League player.

But as the Mariners started to challenge not only for the Wild Card, but the AL West lead, Ichiro became increasingly in tune with remaining in Seattle, even with opposing fans, and international fans, trying to lure him away, and it was something that caught his attention.

In the end, he decided to keep his American home in Seattle.

"Well, I can't say there was a particular day that I decided [to stay], but during the season we go to different teams, different places on the road, and the fans from opposing teams always told me, 'Please come here, please come to our team,' in many different places," Ichiro said. "To be honest, I was moved during those times, and also the fans in Japan asked me to come back to Japan to play. But in the end, when I came back to Seattle and the fans here asked me to stay here, that was a moment that meant the most to me, and that's when I decided."

Bavasi said, although they would not discuss any of the contract details, that Ichiro's extension is fair for both parties involved, especially considering the norm for Major League deals.

"Whatever the contract is, it's a fair deal and this is a great player," Bavasi said. "When you're dealing with great players, there's a lot of ground to cover. From my point of view, everything was appropriate and I don't think it's groundbreaking at all."

Ichiro was happy with the deal as well.

"Those of you who have been around for a while have seen these contracts for many, many years, and what's generally reported is generally incorrect," said Tony Attanasio, Ichiro's agent. "But the nuances within this agreement are exceptionally beneficial to Ichiro and his family, and in my interpretation of the club's attitude, it's a win-win deal."

The rumors around Ichiro's deal started far before anything was official, none more prevalent than the sudden resignation of Mike Hargrove.

Hargrove's resignation, which came at the tail end of Seattle's most recent eight-game win streak, fueled speculation about a possible conflict between Ichiro and his manager. Hargrove insisted, though, that his decision to resign was made solely by him and was not influenced in any way by any player or anyone in the front office.

Bavasi reiterated that sentiment on the day Hargrove resigned, and Ichiro backed it up again Friday, saying Hargrove's departure had very little to do with his decision to re-sign.

"It's up to everybody else to think what they want to, but really that was not an influence at all," Ichiro said, with Bavasi adding, "Exactly."

The decision was not necessarily an easy one for him to make, especially considering the many distractions swirling around the clubhouse.

But in the end, Ichiro was happy not just for the opportunity to stay in Seattle, but for his teammates' support as well.

"I think it's been hard for my teammates to understand the way I think, and the philosophy, and the way I feel about baseball," he said. "But on this team there are players that appreciate that, and that was a big help to me and I'm very grateful about that."

Ichiro has set or broken numerous Mariners records already, and was the first Seattle All-Star Game MVP since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1992. He has been awarded Gold Gloves in each season from 2001-06, and has appeared in the All-Star Game in each of his seven Major League seasons.

He also set Mariners records in batting average and triples, and ranks near the top in hits (third), runs (fourth) and steals (second). His .355 batting average prior to Friday's game against the Tigers ranked second in the league.

Bavasi indicated talks with the star player were fairly smooth, never reaching a point where they felt they needed to find a "plan B."

More importantly, though, the extension allows the Mariners to focus on their potential playoff push, and allows the front office to focus on other areas of the team.

"If he had gone on the free-agent market, then a lot of our offseason would be spent trying to sign him, he'd be our No. 1 priority," Bavasi said. "So by doing this, doing this now, he gives us the opportunity to pursue other things in the market."

So with that, Ichiro's future remains in Seattle, and the future of the Mariners looks bright, especially from center field.

"If you look at the potential on this team, you can understand why our record is what it is right now," Ichiro said. "For the past two and three years, we've worked really hard, and now we're in a place where all our hard work is blossoming."

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Ichiro signs contract extension with Seattle

2007-07-14T12:26:00.000+09:00

Daisuke Wakabayashi

Reuters

Friday, July 13, 2007

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The Seattle Mariners signed Japanese center fielder Ichiro Suzuki to a five-year contract extension reported to be worth about $100 million.

The new contract, announced on Friday, makes Ichiro -- known almost exclusively by his first name -- one of highest paid players in baseball and keeps the speedy outfielder with the American League team until the end of the 2012 season.

Ichiro, 33, became the first position player born in Japan to play in Major League Baseball when he debuted for the Mariners in 2001, winning both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.

He has also won six consecutive Gold Gloves and set the record for most hits in a season in 2004 with 262 hits. This week, he was named MVP of the All-Star game going 3-for-3 with the first ever inside-the-park home run in the mid-summer classic.

"Getting to play for one team their entire (Major League) career is not something many players get to do," Ichiro said at a news conference. "Having that choice made me happy."

Known for a powerful arm and rare bat control, Ichiro helped to validate the talent in Japan's professional league and opened the door for many players from his homeland to Major League Baseball.

Prior to his arrival in the United States, Ichiro won seven straight batting titles in Japan with the Orix Blue Wave.

Local media outlets reported earlier in the week that Ichiro and the team were close to an agreement worth more than $100 million. If the two sides had not come to an agreement, Ichiro would have tested the free-agent market.

"You have to understand what a terrific opportunity he's passed up. He's taken himself off a real aggressive free-agent market," said Bill Bavasi, the Mariners' general manager.

Prior to the season, Ichiro had said that the team's poor performance over the last few seasons would factor into his decision on whether to remain in Seattle. But a strong start to this season encouraged him to re-sign.

"After struggling for the last few years, we're starting to put it together so I think there is a lot for this team over the next five years," said Ichiro.

The team is 50-36 and two games behind the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West. Ichiro is batting .355 with five home runs, 39 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases.

Ichiro deal likely to be announced Friday

2007-07-12T17:22:00.000+09:00

$100 million contract will keep him in Seattle five more years

Thursday, July 12, 2007
Last updated 12:50 a.m. PT

By JOHN HICKEY
P-I REPORTER

SAN FRANCISCO -- Putting together a multiyear contract extension for one of baseball's biggest stars isn't easy, as the Mariners are finding out.

The club has agreed to terms with Ichiro Suzuki on a five-year deal that will pay the center fielder about $100 million -- a remarkable amount for a singles-hitting leadoff man.

The last leadoff hitter to get a contract that was (relatively) of the same magnitude was Rickey Henderson in 1990, when Oakland signed him to a four-year, $12 million deal.

That may not sound like much in today's market, but on the day of his signing, Henderson was the game's highest-paid player.

Ichiro isn't going to be the best-paid player, but he will be close when the contract is announced, which is expected to be Friday.

Wednesday was an off day for the Mariners, and after Ichiro's MVP performance in Tuesday's All-Star Game -- three hits, including the first inside-the-park homer in All-Star Game history -- he had earned one.

With the Detroit Tigers in Seattle to start a four-game series Thursday, it wasn't deemed prudent by the Mariners' front office to have Ichiro come in early for the physical exam and paperwork to make the deal official.

The Mariners have not confirmed a contract is in place, and Ichiro went out of his way Tuesday to say nothing about one. But sources inside and outside the organization say the deal is in place and that the only issue now is the timing of the formal announcement.

Time, or rather Father Time, is a major issue, too. Ichiro will be 34 when the contract starts and 39 when it ends. It's clear the Mariners need a productive Ichiro -- he's hitting .359, is on pace for 244 hits this season and has 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts.

But how will the contract look in five years? By way of comparison, look at Henderson.

When he was 39, Henderson's batting average (career .279) was down to .236, though he would hit .315 a year later when he was 40. He was still doing what he had always done best when he was 39, drawing walks (93) and stealing bases (66). He scored 101 runs that year, too.

Ichiro and Henderson aren't remotely the same player. Henderson is the all-time leader in walks and Ichiro has always preferred to hit, never failing to reach 200 hits in a season while playing for the Mariners. Henderson never reached 180 hits in a season.

Ultimately, they are run scorers. Henderson scored 100 or more runs 14 times. Ichiro will probably not touch that record, but he has scored 100 in each of his six seasons with the Mariners and is en route to doing it again in 2007.

Both have made their careers by staying in shape, suffering few serious injuries. Henderson was able to keep his legs until he was in his 40s. With the way Ichiro takes care of his body, it seems likely he'll be able to keep his legs, too.

P-I reporter John Hickey can be reached at 206-448-8004 or johnhickey@seattlepi.com. Follow his Mariners blog at blog.seattlepi.com/baseball.

Ichiro Reminds Us Why He's Worth $20 Million/Year

2007-07-12T01:18:00.000+09:00

The scene in the basement of Seattlest HQ last night when FOX showed Ichiro rounding third and heading home on his inside-the-park home run was what I imagine an old-time political convention looked like after they nominated the hometown candidate after 86 ballots.

There were eight of us packed down there, but we all found room to jump around, wave our arms frantically so we looked like a giant third-base coaches convention, and, eventually, exchange jubilant hugs when Ichiro crossed the plate.

We were all jazzed about Ichiro anyway, because earlier in the day reports said he was re-signing with the Mariners. Then he established himself as a possible All-Star game candidate with hits in his first two at bats. The inside-the-parker--first in All-Star Game history, seemed to seal it, if the AL could hang on.

Which they barely did, no thanks to the incompetence of Orioles "infielder" Brian Roberts, who evidently has the range of a range. His bobble of a Dmitri Young grounder kept the NL All-Stars alive in the 9th, Soriano's homer on a decent pitch by Putz (it was a little up, but, hey, it's Alfonso Soriano) brought them within one, and Putz was out after he walked J.J. Hardy in the first J.J./J.J. battle in All-Star Game history. F-Rod saved the day for the AL and for Putz (with an assist from Tony LaRussa--you don't pinch hit Pujols there? Huh?).

Photo: REUTERS/Richard Clement

http://seattlest.com/2007/07/11/ichiro_reminds.php

Ichiro shows world he's the do-it-all star

2007-07-11T16:37:00.000+09:00

07/11/2007 2:05 AM ET
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- He has set the record for most hits in a single Major League season. He was a member of the Japanese team that defeated Cuba to win the first World Baseball Classic. He is reportedly on the brink of extending his tenure with the Mariners for five years at $100 million.

And now he's the first Japanese player to be named the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. He did it on the strength of a 3-for-3 night and the first inside-the-park homer in both his professional career and the 74-year history of the Midsummer Classic.

What else is there to prove for Ichiro Suzuki?

"It's an [All-Star Game] that I'll never forget," Ichiro said. "The past six years, I never had an All-Star Game when I really thought I gave it my all. So, I'm really happy. It was a fun All-Star Game."

As if he needed to, Ichiro made a big impression all the way around.

"He's an artist with the bat, a wonderful baserunner and outfielder," said Tony La Russa, the manager of the National League team that lost again to the American League on Tuesday night, this time 5-4, this time at AT&T Park. "This guy is a complete player and there's no place to go to get him out. You just try to get him to hit the ball at somebody."

AL manager Jim Leyland, who kept his league's 10-0-1 streak intact, said that Ichiro could hit for power if he wanted to.

"I had heard this about Ichiro, but never paid that much attention to it," said the Tigers' manager. "They said he hits balls out in batting practice like it's nothing. He probably hit more home runs tonight in BP than any player on the field and he made it look easy. I can't believe what ease he was hitting balls with over the fence, like it was nothing. I'm not really too happy about that because we play [the Mariners] on Thursday. That's who we open up with."

Ichiro singled in his first two at bats and then launched a drive to the arcade in right-center off Padres right-hander Chris Young. Right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. looked up and waited for the carom off the red-brick wall, which is 18-feet high at that particular section. Instead it hit a strange green padded crease near the inside of the base of the third archway and caromed away from Griffey toward the corner. With Ichiro's speed, at that point his fate was complete.

"I thought it was going to go over the fence and when it didn't I was bummed," said Ichiro, who had never hit an inside-the-park homer, not in his nearly seven Major League seasons or his career in Japan.

All-Star Game Coverage

Young, voted in as the 32nd man on the NL team vis the online Final Vote, wasn't surprised. Ichiro has beaten him like a tom-tom: 8-for-20 (.400) with a double, two homers and six runs batted in.

"He's a good hitter," said Young, who has faced Ichiro during Interleague Play and during his two years with the Rangers. "He's got my number and put a good swing on it. The ball kind of took a lucky bounce and with his speed that's the way it goes."

Since he came over from Japan, Ichiro has never had less than a 200-hit season, setting the MLB record of 262 in 2004. At 33, he has already amassed 1,482 hits. He has been an AL All-Star every season, but has never had an evening like this one. Coming into the game, he was 3-for-15 with one extra-base hit, a double, and only two RBIs.

In one night, he matched his hit, extra-base and RBI totals.

Ichiro, clad in black jacket and wearing a yellow tie, answered questions through interpreter, Ken Barron.

What about Leyland's contention that Ichiro could hit home runs if he paid attention to them?

"Tough question," he said as he pondered an answer. "If I'm allowed to bat .220, I could probably hit 40. But nobody wants that."

Has Ichiro had much experience hitting at oddly configured AT&T Park?

"We actually haven't played too many games here," he said. "We've had two exhibition games here, but never during the regular season."

Is he committed to the Mariners for the long term?

"You'll find out sometime," Ichiro said.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Ichiro runs into record book

2007-07-11T13:16:00.001+09:00

07/10/2007 10:26 PM ET

By Corey Brock / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki hit the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history on Tuesday in the fifth inning off National League pitcher Chris Young of the Padres.

Ichiro drove a first-pitch fastball from Young in the air to deep right-center field as National League right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. of the Reds gave chase.

Griffey appeared in good position to field the ball off the padded wall, but the ball took a strange bounce and veered back toward right field as Griffey gave chase.

Griffey's throw back to the infield was not cut off, allowing the speedy Ichiro -- who had hits in his first two at-bats on Tuesday -- to score standing up as the American League took a 2-1 lead. Brian Roberts of Baltimore, who walked to start the inning, came home ahead of the Japanese star.

Ichiro, a seven-time All-Star, started the game in center field for the American League and hit leadoff.

It was the first inside-the-park homer of Ichiro's seven-year Major League career.

National Baseball Hall of Fame vice president Jeff Idelson acquired the ball and will take back it back to Cooperstown, N.Y., to become part of the museum's collection.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Ichiro leads the way in AL victory

2007-07-11T13:12:00.001+09:00

07/10/2007 11:55 PM ET

By Chris Haft / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Given the distinct San Francisco flavor that emerged Tuesday night at AT&T Park, the 78th All-Star Game might as well have been stuffed between slices of sourdough bread and washed down with a pint of Anchor Steam beer.

The dimensions and atmosphere of the bayside ballpark were very much in evidence as the American League claimed its 10th consecutive All-Star victory, outlasting the National League, 5-4, on home runs by Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki, Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford and Cleveland's Victor Martinez.

Neither of the first two homers was ordinary.

Ichiro, who already has established himself as one of the most singular performers in the Major Leagues with his unique hitting style, recorded the first inside-the-park homer in All-Star history on a fifth-inning drive off the charming, quirky, asymmetrical right-field wall.

Fans can feel close to the action within AT&T's intimate confines, which was demonstrated on Crawford's homer one inning later. Though the NL didn't argue for a ground-rule double, a fan appeared to reach beyond the top of the right-field stands to catch Crawford's two-out drive off Milwaukee's Francisco Cordero.

Despite the long balls, this was a game dominated by pitchers -- reflecting another of AT&T Park's tendencies. The NL kept the score close for most of the game by using one hurler per inning, while Boston's Josh Beckett worked two scoreless innings to lead the AL's pitching procession.

For good measure, the paid crowd of 43,965 lustily booed Los Angeles Dodgers representatives Russell Martin, Brad Penny and Takashi Saito, as if this were a regular-season game.

But it wasn't the regular season. It was the Midsummer Classic, which Ichiro turned into his midsummer night's dream with one out in the fifth and the AL trailing, 1-0.

After San Diego right-hander Chris Young issued a leadoff walk to Baltimore's Brian Roberts, Ichiro lashed the first pitch to the inner left edge of the wall inside the third of eight archways lining the right-field barrier. Instead of caroming to Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr., the ball bounced crazily back toward right field, enabling the fleet Ichiro to round the bases with his first career inside-the-park homer as Roberts scored ahead of him.

Crawford's homer lengthened the AL's lead to 3-1, which the NL trimmed in its half of the sixth. Carlos Beltran of the Mets led off with a triple -- another vintage AT&T hit on a liner that struck near the top of the 25-foot-high right-field wall. Griffey picked up his second RBI with a sacrifice fly.

But Martinez essentially settled the outcome in the eighth against Mets left-hander Billy Wagner. Two outs after Mike Lowell drilled a leadoff single, Martinez clobbered Wagner's 2-0 pitch over the left-field wall for the 18th pinch-hit homer in All-Star annals.

One of the game's most anticipated elements, the performance of San Francisco left fielder Barry Bonds, fell short of achieving full drama. Bonds, the favorite son of the largest paid crowd in AT&T Park history, played three innings and went 0-for-2, batting both times with runners in scoring position.

Still, Bonds was thrilled by the ovations he received during pregame introductions and before his first at-bat.

"There's too many emotions to be able to explain it," Bonds said. "This is my family. ... All you can say is thank you."

The NL opened the scoring in the first inning. Mets shortstop Jose Reyes singled up the middle on AL starter Dan Haren's second pitch and stole second base, displaying the form that has made him the Majors' leader with 46 thefts. Up came Bonds, batting second for the first time since the 1993 All-Star Game at Baltimore. The oldest starter in All-Star Game history (42 years, 11 months, 16 days) flied out to right field. But Griffey put the NL ahead by smashing a 2-2 pitch up the middle for a single on a ball that caromed off the mound and skipped into center field.

Bonds' second at-bat came in the third inning after Reyes' oddly spinning, opposite-side one-hopper darted past third baseman Alex Rodriguez for a double. This time, Bonds sent a promising-looking drive to left field on Beckett's 1-1 pitch, but Magglio Ordonez caught the ball on the warning track. Beckett escaped the inning by retiring Beltran on a groundout and striking out Griffey.

The AL launched a mild threat in the third inning when Ichiro and Jeter singled with two outs off Milwaukee's Ben Sheets, who danced off the hook by coaxing David Ortiz's line drive to right.

Facing Philadelphia's Cole Hamels one inning later, Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees singled, stole second and charged home on Ivan Rodriguez's single to right field. But Griffey quickly came up with the ball and made a forceful throw to Martin. The Dodgers catcher deftly short-hopped the peg and tagged out Alex Rodriguez, who didn't slide.

By the next inning, the AL was again on its feet -- in a dramatically different way.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Ichiro Makes History As AL Takes Lead

2007-07-11T12:18:00.000+09:00

Ichiro Suzuki hit the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history, taking advantage of an odd bounce off the wall to circle the bases and help give the American League a 3-2 lead over the National League after six innings of the All-Star game Tuesday night.

Suzuki's two-run homer overshadowed anything Giants slugger Barry Bonds did on the field. Bonds went 0-for-2 with two flyouts before leaving the game after three innings.

Ken Griffey Jr. was in the middle of everything, driving in both NL runs and throwing Alex Rodriguez out at home after Ivan Rodriguez's two-out single to right field in the fourth inning. The throw to Russell Martin beat Rodriguez easily and A-Rod just jogged into the out instead of trying to run over the catcher as Pete Rose did to Ray Fosse in the 1970 game.

But Griffey also let the carom from Suzuki's drive in the fifth against Chris Young get past him. A 10-time Gold Glove winner in center field, Griffey had never played right field in this ballpark until Tuesday night. With a runner on first base, Suzuki hit a drive toward the brick wall in right-center. There's an odd angle in the wall and the ball hit the section facing toward the foul line, while Griffey played it as if expecting it to bounce toward center.

By the time Griffey chased the ball down, the speedy Suzuki was already around third base and easily beat the throw home for his first inside-the-park homer since leaving Japan to join the Seattle Mariners for the 2001 season. On Monday, Griffey said he didn't like the walls here because he couldn't climb them. Now he has another reason, too.

Carlos Beltran hit a ball off nearly the same spot of the wall in the sixth inning, but Vladimir Guerrero chased it down in time to hold him to a triple. Griffey drove Beltran in with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.

Bonds predictably got the longest and loudest ovations in pregame introductions and when he came up to the plate second in the first inning for the first time ever in his home ballpark in San Francisco. Bonds hasn't started a regular-season game in the No. 2 hole since June 6, 1987, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, although he batted second in the 1993 All-Star game at Baltimore.

Usually counted on to drive runners in from the cleanup spot, Bonds did not deliver in his new role. Jose Reyes singled and stole second to lead off the game but Bonds popped out to shallow right field, keeping Reyes at stuck at second. Griffey made up for it with a two-out RBI single against Dan Haren from Bonds' usual cleanup spot in the lineup.

Bonds came up again with a runner on second and no outs in the third inning after Reyes hit a grounder off the lip of the grass that bounced past third baseman Alex Rodriguez for a double.

"I was trying to get the runner over," Bonds said. "My job as the second hitter, I'm thinking get the runner over."

Bonds showed bunt on the first pitch from Josh Beckett before a flyout to the warning track in left field that again left Reyes at second.

Carl Crawford added a solo homer in the sixth against Francisco Cordero for the AL.

Suzuki also singled in his first two at-bats for AL manager Jim Leyland, who became the fifth man to manage both leagues in the All-Star game.

NL manager Tony La Russa has also managed both leagues and was looking to become the first to win in the both the AL and NL.

The AL has won nine straight times and has not lost since 1996 in Philadelphia. There was, of course, a tie game in 2002 in Milwaukee. Once again, the league that wins this game will have home-field advantage in the World Series.

Before the game, there was a moving tribute to Giants great Willie Mays, who was greeted by all the All-Stars on a stage he owned more than any other player. Mays played in a record 24 All-Star games and also holds the records for most at-bats, runs and hits.

The game also marked the final All-Star appearance for home plate umpire Bruce Froemming, who will retire following his record 37th season in the big leagues. This is Froemming's third All-Star appearance.

Ichiro reportedly nears new contract

2007-07-11T09:37:00.000+09:00

07/10/2007 7:18 PM ET

By Corey Brock / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Seattle Mariners center fielder Ichiro Suzuki is said to be close to signing a five-year extension with the Mariners that could be worth almost $100 million.

Several media outlets were reporting Tuesday that Suzuki -- a seven-time All-Star who was in the American League's starting lineup on Tuesday in San Francisco -- and the Mariners could announce the deal as early as Friday.

Ichiro, 34, wouldn't confirm or deny the reports before the All-Star Game, saying that "whatever happens, will happen in the future ... maybe three hours from now, maybe three days."

Ichiro -- who's four-year, $41 million contract ends after this season -- said in Spring Training that he was open to free agency.

He was asked Monday during a news conference if Seattle's strong start this season has changed his thoughts about his future with the team, the only one he's played for in U.S. baseball, he said it "has definitely influenced it."

Like last season, the Mariners are 2 1/2 games back in the AL West Division, though they have a significantly better record (49-36) than a year ago (43-46).

"The team is completely different than last year ... the mental state is different and how everyone is taking it is totally different than last year," Ichiro said. "There have been seasons in the past where the season would already be over at this point."

But, apparently, not this season as Seattle has surged to near the top of the division, even after manager Mike Hargrove abruptly resigned on July 1.

Ichiro wouldn't discuss Hargrove's resignation Monday. Their relationship had been improving, though new manager John McLaren always has a good relationship with Ichiro, dating back to his rookie season in 2001.

Ichiro, a two-time American League batting champion and a six-time Gold Glove winner, is off to another one of his strong starts. He's hitting .359 and is on pace to extend his Major League record for consecutive 200-hit seasons to begin a career to seven.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

An Ichiro timeline, with career highlights

2007-07-11T09:35:00.000+09:00

1973: Ichiro born on Oct. 22, in Kasugai Aichi prefecture, Japan.

1976: By age of 3, Ichiro already has his first baseball glove.

1991: Drafted by Orix BlueWave in fourth round of Japan's November draft.

1992: Finishes Aikoudai Meiden High School in March. Makes debut for the BlueWave, hitting .253 in 40 games, but spending most of the time in the minors. He has 95 plate appearances with 24 hits, five doubles and no home runs.

1994: BlueWave changes managers and Ichiro has huge season. In 130 games (the Japanese maximum) he hits .385 with 210 hits, 41 doubles, 13 home runs, 300 total bases and 29 stolen bases. His .385 mark wins the Japanese batting title (his first of seven consecutive titles) and his 210 hits is a record. Ichiro is named MVP.

1995: Leads league in several categories again. Some of the league-best marks: 104 runs, 179 hits, 285 total bases. Led outfielders with 14 assists and five double plays. Wins batting title with a .342 average, is RBI leader and again is named MVP.

1996: Wins batting title (.356), third gold glove and named MVP.

April 16-June 25, 1997: Establishes record of 216 consecutive at-bats without striking out.

1997: Ichiro has 185 hits, scores 95 runs, a Japanese career-high 91 RBI, all while hitting . 345.

1998: Hits .358 with 71 RBI and 181 hits. Wins batting title and gold glove for fifth straight time.

1999: In addition to his usual offensive accolades, Ichiro also sports a 1.000 fielding percentage.

2000: Sets single-season PCL batting average record with .387, while knocking in 73 runs.

April 2, 2001: Makes major league debut with Mariners, going 3 for 5.

April 22-May 18, 2001: Ichiro compiles a 23-game hitting streak, is named rookie of the month for April.

July 2001: Voted to All-Star Game with record 3,373,035 votes. Just the sixth rookie to start an All-Star Game. He goes 1 for 3 with a single coming off Randy Johnson in the first inning.

Aug. 28, 2001: Collects his 200th hit, matching Darin Erstad (2000) as fastest player to reach 200 hits since 1935. August 2001: Leads league with 51 hits in a month.

2001 season results: Wins AL batting title with .350 average, leads league in stolen bases with 56 and is named AL MVP.

2002 season results: Ichiro completes the season with 208 hits, 111 runs, 27 doubles and a .321 average, and 31 stolen bases. He leads the M's in average and was second in the majors in hits.

2003 season results: Ichiro has 212 hits, 111 runs scored and hits 13 home runs. Led majors with 66 multi-hit games.

2004 season results: Sets major-league season hits record with 262, surpassing George Sisler's 257 set in 1920. Leads majors with a .372 average, winning his second batting title. Ichiro also sets a club record with 80 multi-hit games, again leading the majors. Also stole 36 bases and scored 101 runs.

2005 season results: Ichiro plays in all 162 games (he has never played fewer than 157 with the Mariners), hitting .303 with a career-best 15 home runs and 68 RBI. Scores 111 runs and steals 33 bases.

2006 season results: Hits .322 with 9 homers, 49 RBI, steals 45 bases (caught just twice). For the sixth straight year, he is named to the All-Star Game and wins a gold glove.

2007 season: A great first half -- a .359 batting average, 5 home runs, 39 RBI, 23 stolen bases.

Ichiro reveling in Mariners' first half

2007-07-10T12:22:00.000+09:00

07/09/2007 7:52 PM ET

By Corey Brock / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- For those who are wondering or care, Seattle center fielder Ichiro Suzuki -- a free agent after the season -- has decided where he'll be playing next season.

"I'll be somewhere in the world," Ichiro said with a smile on Monday, as he answered some questions and skirted around others, mostly regarding his future, during the press gathering at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

"The thing that depresses me is these types of questions," Ichiro said when pressed for an answer of where he might play next season.

But Ichiro was mostly in good spirits, not only with a large gathering of reporters from Japan but from the stateside press as well, where the Mariners' strong first half had him feeling lively.

He has good reason to smile.

The Mariners are 49-36 and only 2 1/2 games back of the Angels in the American League West, which is, oddly enough, the same number of games back they were last season, though they were just 43-46 at the break.

But this Seattle team -- from top to bottom -- has a totally different feel, a different vibe, he said

But, apparently, not this season as Seattle has surged to near the top of the division, even after manager Mike Hargrove abruptly resigned on July 1.

Ichiro wouldn't discuss Hargrove's resignation Monday, although it's public knowledge that he and Hargrove didn't always see eye to eye and that manager John McLaren has a good relationship with Ichiro, dating back to his rookie season in 2001.

Ichiro himself is off to another one of his strong starts. He's hitting .359 and is on pace to extend his Major League record for consecutive 200-hit seasons to begin a career to seven.

But it's the greater success of the team that his him the most excited. The Mariners rank third in the Major Leagues in batting average (.283) and second in batting average with runners in scoring position (.290).

"This team has a lot of talent on it," he said. "If you look at our lineup up and down the order, the opposing pitcher really doesn't have a spot where he can take a break."

After playing center field the last two months of last season, Ichiro made the full-time conversion to the position this season. He said it's been a smooth transition.

"Now I'm happy about it, but when I first took the position, there was a lot of concern," Ichiro said. "I had confidence in myself but I didn't know how the team would operate once I made the change to center field. Now that I've played the position, I feel I can utilize more of my potential in that position."

As for where he'll be playing next season, the 34-year-old has been mum on the subject since Spring Training, when he said free agency was something he would think about but that he wouldn't address the issues again during the season.

So where will he end up?

"You can develop your own opinions," he said, still smiling.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB.com

Blanton tossed after shoving Ichiro, benches-clearing incident

2007-07-09T11:41:00.001+09:00

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Athletics starter Joe Blanton was ejected in the seventh inning of Oakland's game against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday after shoving Ichiro Suzuki, clearing both benches.

After Raul Ibanez hit a bases-clearing double, the relay throw from shortstop Bobby Crosby got by A's catcher Jason Kendall. As Blanton tried to retrieve the ball near the Seattle dugout, he shoved Suzuki, who had scored on the play.

Mariners outfielder Jason Ellison, the closest player to the incident, took exception and went after Blanton, and the dugouts cleared.

"I thought I was right in what I did," Ellison said. "Ichiro doesn't bother anyone and he shouldn't be pushed. (Blanton) said something he shouldn't have and that fired me up."

Mariners pitcher Miguel Batista was an innocent bystander until he was ejected, the only other player to be excused.

"The umpire said he saw someone jump the fence (near the dugout) and when I looked over the only guy I saw was Batista," Mariners manager John McLaren said. "The umpires told me Ichiro would get tossed unless I could tell them who jumped the fence. Batista was standing there and I wasn't going to let Ichiro get ejected. I know Batista took exception to that."

Both sides remained heated for several minutes, with Blanton exchanging words with Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez.

"At that point I lost my temper," Blanton said. "When you lose your temper sometimes you don't really think about what you do. That's just the way it goes. It's over now. It's not that big of a deal."

Santiago Casilla replaced Blanton.

The three-run double by Ibanez gave Seattle a 5-3 lead, and the Mariners went on to win 7-3.

The Associated Press

Ichiro glad Hargrove is outta there

2007-07-07T11:00:00.000+09:00


Ben Margot / AP

The Translator tells you what they’re REALLY saying in sports:

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, responding to the fact that Cynthia Rodriguez, the wife of controversial third baseman Alex Rodriguez, was spotted in the stands at Yankee Stadium wearing a T-shirt featuring a well-known, two-work obscenity ending with “You.”: "I did speak to Cynthia, and she's part of the family and obviously we just keep that in house. ... Other than that, it stays in-house and within this family, and nobody else is invited in.”

Translation: “Gee whiz, when am I gonna catch a break with this guy? First he stinks in the playoffs, next thing I know he’s purposely distracting opponents during pop-flies and gallivanting around Toronto with a blonde bimbo, and now he’s got a bum hammy and his wife’s got wardrobe malfunctions. At least the guy’s hitting. Otherwise, for $25 million a year, I wouldn’t need a T-shirt to tell him how I feel.”

Victor Molina, the veteran jockey who was suspended for 30 days and fined $1,000 after kicking a 2-year-old colt he had ridden at Philadelphia Park: “The kick wasn’t what I’m about. The penalty doesn’t warrant what I did. I got punished a little harder than other ones. I think most people around the track, if you asked them, would say it was a little too harsh. People in the industry wouldn’t judge me the way I’ve been judged.”

Translation: “What can I say? I’m a jockey. My profession has a long-standing tradition of rock-headedness. I’m one example of a small person with a smaller brain. Now leave me alone or I’ll kick you, too.”

All-Star Seattle Mariners outfielder -- and soon-to-be free agent -- Ichiro Suzuki, on his relationship with manager Mike Hargrove, who suddenly, stunningly decided to quit while the team was on an eight-game winning streak and having their best season in years: "At the beginning, there were complications between us. Since then, I've honestly expressed my feelings to him. He listened to them honorably and very gentleman-like. That's a strong memory I'll have."

Translation: “I couldn’t stand the guy, and now he’s gone. But to make things clear, I had nothing at all to do with Mike’s resignation. Nothing. And oh yeah, I swear I’ll be back in Seattle next year, too. And so will the Sonics. I swear. Cross my heart.”

A Wimbledon spokesman, explaining the recent decision to let Russian player Tatiana Golovin play while wearing red underwear that the referee thought might be in violation of the “predominantly white” dress code: “They were cleared with the referee in advance by the player. On the basis that they are underwear, they do not have to conform to the predominantly white rule. If they are above the hemline they are deemed to be underwear and not shorts.”

Translation: “We’re trying to not be so snooty in England anymore. That’s why Tony Blair doesn’t have a job anymore and Pete Doherty still does.”

Duke and U.S. national team coach Mike Krzyzewski, upon returning to work after a three-week family vacation at the beach in North Carolina: “Even when I’m on the coast, I think about my teams -- my national team and my Duke team. I’m excited about both. I feel really good physically. I feel great, and I’m very enthusiastic. I’m ready to go.”

Translation: “Last year was a mere blip on the radar. I am recharged and once again it’s time for the basketball world to bow to the great Coach K. Dick Vitale, every ref in the NCAA and even the international governing body of basketball, you are hereby under my spell. Next stop, championships!”

Michael Conley Jr., the highest-rated point guard in the NBA Draft, expressing concern about where he would be taken a few days before he was selected by Memphis with the fourth overall pick: “It is annoying. I wish I was in a situation like (first pick) Greg (Oden) and (second pick) Kevin (Durant) were in, where they just automatically knew where they were going. They can start looking for houses or whatever. I have no kind of luxury like that.”

Translation: “I only went to college for one year, but I’m already a really quick learner. I’ve mastered how to run a pro-style offense, I’ve handled the pressure of a Final Four, and now I’m showing the world that I can throw out the kind of selfish, ridiculously greedy quotes that veteran NBA players are known for.”

The Translator will decode quotes from the world of sports every two weeks.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19639046/

Three views on the Sox

2007-07-07T10:58:00.000+09:00

(http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/457660,CST-SPT-soxip06.article)

July 6, 2007

Attention, shoppers

No question the White Sox will be in the market for a center fielder this offseason, and as things stand, the top free agents on their list will be Ichiro Suzuki followed by Aaron Rowand. Andruw Jones will be too expensive, and while Torii Hunter is coveted, he will be in Yankee pinstripes or playing center field for the Rangers next to Jermaine Dye.

No thanks

The Sox will retain control over Scott Podsednik after this season, but with manager Ozzie Guillen calling the oft-injured outfielder ''unreliable,'' expect the team to trade him or let him go rather than pay $3 million to bring him back and hope he stays healthy in 2008.

Looking ahead

If Ken Williams can get the deals done that he'd like to get done, next year's starting rotation will look like this: Jon Garland, Javier Vazquez, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez. If Mark Buehrle is re-signed, then it's Garland, Buehrle, Danks, Floyd and Gonzalez.

THE BIG NUMBER

4.58: Javier Vazquez's ERA in six day games compared with a 3.19 ERA at night. Vazquez also is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.82 in three starts on artificial turf.

THE QUOTE

"I can guarantee this: There will be a time when maybe we're not looking at a championship. ... It's tough to win at this level for a long period of time. Whenever that time comes that I don't think we'll be competing for a championship, I'll let you guys know. I'll be the first to step up." -- Ken Williams, White Sox general manager, speaking on Opening Day

Hargrove's Exit Could Keep Ichiro in Seattle

2007-07-03T12:05:00.000+09:00

Posted Jul 2nd 2007 2:26PM by Tom Fornelli
Filed under: Seattle, Mariners, AL West, MLB Gossip

Most of us were pretty shocked yesterday when Mike Hargrove came out of nowhere to announce he was stepping down as the Mariners manager. Notice I say shocked, but not upset. I tend to get the feeling from most Mariners fans I've talked to about Hargrove that he wasn't all that well liked in Seattle anyway.

I'm not just talking about by Mariners fans either. I'm talking players. Including Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro isn't the type of guy who would come out and say it in public, but there's long been a feeling that he wasn't one of Grover's biggest fans.

So while we can't be sure how Hargrove's leaving will effect the team right now amidst it's 8-game winning streak, I think it's safe to say that it may end up helping keep Ichiro in a Mariners uniform for years to come.

The new manager is McLaren, and that could prove to be a boon if and when the Mariners pitch their offer to Ichiro, the only player on the club not tied to Seattle for at least one season after this one.

McLaren and Ichiro have been close from well before Ichiro's first spring with the club in 2001. McLaren, who lives near the club's Peoria, Ariz., spring training complex, came out every day for almost four weeks to hit fly balls and throw batting practice to Ichiro as the longtime Japanese star prepared for his first big league season.

The two men bonded during that stretch, and they remained in touch even when McLaren left the organization to go with Lou Piniella to Tampa Bay after the 2002 season. They renewed their friendship this season when McLaren came back to be the bench coach under Hargrove.

Now that McLaren is the man in charge, and the Mariners are winning, Seattle may look that much better to Ichiro.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that if Hargrove's departure means Ichiro will stay in Seattle, that this was Grover's best move in his tenure as Mariners manager.

Putz, Ichiro make American League All-Star team

2007-07-02T11:45:00.001+09:00

By Danny O'Neil
Seattle Times staff reporter

Closer J.J. Putz posted perfect credentials for the All-Star Game with 23 saves in 23 opportunities.

Ichiro can boast a little bit of All-Star perfection, too, after he was named to the team on Sunday for the seventh time in seven major-league seasons.

They are the two Mariners on the American League All-Star team, which was announced on Sunday during the Mariners game against the Blue Jays. The All-Star Game is July 10 and will be played in San Francisco.

Fans elected Ichiro a starter for the sixth time in his career. Putz was chosen by a ballot of American League players, the first All-Star selection of his career.

Ichiro received 2,341,409 votes, third-most among American League outfielders. Vladimir Guerrero was first among AL outfielders with more than 3 million votes. Alex Rodriguez led all players in the league with 3,89,515 votes from fans.

Putz is one of eight pitchers chosen by a ballot of American League players. Three more pitchers were selected by Jim Leyland, who will manage the American League team.

Ichiro entered Sunday's game with a league-high 118 hits. His batting average of .368 was second among all players behind Detroit's Magglio Ordonez. Ichiro's third-inning single on Sunday gave him a base hit in 49 of his past 52 games.

Putz allowed four earned runs in 38 innings and he is two saves away from matching the franchise record of converting 27 consecutive save opportunities.

Danny O'Neil: doneil@seattletimes.com.

Trade Ichiro? It’s the move

2007-07-01T18:54:00.000+09:00

DARRIN BEENE; THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Before I get into the reasons why the Seattle Mariners should not go out of their way to sign Ichiro to a new contract and that it may be in their best interests to trade him ASAP, let me tell you a story.

Growing up in Fresno, Calif., I was a huge Oakland Raiders fan. My favorite player was quarterback Ken Stabler. My devotion borderlined on idol worship. If my mom would have let me, I would have put a shrine to him in my bedroom.

To say I was shattered when the Raiders traded Stabler to Houston for Dan Pastorini after the 1979 season does not even begin to describe how I felt or acted. I felt so betrayed that I vowed to change my allegiances and root for the Oilers.

That didn’t last. I was not just a Stabler fan, but a Raiders fan. And I still wanted my team to do well. I reconciled myself to root for both.

Five games into the 1980 season I was feeling more smug than Sean Salisbury. The Oilers were 4-1, the Raiders were 2-3 and in crisis.

Pastorini, thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs, had suffered a season-ending broken leg. The Raiders’ season now rested on the busted up shoulders of a backup quarterback named Jim Plunkett.

Suffice it to say that turned out OK. Plunkett led the Raiders all the way to a Super Bowl victory that season, including a 27-7 first-round win over Stabler’s Oilers.

That game was the last playoff game Stabler would ever play in. Before Plunkett’s days with the Raiders were over, he would lead them to another Super Bowl win in 1983.

The lesson here is that players come and go but your team remains. As much as I hated the Stabler trade, I wouldn’t trade the Raiders’ two Super Bowl wins to keep him on the team.

Stabler had reached the point of diminishing returns. He went to four Pro Bowls with the Raiders, and none after. The Raiders got the best out of him and were even better without him.

This brings us to Ichiro, who can become a free agent at the end of the season. Ichiro is the Mariners to many fans, and seeing him in another uniform would be like seeing Ken Griffey Jr. playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Or Ray Allen playing for the Boston Celtics.

Painful, but not fatal.

The Mariners must take a hard line with Ichiro. If he wants to stay in Seattle he should re-up soon with a deal that makes sense for the Mariners. If it looks like he’s going to walk, trade him for much-needed pitching.

REPEAT. DO NOT BUST THE BANK ON ICHIRO. DO NOT SIGN HIM FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS. AND THE BEST MOVE MAY BE TO MOVE HIM.

While Ichiro has had an All-Star season, the Mariners are going to go only as far as their starting pitching will carry them. That won’t be past the first-place Angels if the pitching does not improve.

Mariners’ starters rank 12th in the AL with a 5.30 ERA, which is only better than Tampa Bay and Texas. Neither of those teams are making the playoffs, and neither will the Mariners at this rate.

Ichiro could fetch a difference-making pitcher. The offense might suffer but maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe this is just the time to see how Adam Jones would look in center field.

I know Ichiro is a marvelous, complete player who stays out of trouble and off the disabled list. However, he’ll turn 34 in October, which means his All-Star days are numbered.

Can he continue on at his current pace until he’s 37 or 38? Maybe. His game is based on speed, which ages as about as well as milk.

Soon there will be a day when he pulls a hamstring, tears a calf muscle or sprains an ankle. There will be at-bats when his slow rollers on the infield are outs instead of hits. There will be a time when he can no longer run down that liner in the gap.

It will happen. It’s just a matter of it happening with Ichiro wearing a Mariners jersey or someone else’s.

Originally published: July 1st, 2007 01:25 AM (PDT)

Baseball: Ichiro gets 3 hits in Mariners' 7th win in a row

2007-07-01T16:09:00.000+09:00

SEATTLE, June 30 KYODO

Ichiro Suzuki capped an outstanding performance in June with a 3-for-5 outing Saturday as he closed in on the American League lead in batting average after the Seattle Mariners' 8-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Suzuki helped Seattle extend their winning streak to seven games with a bunt single to first, a single to right and another infield single -- a high bouncer to the pitcher -- in his first three at-bats. He fouled out to third and lined out to center in his other at-bats at Safeco Field.

Baseball: Ichiro doubles, scores twice in Mariners' 6th straight win

2007-06-30T12:54:00.000+09:00

SEATTLE, June 30 KYODO

Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored Friday as the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games.
Suzuki drew a walk in the second inning and doubled to right-center in the fourth off Dustin McGowan, scoring both times at Safeco Field. The center fielder grounded out to second in his other two at-bats, leaving his batting average at .364.

Baseball: Matsuzaka strong against Seattle, Ichiro also shines

2007-06-28T19:18:00.000+09:00

SEATTLE, June 28 KYODO

Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched eight strong innings but was denied his 10th win at the hands of Ichiro Suzuki, who helped the Seattle Mariners to a 2-1 extra-inning win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
Matsuzaka held Seattle to three hits and a walk while striking out eight in a no-decision outing. The rookie right-hander gave up an RBI single to Suzuki that put Seattle ahead in the third inning and struck him out twice.

Question of Ichiro demands an answer

2007-01-24T01:06:00.000+09:00

Three weeks until pitchers and catchers report — oh, glory be — and the issue is still hanging out there, like one of Joel Pineiro's sliders.

What in the world are the Mariners going to do about Ichiro? And, pray tell, when?

You remember Ichiro — skinny dude, treats his bat and glove like royalty, gets 200 hits a year, guaranteed, and runs down every fly ball in his territory (which, happily, is now center field).

Yeah, that guy. You know, the face of the Seattle franchise, their cornerstone player and marketing icon, who just happens to be entering the final year of his contract.

Would it not behoove the Mariners to get this weighty matter resolved, one way or the other? Should it not have been done long ago, so they could either anchor Ichiro to their team for years to come, or begin the complicated process of sending him elsewhere?

To keep Ichiro's status in limbo, to let this situation fester into spring training and beyond, is to risk adding yet another toxic distraction to a season that is going to begin with intense scrutiny of the job security of manager Mike Hargrove and general manager Bill Bavasi. The phrase "hot seat," as uttered last year by CEO Howard Lincoln, is already an essential element in the lexicon of every reporter in town.

The club got a hint of the sort of nonsense that awaits them a few weeks ago, when the "news" broke that Ichiro had told a Japanese reporter he was definitely out of Seattle after the season.

It turned out Ichiro never really said anything of the sort, but it pre-saged the feeding frenzy that will surely result in spring training if nothing is settled.

Every quote by Ichiro will be scrutinized for some sort of hidden window to his state of mind, because you just know that whatever point Ichiro wants to get across, he'll do so through nuance rather than outright demands. And that's easy to get lost in the translation.

Ichiro's agent, Tony Attanasio, is on record as saying Ichiro is waiting for the Mariners to initiate talks on a contract extension. There have been recent rumblings the Mariners have started the process of starting the process, and that they plan to go all out to keep Ichiro here for the long-term.

But at this stage, that will be easier said than done, and not just because of the huge financial commitment it will take to retain Ichiro.

The five-year, $50 million contract given this winter to Gary Matthews Jr., an inferior center fielder, started to set the negotiating parameters. That was followed by a seven-year, $126 million extension given last month by Toronto to Vernon Wells, another All-Star center fielder who was heading into his walk year.

We'll forego, for now, the debate over the relative worthiness of Ichiro vis-à-vis Wells, and leave it at this: Ichiro is a hugely valuable commodity, and if the Mariners decide not to pay him commensurately (or Ichiro decides not to accept their money), then some team out there — in San Francisco, or Los Angeles, or New York, or Chicago, all places where he would be a massive drawing card — will be clamoring to.

The reasonable assumption in these parts is that Japanese money-man Hiroshi Yamauchi will always be willing to pay what it takes to retain Ichiro, if he wants to be here.

But — and here's the $100 million question that needs to be settled, post-haste — does Ichiro want to be here, even if the money is right?

Beyond his undeniable fondness for living in Seattle, Ichiro's decision will very likely be swayed by his own state-of-the-team assessment — and that should be worrisome to the Mariners.

Bavasi's moves this winter have been based on unreasonable faith in too many players coming back from serious injury or career decline — and at too great a cost in young talent.

It's hard to imagine that after three excruciating last-place seasons, during which we have seen fleeting hints of Ichiro's discontent, that the additions of Jose Guillen, Miguel Batista, Jose Vidro, et al, have renewed his faith in the Mariners' grand plan.

The team will no doubt have to address that issue at the bargaining table, right along with the dollars.

It's high time to get moving. Because if Ichiro doesn't want to be here, that needs to be dealt with, too.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/larrystone/2003538515_stone24.html

Ichiro's appearance after first workout results in conflicting stories

2007-01-13T19:02:00.000+09:00

By Brad Lefton
Special to The Seattle Times

Much Ado About Nothing.

The title of Shakespeare's enduring comedy aptly describes the frenzy in Mariner Nation on Friday based on an Internet report declaring Ichiro wants out of Seattle.

I couldn't find any such comments in Japanese attributed to Ichiro on the Net.

An English-language site summarized some loosely translated parts of an article from Sankei Sports, in the process making an unclear distinction between Ichiro's comments and Sankei Sports' conclusions. I read the original Sankei Sports article and here's my translation of Ichiro's response to what appears to be a question about his desire to play for a winner.

"The ideal situation is to play an integral role on a team that wins the championship and earns a ring commemorating it. With that said, considering the current circumstances, it's difficult to stand here and offer that to you as my goal. Only a handful of players are actually in a position to do that. What I can do at this time is concentrate on playing to my utmost potential. You wouldn't expect a player in my situation to honestly say anything more than that."

That sounds like Ichiro being nothing more than the realist he is. The same is true when he's asked about his impending free agency. "I imagine that's having some kind of influence on my agent's activities."

Sankei Sports follows those comments with its own conclusions and the English-language site embellishes those conclusions even further.

The article emanated from an impromptu news conference Ichiro gave at his workout Wednesday morning. It was his first full workout of 2007, and media members were there to cover it for its symbolic significance as the start of another season. This is common practice in Japan, and, in fact, the dailies there recently have been filled with "first workout of the year" stories on many players.

In Ichiro's case, one of the photos accompanying the Sankei Sports article shows him surrounded by a pack of media members. Four television microphones are pushed toward him and reporters are diligently scribbling in their notebooks. The scene certainly gives the impression Ichiro has something monumental to announce. However, a random survey of the online editions of several other leading sports and news dailies in Japan failed to find a similarly toned article that was crafted from the same interview session.

The other papers chose to focus on other comments Ichiro made on a variety of topics.

Although Ichiro worked out the following day as well, none of the papers, not even Sankei Sports, bothered to follow up on the topic of Ichiro's impending free agency. Instead, the focus of the second day was on how So Taguchi of the St. Louis Cardinals happened to show up at the same time as Ichiro, allowing the former teammates at Orix to work out together.

According to those reports, Taguchi pitched batting practice to Ichiro and shattered one of his bats in half. For a guy who rarely swings in a way that breaks his bat, that was a newsworthy item.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003523024&zsection_id=2002990524&slug=mariside13&date=20070113

Ichiro creates a stir? Agent denies report that outfielder ready to walk

2007-01-13T07:33:00.000+09:00

By Larry Stone

Seattle Times staff reporter

Ichiro's agent strongly disputed an article in the Japanese media this week that reportedly portrayed Ichiro as being prepared to walk away from the Mariners as a free agent after next season.

Nevertheless, the status of the Mariners' star outfielder is a growing issue with the opening of spring training just weeks away. Ichiro has one season left on the four-year, $44 million contract he signed after the 2003 season.

"We stand today where we stood weeks ago, months ago," Ichiro's agent, Tony Attanasio, said by phone from San Diego. "We have told the club that when they are prepared to talk, we would listen. I didn't say we would negotiate; I said we would listen.

"That's been Ichiro's position from Day 1 he came to Seattle. He has never made any protestations, demands or requests to go anyplace. He's got a new home in the Seattle area. He loves the community."

Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi, citing club policy, declined to discuss Ichiro's contract status.

A well-placed club source said the Mariners plan to make a strong effort to retain Ichiro, who in his six seasons in Seattle has won a Most Valuable Player award, two batting titles, six Gold Glove awards and surpassed 200 hits each season. He turned 33 this past October.

"We'll do everything we can to keep this guy forever," the source said. "There will be talks very soon about an extension. There are talks. We're in that process."

The source said the timing is delicate, and complicated by Japanese custom and the likely involvement of owner Hiroshi Yamauchi. But the source added, "I think he [Ichiro] wants to be here. The relationship has been good."

Attanasio said, "I really believe that the club has intentions of talking to us about an extension. When that will happen, I can't say. I know this — we will not be the ones knocking on the door to do that. That's not Ichiro's style or custom. He never does that."

Ichiro's status burst into the spotlight Friday when the Web site of Japan Baseball Daily posted a summation of a story in Sankei Sports, a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper.

The Web site reported "Ichiro tells Sankei Sports that he is out of Seattle after 2007!" It added that "his answers concerning the state of the Mariners were described as 'dripping with sarcasm.' Says that he is at the stage of his career where he wants to accomplish personal goals, one of which is to win a championship. So he is angling to go to a contender once he obtains free agency at the end of the schedule."

Attanasio said such comments by Ichiro would be "an absolute shock to me. He's publicity averse. If he had said something like that, I can almost guarantee he would have alerted me. He didn't do that."

In an e-mail to The Seattle Times, Attanasio elaborated.

"I am convinced it is very typical of a 'Star Report' type of bad journalism. Ichiro is working out now on a daily basis. These workouts are open to the press and as is customary in Japan, the players say a few words after each workout. I can almost guarantee his comments were much less 'sarcastic' than reported.

"I could see him saying the same things he's said to [Seattle media] as well as the club officials: He's going to be prepared to the best of his ability; he takes pride in his performance; it would be good to win in Seattle and he would like that. He knows well his rights as a six-year player and will make those decisions down the line if and when necessary.

"We spoke prior to his departure and both agreed that those are his feelings and is what we would say when asked, because it is all accurate.

"The interesting thing about this piece is that it appears to be carried by only one paper [Sankei sports] ... if he said what they say he did, the story would be in all of the papers and not just this one."

Bavasi declined to comment on the Sankei story, citing both the translation difficulties and the team's policy against commenting on rumors.

It is indisputable, however, that the Mariners would face major decisions involving Ichiro if no contract extension can be reached. Their options would be to trade him prior to the season, trade him during the season, or keep him on the team and either resume negotiations next offseason or have him leave via free agency.

It is likely that Ichiro watched closely as the Mariners revamped the team during the offseason, and his evaluation of those moves might well determine whether he re-signs.

The Mariners have acquired a new right fielder (Jose Guillen) and designated hitter (Jose Vidro), two new starting pitchers (Miguel Batista and Horacio Ramirez) and a new setup reliever (Chris Reitsma).

Attanasio said he does not know Ichiro's reaction to the team's transactions.

"We haven't talked about that, let's put it that way," he said. "We have no choice in any of those moves."

The agent seemed to acknowledge, however, that the success of the team would be a factor in Ichiro's decision. The Mariners won a record 116 games his first season, but finished last the past three years.

"You know his personality, his desire to win, his professionalism," he said. "That's going to play a major part in any negotiation with any team, including the Mariners."

Based on Ichiro's career performance, his popularity and the staggering escalation of salaries, Ichiro won't come cheaply. By comparison, center fielder Gary Matthews, who has had just one season above .300, signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Angels.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003523021_mari13.html

Dirty dozen for Pudge; sixth for Chavez, Hunter, Ichiro

2006-11-01T18:53:00.000+09:00

ESPN.com news services

Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez captured his record 12th Rawlings Gold Glove Award, highlighting the list of American League winners announced Thursday.

Rodriguez, who won for the first time since 2004, is the all-time Gold Glove leader among catchers, two ahead of Hall of Famer Johnny Bench (10).

The Rawlings Gold Glove, awarded for defensive excellence and voted on by each league's managers and coaches, is now in its 50th year. The National League winners will be announced Friday.

Joining Rodriguez on the AL list is Tigers batterymate Kenny Rogers, who earned his fifth Gold Glove overall and his third straight.

Detroit pitchers made five errors during the Tigers' five-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, four on bad throws and another on a botched comebacker. No other pitching staff had made more than three errors during a Series.

Rogers did not have any fielding fumbles, but he did have a brownish smudge on his pitching hand in the first inning of Game 2. Whether it was dirt, pine tar or something else may never be known -- St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa never urged umpires to check Rogers' hand and instead merely asked them to make sure whatever it was went away.

The hand was clean when he came out for the second, Rogers went on to pitch shutout ball through the eighth and Detroit won 3-1 -- its only victory of the Series. Rogers, who pitched 23 scoreless innings in the postseason, was poised to start Game 6 but Detroit lost to the Cardinals in five games.

Leading the AL's Gold Glove infield is Oakland A's third baseman Eric Chavez, who won for the sixth straight year. In addition, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees garnered his third consecutive Gold Glove at shortstop; Mark Teixeira of the Texas Rangers was a repeat winner at first base; and Mark Grudzielanek of the Kansas City Royals won for the first time at second base.

"This was the best year I've played defensively. That's why I felt comfortable," said Chavez, who played through injuries and hit just .241 with 22 homers and 72 RBI. "I knew I could impact the game defensively. I knew I had to because offensively I was not able to produce."

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner praised captain Jeter and campaigned for him to get another award.

"I hope he wins the MVP," Steinbrenner said. "He should."

In the outfield, Minnesota Twins center fielder Torii Hunter and Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki each earned their sixth straight Gold Glove, while Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells won for the third year in a row.

Chavez and Rodriguez each earned $100,000 bonuses for winning Gold Gloves, while Rogers gets $75,000. Grudzielanek, Suzuki and Wells get $50,000 apiece and Hunter receives $25,000.

To celebrate its golden anniversary of the award, Rawlings is initiating a nationwide fan vote to select the all-time Rawlings Gold Glove Golden Anniversary team -- the greatest fielder at each position.

A panel of baseball historians and experts will choose 50 players, several at each position, who will appear on the final ballot. Fans will begin voting during spring training, and the all-time team will be revealed during the 2007 All-Star break. Rawlings has launched a Web site (rawlingsgoldglove.com) with more information.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2646282&type=HeadlineNews&imagesPrint=off

Ichiro willing to play center for Mariners next season

2006-09-29T19:21:00.000+09:00

SEATTLE -- Ichiro Suzuki is willing to play center field for the Seattle Mariners next year.

"He said he wants to play there, so that's good," manager Mike Hargrove said before Friday's game against Texas.

Hargrove met earlier this week with the six-time All-Star, who played 120 games in right field this season.

Suzuki started his 36th game in center field on Friday night. The experiment of moving Suzuki there began on Aug. 20 and he became a fixture in a position where seven players have started this season.

Jeremy Reed began the season there and started 55 games but struggled at the plate and was sidelined for the season after breaking his right thumb diving for a ball in early July. Seattle called up 21-year-old Adam Jones from Triple-A, but Jones has hit just .216 in 32 games.

Willie Bloomquist started 35 games, and Matt Lawton, Shin-Soo Choo and Joe Borchard also started in center. Lawton and Borchard were both released, and Choo was traded to Cleveland.

"Every indication he's given me is he enjoys playing center field," Hargrove said.

Suzuki declined to talk before Friday's game. Suzuki's contract expires after the 2007 season, and Mariners chief executive officer Howard Lincoln sounded as if an extension was in the works.

"All I can say is stayed tuned," Lincoln said.

When Suzuki made the move to center, it was just the fourth time in his career he started there and first time since Aug. 17, 2002, at Detroit.

Suzuki's move also gives the Mariners flexibility to add a corner outfielder -- preferably a left-handed hitter with power.

"He really is a good center fielder, and it's easier to find a corner man with a bat than it is a center fielder with a bat," Hargrove said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2607902&type=story

M's Notebook | Ichiro, hurting all over, sits out

2006-09-27T00:39:00.000+09:00

By Geoff Baker
Seattle Times staff reporter

Ichiro saw his team record for consecutive games played end at 396 Tuesday night when he sat out with bruises on his knee and shoulder blade.

The injuries occurred on separate plays during the Mariners' extra-inning victory over Oakland on Monday.

Seattle's leadoff man had a five-hit night in that game, but banged up his knee when he tumbled over right fielder Chris Snelling while making a catch. Ichiro remained in the game, but was struck on the shoulder blade by an errant pickoff throw from A's reliever Kiko Calero in the 10th inning as he dove back to first base.

"The ball hit me directly," Ichiro said through a translator.

The ball wound up bouncing into the stands and a visibly hurting Ichiro was awarded second base after being attended to for several minutes. He said Tuesday that he never once contemplated removing himself from the game in favor of a pinch-runner, nor did he ask manager Mike Hargrove to give him a night off Tuesday.

"The trainer told the manager what the situation was and then the manager made the decision," Ichiro said. "It's not my job to make those decisions."

Ichiro sat out the opening part of the Aug. 18 game in Los Angeles, ending his streak of 209 consecutive starts. But he later made a pinch-hitting appearance, continuing his team record consecutive games streak.

The game Tuesday was only the second time in 245 contests that Ichiro did not make the start. The prospect of watching from the dugout wasn't exactly eating away at the Japanese star, whose streak surpassed the 293 consecutive games mark previously set by Edgar Martinez.

"It isn't difficult for me at all," Ichiro said with a shrug and a grin.

NOTES

• Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima also wasn't part of the starting lineup Tuesday, having suffered back spasms Monday before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the ninth inning as his team staged the tying rally. The team was hoping Johjima would be up for some late-inning action if called upon.

"It's like it was last night, it's still bothering him," Hargrove said before the contest.

Johjima never made it into the game. His replacement, backup catcher Rene Rivera, did a fine job of blocking the plate in the third when he took a throw from right fielder Snelling and tagged out Nick Swisher — who had tagged up on a fly ball.

• Ichiro scored three runs Monday night, leaving the team 24-1 this season when he scores two or more.

Since his first season in 2001, the Mariners are 123-29 when he scores multiple runs, including 22-5 — 5-0 this year — when he notches three or more.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003277337_marinotes27.html

Record day for Ichiro

2006-09-17T19:04:00.000+09:00

By Geoff Baker
Seattle Times staff reporter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — His long-awaited, automatically expected 200th hit of the season wasn't nearly the full Ichiro story of Saturday's third inning.

The milestone single to left field, marking the sixth straight time the Mariners' leadoff man has cleared the bicentennial hits hurdle, was only the opening act. What happened next was classic Ichiro as he advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt by a nervous pitcher, produced a record-setting steal of third base, then trotted home on a sacrifice fly.

But a textbook example of how giving Ichiro even one base can quickly add up to four still couldn't spare Seattle from a 7-4 loss to the Royals.

On another forgettable day for the Mariners, in front of 12,116 fans at Kauffman Stadium, the only thing memorable was their soft-spoken, singles-hitting dynamo. In an era where the home run continues to define hitting greatness, Ichiro keeps on carving out his unique place in the sport's annals, one base at a time.

"I always make it a goal for myself every year," Ichiro said through a translator of securing 200 hits. "And the people watching, I think, are also aware of it. So for me to continue to do this is an important thing for me."

The sixth straight 200-hit season for Ichiro leaves him just one shy of the American League mark held by Wade Boggs. Ichiro also is two seasons shy of the major-league record set by Willie Keeler from 1894 to 1901, though Ichiro is already without peer when it comes to consecutive 200-hit seasons to start a career.

Ichiro admitted to feeling "stomach aches" in the past and there was even more strain this season as he coped with the expectations of others and the enormous pressure he puts on himself.

"It's heavier this year," he said of the self-imposed pressure to succeed. "Going from five [seasons] to six, it's heavier than going from one to two. And I think that's part of the hardship of being able to continue something."

Ichiro wound up with two singles and a double to push his season total to 201. During his journey around the bases in the third inning, he was on the front-end of a successful double steal — his 33rd consecutive swipe.

That broke the previous AL record set by Willie Wilson of the Royals in 1980. But so focused was Ichiro on the hits mark, he wasn't even aware of the steals record until informed of it afterward.

"You think Ichiro and you almost take for granted the fact that he gets 200 hits," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "I don't know that people understand how absolutely difficult that is to do. For him to have done it six years in a row is absolutely amazing."

Ichiro's two runs scored in the first three innings gave Seattle pitcher Joel Pineiro a 2-0 lead to work with in his first start since being banished to the bullpen last month. Pineiro retired six of the first seven hitters he faced, but issued a one-out walk in the third and then suffered the indignity of having Joey Gathright tag him for Gathright's first major-league home run.

The lightning quick Gathright, who makes Ichiro appear tortoise-like at times, had gone 591 career at-bats without taking any pitcher deep.

Pineiro then yielded a two-run double to David DeJesus and a two-run triple to Shane Costa as the Royals scored five in his fourth and final inning.

The Mariners could take some consolation in the four scoreless innings worked by rookie Ryan Feierabend from there. But this wasn't going to be a repeat of Friday's stirring comeback.

Seattle scored two runs in the ninth, with Ichiro doubling home the last of those. But the Mariners still dropped their second game in three tries here.

"It tells me that he hasn't started in a while, as much as anything," Hargrove said of Pineiro, adding that Pineiro kept elevating his pitches as the game progressed.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003262306&zsection_id=2003016528&slug=mari17&date=20060917

Ichiro, Johjima develop mutual trust

2006-09-01T15:18:00.000+09:00

By Brad Lefton
Special to The Seattle Times

Although they sit at neighboring lockers in a corner of the Safeco Field clubhouse, grasping similarly glossy magazines from Japan, their minds couldn't have drifted to more divergent galaxies as they relax before a game.

Ichiro is absorbed in fashion, Kenji Johjima in fish.

With playing styles and personalities as conflicting as their hobbies, many people in Japan feared their union in Seattle would be tumultuous. Not the least of those was Ichiro.

"I only had a bad impression of him," Ichiro says, laughing heartily as he explains what he now considers a long-standing misperception. "When we played against each other in Japan, as an opponent, I found him brash and cocky. Honestly, I was upset when I heard the Mariners had signed him. I thought, 'What?' I didn't think we could coexist here."

Ichiro's impression was based on roughly four years of opposing Johjima in Japan's Pacific League. Johjima became the full-time catcher for the Fukuoka Daiei (now Softbank) Hawks in 1997. Ichiro was into his fourth full season with the Orix Blue Wave. With just six teams in the league, they battled each other 27 times a year. Listening to Johjima recall their encounters, it's not hard to understand how Ichiro formed his impression.

Today

Mariners @ Tampa Bay, 4:15 p.m., FSN

"We never went out to eat or anything like that, but we would talk on the field," Johjima begins.

Pushed for more detail on what they talked about, he clarifies with a sheepish smile.

"They were mostly one-way conversations. I guess to put it more accurately, I would babble at him when he came to bat. He got so many hits against us, I felt it was my responsibility as catcher to figure out a way to distract him at the plate, to break his concentration. It didn't matter what the topic was, I just remember trying to be relentless in distracting him."

It didn't work well. Ichiro batted .406, with 17 homers and 67 runs batted in against the Hawks from 1997 until he came to Seattle after the 2000 season. The more Johjima recalls his futile antics, the harder he laughs at them.

"I would say, 'Ichiro San, how are you today?' 'What's up, Ichiro San?' 'You're sure swinging the bat good lately, Ichiro San.' Sometimes he'd return the greeting in the first at-bat, but as I persisted throughout the game, he'd just ignore me. I wasn't deterred, though. I hung in there determined to distract him." Beyond the yapping, Johjima was known for other brash tactics during his career in Japan. Another former opponent remembers how he would stand defiantly behind the batter and glare at the third-base coach giving signs. Such brazenness was clearly a style different than Ichiro's.

But once they started interacting with each other in earnest at the Mariners' spring-training camp, substance began to trump style in their relationship.

"The starting point for all relationships is the human element," Ichiro explains. "You learn what kind of person someone is by observing their everyday behavior. Some people are honest with their feelings and others are superficial. I'm particularly sensitive to the difference between the two.

"The more time I spent with Joh in the clubhouse and on the field, I discovered he wasn't superficial; to the contrary, he's very honest and straightforward. I respect that. I found him to be a very decent human being, and that made me respect him as my teammate."

Japanese society is governed by a rigid hierarchical code where seniority is the fulcrum for relationships. "Sempai" refers to the senior person and "kohai" to his junior. The kohai is expected to be respectfully deferential and ever cautious of not offending his sempai with behavior that could be interpreted as rude or aggressive. Society discourages kohai from initiating things such as a simple invitation to get together or being presumptuous enough to take a seat next to a sempai without invitation.

In their relationship, Ichiro is Johjima's sempai in every respect: he's three years older, turned pro first, and came to play in America first.

On the season-opening road trip, Ichiro took the sempai initiative and invited Johjima to dinner in Boston. He let his kohai know he was there when he needed him.

Ichiro has been in the kohai role with his other Japanese teammates during his six seasons in Seattle, but Kazuhiro Sasaki, Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Masao Kida were all pitchers, a group traditionally distant from fielders, especially in Japan, so the hierarchy wasn't as much of a daily issue. In Johjima's case, he was a proud veteran of 11 years in Japan who had become used to being a sempai himself among position players. Even so, he welcomed the situation in Seattle.

"Ichiro's presence was clearly one of the reasons I decided to sign with the Mariners," Johjima says. "Next to your own performance, for a Japanese player, the opportunity to have someone of Ichiro's stature with everything he's accomplished in America as your sempai to help guide you through the transition is a significant consideration."

But not one every veteran Japanese player would welcome. With only two Japanese players on the team, friction would be plainly obvious and likely magnified by a scrutinizing media. Some players would just as soon go elsewhere and escape the sempai-kohai burden. Johjima's willingness to accept the challenge and sign with the Mariners speaks volumes of his sturdy level of self-confidence that he could earn Ichiro's respect through his actions on and off the field.

"I knew coming in here that there would be only two Japanese players on the team, so it was my responsibility to make the effort to get along with Ichiro," he says. "But you don't just go out and ask someone for their respect, you have to earn it from them through your actions. I never once worried that I wouldn't be able to do that."

Johjima's rite of passage with the Mariners very well might have been when he held his ground and then the ball after being pummeled by a charging Josh Barfield of the Padres on May 19 at Safeco Field. It was Ichiro who caught Brian Giles' fly ball and transformed the would-be sacrifice fly into the beginning of a breathtaking, length-of-the-field double play.

While Ichiro says Johjima's resolve in fielding that ball helped earn his trust in their outfielder-catcher relationship, more subtle actions made a deeper impression.

"My image of him was that he was careless and not detail-oriented," Ichiro says. "But when you observe his actions on the field, you realize he's actually very detail-oriented and conscientious. A catcher needs to show sensitivity to his fielders and pay careful attention to details on the field.

"Here's a guy who, while he copes with being the first catcher here from Japan, is all the while mindful of those two very important aspects of his job. He often acknowledges a good play by pointing his mitt in the direction of the fielder who made it and you can see him all the time carefully absorbing the nuances of the competition. Any player who's on the receiving end of the catcher's recognition of a good play appreciates that, and any player who notices his catcher being studious gains confidence in him as a teammate. I've felt both of those things from Joh this season."

One glimpse of their agreeableness can be seen during the Mariners' daily batting practice. This year, players can opt to practice base running instead of immediately dispersing to the outfield to shag balls after they hit. Ichiro and Johjima are in the first hitting group and they often run the bases together afterward, gaining an extra 12 minutes of interaction. They pass the time drifting between serious baseball chat and light-hearted laughter.

A less obvious but perhaps more significant sight is their positioning in the dugout during games. Players typically congregate on the far side away from the manager and coaches. Ichiro's been a fixture on the near side from his first day in Seattle. This year, Johjima is usually sitting right there next to him. Neither can remember how or when it happened, but both say on a team with more Japanese players, a kohai would never show such disrespect as to take an uninvited seat next to a sempai.

Here, though, it happened naturally and very early, a clear sign that an unspoken air of mutual trust had developed between them quickly.

Johjima says of Ichiro: "When we're in uniform, he's my sempai; when we take the uniform off, he's my older brother."

And Ichiro of Johjima, "Away from the ballpark, he's always my kohai, that's simply the way it is in Japanese society. But there are times at the ballpark when he's more than just my kohai; he's my teammate."

After nearly a half year together then, how has Ichiro's impression of his teammate changed?

"I've discovered he's a decent human being and, in a kind of charming way, he has a certain cuteness to his personality. He's an endearing kohai."

Johjima's warm and fuzzy side is most likely still lost on the opposition. In the first inning of Johjima's first game at Yankee Stadium last month, as Alex Rodriguez was setting himself up in the batter's box, Johjima's mouth could be seen moving from behind his mask. Then, A-Rod glanced down at his crotch. Johjima had kindly pointed out that his fly was open.

Brad Lefton is a St. Louis-based journalist who covers baseball in Japan and America. He often follows Ichiro and Johjima for Japanese media and interviewed both in Japanese for this article.

M's Notes: Ichiro steps over to center field

2006-08-21T15:20:00.000+09:00

By Danny O'Neil
Seattle Times staff reporter

ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Ichiro moved to center field in the eighth inning of Saturday's loss to the Angels, it was more than just a late-inning shuffle to keep Chris Snelling in the game after Snelling pinch-hit for Adam Jones.

What began as a conversation between Ichiro and manager Mike Hargrove after Snelling's at-bat carried over to Sunday's game, when Ichiro started in center field.

"We've had discussions on and off for a while," Hargrove said of Ichiro playing center. "I've left it with him ... when he felt it was for the right time."

That happened in the eighth inning of Saturday's loss. Snelling tripled in his pinch-hit at-bat, and after that, Ichiro approached Hargrove.

"Looking at the situation, I went up — myself — and said, 'I'm willing to play,' based on the situation," Ichiro said through translator Ken Barron.

Snelling is recovering from knee surgery, and his speed isn't quite back to meeting the specs for a center fielder.

Sunday was the fifth time Ichiro played center field since coming to the Mariners. He started in center three times in 2002. On Saturday, Ichiro made a great catch after being moved to center when he ran down to Mike Napoli's drive at the warning track and bounced into the wall after making the catch.

"He's amazing," Hargrove said. "He's a tremendous athlete. I think you could put him at second base or shortstop and he would do pretty well there, too."

Hargrove said he was a little surprised when Ichiro indicated his willingness to move to center, but he couldn't say how frequently Ichiro will play center field in the future.

"We'll just play it a day at a time," Hargrove said. "A lot of it has to do with how Ichiro feels about playing center field. I think it's important that guys who are the kind of player that he is, it's important that he stay in the right mental frame of mind."

Lowe shut down

Right-handed reliever Mark Lowe wasn't charged with a run the first 17-2/3 innings he pitched with the Mariners. After allowing four runs in his past two appearances, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with tendinitis in his right arm.

Lowe entered the game with two outs in the sixth inning of Saturday's game and gave up a run-scoring single to Napoli. In the seventh, he allowed a home run to Maicer Izturis and a two-out double to Juan Rivera before he was replaced by George Sherrill.

Lowe said he was asked after Saturday's game if his arm was 100 percent, and he said, "No."

"So we decided to be cautious with this kid because he's got a good arm," Hargrove said. "And so we don't want to do anything to cause to him to be out for any appreciable amount of time."

Lowe did not pitch for six consecutive games earlier this month after experiencing similar soreness in his arm. Hargrove was asked if this likely meant Lowe would be shut down for the rest of the season.

"For 15 days he is," Hargrove said. "We'll re-evaluate it at the end of 15 days."

The Mariners recalled Sean Green from Class AAA Tacoma.

Starting to consider

Hargrove said the team won't announce who will start in Jamie Moyer's spot in the rotation until Tuesday, but everything from statistics to circumstances indicates it will be Cha-Seung Baek, a 26-year-old right-hander from Tacoma.

Baek has won seven consecutive decisions for the Rainiers. He has not lost since June 6, and in his last 11 starts, Baek is 7-0 with an earned-run average of 2.55. He has allowed 58 hits in 74 innings, and has failed to complete the sixth inning only once in that time.

Also, Sunday was the fifth day since Baek's last start in Tacoma, but he did not pitch.

How the runs scored

Mariners fourth: Beltre flied out to center fielder Willits. Ibanez singled to center. Sexson homered to center on a 0-1 count, Ibanez scored. Broussard grounded out, first baseman Quinlan unassisted. Betancourt singled to left. Betancourt stole second. Snelling walked on a full count. Rivera struck out. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. M's 2, Angels 0.

Angels sixth: Cabrera doubled to left. Guerrero doubled to right, Cabrera scored. Rivera grounded out, pitcher Woods to first baseman Sexson. Anderson grounded out, second baseman Lopez to first baseman Sexson, Guerrero to third. Mateo pitching. Quinlan popped out to second baseman Lopez. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. M's 2, Angels 1.

Angels eighth: Perez in as designated hitter. Soriano pitching. Kendrick struck out. Cabrera walked. Guerrero singled to left, Cabrera to second. Rivera fouled out to catcher Rivera. Putz pitching. Anderson singled to left, Cabrera scored, Guerrero to second. Quinlan struck out. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Angels 2, M's 2.

Angels ninth: Johjima in as catcher. Willits infield single to first. Molina sacrificed, pitcher Putz to second baseman Lopez, Willits to second. Figgins singled to center, Willits scored. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Angels 3, M's 2.

For the record


W-L		PCT.
56-68		.452

W/L streak: L-11

At home: 31-29

On road: 25-39

vs. AL West: 10-32

vs. Angels: 7-9

vs. Oakland: 1-15

vs. Texas: 2-8

vs. AL East: 18-14

vs. AL Cen.: 14-18

vs. NL: 14-4

vs. LHP: 16-19

vs. RHP: 40-49

Day: 19-22

Night: 37-46

1-run: 12-20

Extra innings: 4-7

The week ahead

Off

N.Y. Yankees

7:05 p.m., FSN

RH Gil Meche

(9-8)

vs.

TBA

N.Y. Yankees

7:05 p.m., FSN

TBA

vs.

TBA

N.Y. Yankees

7:05 p.m., Ch. 11

TBA

vs.

TBA

Boston

7:05 p.m., FSN

LH Jarrod

Washburn (6-12)

vs.

RH Curt Schilling (14-5)

Boston

7:05 p.m., FSN

LH Jake Woods (3-1)

vs.

LH David Wells (2-2)

Boston

1:05 p.m., Ch. 11

RH Gil Meche

(9-8)

vs.

RH Tim Wakefield

(7-8)

Notes: In a 180, Ichiro plays No. 361

2006-08-19T10:48:00.000+09:00

ANAHEIM -- Ichiro Suzuki was told he would get a rare day off on Friday and took full advantage of it.

"I ate pizza, went shopping and drank some coffee," Ichiro said prior to Friday's game against the Angels. "If I knew today was a day off after I came here I would not be able to do those things."

Instead, the Mariners right fielder got to relax during the day Friday after being told on Thursday by manager Mike Hargrove that he would get the day off. Hargrove said it was his intention to not have Ichiro enter the game at any point. But in the eighth inning, with the Mariners trailing the Angels, 3-0, Hargrove had Ichiro pinch-hit for Willie Bloomquist.

Ichiro -- who would've seen his streak of 360 consecutive games end -- did not attempt to talk his way into the starting lineup.

"I did get approached about this yesterday and I'm very appreciative that the skipper is cautious toward me," said Ichiro, whose streak of 209 consecutive starts did come to an end.

Ichiro said he's not bothered in the least if his streak ends. He ranks third among active players behind Baltimore's Miguel Tejada (1,039) and Texas' Mark Teixeira (406).

"It doesn't mean anything to me," Ichiro said. "A record like that should not be the focus of somebody's. It's something that happens as a result."

Hargrove said there were no ulterior motives to giving Ichiro a day off, even though he was hitting just .208 in August.

"Every player needs a day off. It's Ichiro's turn," Hargrove said. "There's nothing beyond that."

Chris Snelling started in right field and hit ninth. Bloomquist, who started again in center field, hit leadoff.

Ichiro grounded out to second for Bloomquist, then played right field in the ninth inning, with Snelling moving to center.

Keeping in touch: It's wasn't totally surprising that rookie left-handed pitcher Eric O'Flaherty heard from friends and family after he made his Major League debut in Oakland on Wednesday.

What was surprising was the grief he got from friends -- not about his pitching but the pink backpack that he wore while walking down to the bullpen during the game.

"I had about four or five pink backpack messages," O'Flaherty said. "And I'm sure that won't be the end of it, either."

O'Flaherty inherited the backpack from teammate and fellow rookie Mark Lowe, who had to tote the backpack around for a few days as part of a rookie ritual.

O'Flaherty entered Wednesday's game -- an eventual 4-0 loss to the A's -- to start the seventh inning and allowed a double to Mark Kotsay on the first pitch that he threw.

But he came back to get Milton Bradley to ground out before walking Frank Thomas intentionally. O'Flaherty then struck out Eric Chavez before Julio Mateo entered the game to get the final out of the inning.

"I wish I could have gotten out of that situation," he said. "I felt like it was a successful outing."

He wasn't the only one. O'Flaherty's cell phone was flooded after the game.

"I think pretty much everyone I know either left me a voice mail or a text message," he said. "It's pretty exciting to get all that support."

Heavy workload: Left-handed relief pitcher George Sherrill is wearing a special sleeve these days that allows him to keep his elbow warm and to warm up quicker.

"It's preventative maintenance," Sherrill said. "As you go through a season, there's normal wear and tear. This way, it's already good when you play catch."

Sherrill has appeared in a career-high 54 games this season, and that includes his days in the Minor Leagues and Independent League baseball.

Sherrill -- who is 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA this season -- has logged 33 2/3 innings, the most he has thrown since throwing 50 1/3 innings for Triple-A Tacoma in 2004.

"It's not necessarily the innings for me, it's the amount of times I get up during a game," Sherrill said. "Sometimes it can be two or three times a game. [The sleeve] is a way to keep it healthy the rest of the year."

Mariners log: The Mariners have lost 17 straight games to American League West Division opponents entering Friday. That matches the Major League record for consecutive losses within a division, set by Detroit from 1996 to '97. ... Catcher Kenji Johjima is hitting .388 (19-for-49) in August, which leads all Major League catchers. Johjima has hit safely in his last nine games. ... Pitcher Chris Tillman, Seattle's second-round draft pick in June, struck out 10 over six scoreless innings as the Class A Everett AquaSox defeated Yakima, 8-5, on Thursday. ... Seattle's eight-game skid entering Friday is its longest since the team went 0-9 on a road trip to St. Louis, Toronto and Chicago in 2004.

On deck: The Mariners continue their four-game series with the Angels at 7:05 p.m. PT on Saturday. Former Angel Jarrod Washburn (6-11, 4.30 ERA) gets the start for the Mariners. John Lackey (10-9, 3.35 ERA) starts for Los Angeles. FSN will televise.

http://mlb.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/sea/y2006/m08/d18/c1616972.jsp

Astros, Phillies reportedly tried to get Ichiro

2006-08-01T00:42:00.000+09:00

MSNBC News Services

Updated: 5:32 p.m. ET Aug. 1, 2006

The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies both tried to pry star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki away from the Seattle Mariners in the hours leading up to the trade deadline, according to a report in the Seattle Times on Tuesday.

The Astros reportedly asked for Ichiro after the Mariners inquired about the availability of ace pitcher Roy Oswalt. The Astros also dangled Oswalt to the Orioles in an effort to get Miguel Tejada, but were rejected.

According to the Times, the Phillies also asked for Ichiro in any deal involving Bobby Abreu, who was eventually traded to the Yankees for four minor leaguers. The Times reported that the Phillies also offered pitchers Cory Lidle and Arthur Rhodes with Abreu.

So was Ichiro on the trading block? Highly unlikely, as the Mariners' primary owner — Hiroshi Yamauchi — is a big fan of the right fielder.

The Mariners were involved in other trade talks as well, the Times reported, including with the Dodgers for Kenny Lofton and the Nationals for Alfonso Soriano.

But none of the talks panned out as Seattle was reluctant to part with young talent like center fielder Adam Jones and closer J.J. Putz.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14140068/

Ichiro, M's end Yanks' streak, win 3-2

2006-07-19T07:11:00.000+09:00

The Associated Press
Updated: 11:13 p.m. ET July 19, 2006

NEW YORK - The big stage has been no big deal for Seattle reliever Mark Lowe, who earned the first victory of his major league career Wednesday before a sold-out Yankee Stadium.

Lowe marched out of the Mariners’ bullpen in a big spot in the seventh inning and pitched as if he’s been doing this all his life.

New York had rallied to tie the score at 2 and had a runner on third with one out when manager Mike Hargrove brought in the lean right-hander. With the crowd roaring, the rookie struck out Bernie Williams and retired Kelly Stinnett to preserve the tie.

Then Lowe was rewarded with his first big league win when Ichiro Suzuki touched off Seattle’s go-ahead rally in the eighth inning with his third hit of the afternoon. The Mariners snapped a four-game losing streak, defeating the New York Yankees 3-2.

The loss ended a five-game winning streak for New York, which had won nine of 10.

Afterward, Lowe was nonchalant about the win.

“That’s my role,” he said. “Come in in a big situation and get guys out and keep that guy at third. That’s what I did.”

Was the sold-out Stadium a distraction? No way.

“You focus on your pitches,” Lowe said. “You do that, you’ll get guys out. There’s nothing better than to come in and give your team a chance to win. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

So far, so good.

Wednesday’s game was Lowe’s fourth major league appearance after being called up on July 7 from Double-A San Antonio. He has thrown 5 2-3 innings without allowing a run with seven strikeouts and no walks. Not bad for a 23-year-old who started the season at Class-A Inland Empire.

The Mariners nicked Yankees starter Randy Johnson for two early runs, one of them on Richie Sexson’s 19th home run, then watched New York tie the score with two runs against Gil Meche, who retired his first 13 batters.

Alex Rodriguez had two of the Yankees’ five hits against Meche.

“He threw the ball extremely well,” Rodriguez said. “I know what Gil Meche can do. He’s one of the best young pitchers around.”

Suzuki, who singled and scored in the first inning, opened the eighth with a single against Johnson (10-8), who struck out a season-high 11. Suzuki stole second, went to third on a throwing error by Stinnett and scored the tiebreaking run on a sacrifice fly by Raul Ibanez.

Mariners manager Mike Hargrove has seen this before from Suzuki.

“He’s a special player,” Hargrove said.

Yankees manager Joe Torre said Suzuki is a catalyst.

“He changes the game,” Torre said. “The shortstop has to shorten up. The catcher has to hurry his throw. He plays good defense. He’s got a good arm. He’s the full package.”

In the Yankees’ sixth, with Seattle leading 2-0, Nick Green opened with a walk and Stinnett singled. Meche got Johnny Damon to fly out in an 11-pitch at-bat, then retired Melky Cabrera on a pop fly.

But Derek Jeter hit an RBI single on a 3-2 pitch and stole second before Jason Giambi bounced out, ending the inning.

New York chased Meche and tied the score in the seventh when Rodriguez beat out an infield single and barely slid home safely on a double by Andy Phillips. Pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo sacrificed Phillips to third, and then Lowe (1-0) relieved and pitched out of the jam.

J.J. Putz got three outs for his 18th save in 21 tries. He blew a ninth-inning chance in the Mariners’ previous game — a 5-4 loss in 11 innings to the Yankees that, because of a long rain delay, ended around 12:40 a.m. Wednesday.

The Mariners jumped in front in the first against Johnson when Suzuki opened with a single and scored on a double by Adrian Beltre.

Sexson made it 2-0 with his second home run in two days with two outs in the fourth. It was the 19th homer Johnson has allowed this season in 21 starts.

Notes: It was the 208th time Johnson has had 10 or more strikeouts

in a game. ... Meche threw 68 pitches over the first five innings and 36 in the sixth. ... Yankees C Jorge Posada (bruised finger) was a late scratch from the lineup, replaced by Stinnett, who threw out two runners attempting to steal. ... Mariners SS Yuniesky Betancourt stretched his hitting streak to nine games with a fourth-inning single and robbed Damon of a hit in the fourth with a backhanded, running catch of his flare to left field. ... The crowd of 54,121 was the 30th sellout in 49 games at Yankee Stadium.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13940730/

Ventre: Ichiro stands large among All-Stars

2006-07-12T10:43:00.000+09:00

As a result of the BALCO scandal, I believe everybody is on steroids. I believe just about every baseball player who has an unusually productive season is on steroids. I believe Bud Selig is on steroids. I believe the peanut vendor, the mascot, the usher, the parking lot attendant and even two or three exceptionally large sportswriters I know are on steroids.

In fact, just about everyone I come across in baseball these days looks as if they’ve benefited from some sort of performance-enhancing supplements.

Except maybe one guy: Ichiro.

It’s just a feeling, mind you. Just a gut reaction, a hunch, an intuition. But I think Ichiro is on the up and up.

That’s part of what makes him so amazing.

Last Sunday, Ichiro Suzuki went 6-for-6. Not in a game, but in All-Star Games. Of course, if you hear that Ichiro went 6-for-6, you probably thought it happened during a game because that kind of performance falls firmly within the realm of ho-hum for the 32-year-old Seattle Mariners outfielder.

He’s been in the majors for six seasons. And he's now been in six All-Star Games, five of those as the fans’ selection. As controversy swirls elsewhere — while Alex Rodriguez is booed regularly by his own fans, while Barry Bonds’ trainer heads back to the slammer, while a hailstorm of beanballs rages, while Ozzie Guillen attends finishing school — Ichiro perpetuates his under-the-radar excellence.

Through Wednesday’s games Ichiro is hitting .351 — second in the American League only to Roy Hobbs, er, I mean Joe Mauer — with 31 RBIs, six homers, 27 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .405. Those are not human-growth-hormone numbers, but rather those of a methodical, consistent and disciplined hitter who comes to the park each day prepared to give his best the old-fashioned way.

Of course, such steady effectiveness might seem a bit unnatural in a game where slumps and hot streaks represent the natural ebb and flow. He has won Gold Gloves in each of his five previous seasons. He has amassed 100 or more runs and 200 or more hits in each of his previous five seasons as well, including the 262 in 2004 that put him past George Sisler as the all-time single season hits leader; Sisler’s mark of 257 had stood since 1920.

When Ichiro broke Sisler’s record, however, it wasn’t like Barry Bonds surpassing Babe Ruth’s 714 homers this season, or even Bonds establishing the single-season home-run mark of 73 in 2001. Those numbers came with an odor. Whether Bonds is to be believed or not, to deny that his accomplishments have raised suspicions is to deny reality.

Ichiro raises no eyebrows. If he’s on steroids, he’s on a low dose, or steroids lite. However, it’s unlikely either is the case.

It’s impossible to ignore his Japanese heritage. He is an icon in his native country, the first Japanese-born everyday position player in the majors. Despite the influence of Western culture, honor still means something in Japan. Ichiro is playing not just for himself, but for a country of 127,000,000 people. If somehow Ichiro were found to have been a customer of Victor Conte, for instance, the effect on the Japanese would be far more ominous than anything North Korea could launch at them.

Ichiro also is just 5-foot-9 and 172 pounds, which means you could probably squeeze two curled-up Ichiros inside Bonds’ skull. His size had always been a drawback in his early baseball development, yet his steely determination made sure it wouldn’t be a hindrance.

He was released from his contract with his Japanese team after the 2000 campaign and the Mariners won a bidding war for his services. It might seem as if American fans might take some time to warm up to the newcomer from Japan. After all, Major League Baseball had only seen random pitchers from Japan find success. But in his first season of 2001, it became clear this wasn’t an ordinary hopeful trying to realize a dream. This was a superstar in the making, who would take Rookie of the Year (some disputed his rookie status) and Most Valuable Player honors in his first season.

Has anyone heard a peep from him since? It depends on your definition of peep. If it means a player popping off in the media about being thrown at by an opposing pitcher, or a manager tossing a slur at a sports talk-show host, then no, Ichiro’s been downright monkish.

But if it means creating excitement game after game by providing hits and runs, then Ichiro has been one of the noisiest players in the game.

Maybe his most remarkable feat occurred earlier this season. He was off to a slow start. Then, from May 5 to June 8, he raised his average by over 100 points, from .260 to .362.

Yet others receive more attention.

It could be that consistent equals boring. It could be that controversy is what grabs the most air time on ESPN, and a quiet Japanese-born player toiling diligently in the upper left corner of the country isn’t sexy enough. It could be that his reluctance or unwillingness to speak English in public contributes to a profile lower than befits a player of his stature.

Fortunately, the All-Star voters got this one right. They made him a starter again, an acknowledgement that there is still room for someone who isn’t built like a cartoon character and who isn’t putting up cartoonish numbers.

In that regard, he’ll be bigger than most of the guys he’ll be playing with Tuesday.

Michael Ventre is a frequent contributor to MSNBC.com and a free-lance writer based in Los Angeles.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13741808/

Ichiro goes deep, keeps roots secret

2006-07-11T15:54:00.000+09:00

By Larry Stone
Seattle Times staff reporter

PITTSBURGH — Ichiro turned a question Monday about the Mariners' inconsistent first-half performance into something of a Zen riddle that hinted of underlying issues.

Speaking at the All-Star media session, Ichiro began by noting, through interpreter Ken Barron:

"Even though we lost this many games, we still have a good opportunity to win it [American League West]. That has been a saving grace. A lot of other teams in our division have been going through tough times and good times like we have."

When asked what the Mariners needed to do to rid themselves of the tough times, Ichiro — who hit several balls over the right-field bleachers during batting practice — went deep.

"If there is a problem," he said, "we need to notice it, what creates the problem. The problem usually isn't just on the cover. You need to look much deeper.

"For example, if we're taking about a tree, and the tree has a problem, you need to look at the root. But you cannot see the root. The mistake is to keep watering the fruit. That's not going to solve anything. You need to find where the problem is first."

Unfortunately, Ichiro offered no revelations on the source of Mariners' woes en route to a 43-46 record that has left them last in the AL West, albeit just 2-½ games out of first place.

When their games-behind figure was noted to make the point that the Mariners would be playing meaningful games in the second half, unlike in past years, Ichiro deflected again.

"I didn't even know that number, 2.5," he said. "If you just look at the numbers, you can think that way. But until your team reaches a certain level and becomes a winning team, those numbers are not important.

"You need to look past that and care more about being a winning team. For a team that's not going good, the order is wrong, to look at the 2.5. You need to take care of other things, and then look at the numbers. That's actually related to the root thing I was talking about."

The Mariners had appeared to be on the verge of becoming a winning team in June, when they went 18-8. But they have lost six of their first eight games in July, and Ichiro seemed to discount the merits of the winning stretch.

"During that time [in June], most of our games were interleague games," Ichiro said. "We weren't facing American League teams. Basically, we were playing in an environment where we don't have much information on each other, so it's hard to give a good evaluation under those circumstances. Until you really play American League teams, you can't really speak."

Anticipating the expiration, after next season, of the four-year, $44 million contract Ichiro signed after the 2003 season, he was asked if there is anything he would like to see the Mariners do before he began talking about a new deal.

"No way I can answer that," he said. "No matter what I see, you guys [the media] will make it into a problem, make it bigger and bigger, and create a big mess."

The reporter replied that he was just trying to find the roots under the tree.

"If I answer that, basically, what I'm doing is ruining the fruit," he replied.

Ichiro home run lifts M's past Rockies, 8-7

2006-07-01T11:16:00.000+09:00

Ichiro lined a two-out, two-run homer to right field in the sixth inning, capping the Mariners' rally from a five-run deficit for an 8-7 win over the Colorado Rockies tonight.

Facing reliever David Cortes, Ichiro worked the count full, then hit a fastball from the right-hander an estimated 372-feet into the frenzied crowd in right. It was Ichiro's fifth homer of the season and the first runs allowed by Cortes (3-1) in his last five appearances.

Seattle's bullpen pitched 6 1-3 scoreless innings to make up for another shaky performance from starter Joel Pineiro. Lefty Jake Woods pitched 2 2-3 innings, allowing just three hits. Julio Mateo took over with one out in the sixth and pitched out of a bases loaded jam, getting a pop up from Garrett Atkins and a fly out from Brad Hawpe.

Mateo (5-1) retired all six batters he faced. George Sherill got the final two outs of the eighth, and J.J. Putz pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances.

Raul Ibanez and Carl Everett both hit two-run homers off Colorado starter Byung-Hyun Kim, who allowed six runs and seven hits and didn't make it out of the fifth inning.

Ichiro finished a triple short of the cycle, doubling in the first and singling in the fifth. Richie Sexson had two hits and his two-out RBI single in the fifth pulled Seattle within 7-6.

The Mariners improved to 14-3 in interleague play.

Jamey Carroll finished with three hits for the Rockies, but was robbed of a homer leading off the game, when Ibanez climbed the wall in left and snagged Carroll's drive. Ibanez looked in his glove coming off the wall to make sure the ball stayed in the webbing.

Yorvit Torrealba hit his second homer of the season off Pineiro in the third, a two-run shot. Hawpe added a pair of doubles for the Rockies, who scored all seven of their runs with two outs.

Colorado scored five times in the second on run scoring singles from Clint Barmes, Carroll, Cody Sullivan and Matt Holliday. Suzuki nearly threw out Barmes and Sullivan at the plate, but both made athletic slides to avoid the tag of catcher Kenji Johjima.

Pineiro's inconsistency continued, but Seattle's offense kept the right-hander from losing for the third time in his last four starts. Pineiro allowed nine hits and a season-high seven earned runs, and has allowed at least six hits in each of his last 10 starts.

It was Pineiro's shortest start since Aug. 6, 2003 when he lasted just 2 2-3 innings against Cleveland.

Notes: Kim had a streak of 13 consecutive scoreless innings snapped in the first on Ibanez's homer. ... Johjima extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the sixth. ... Seattle CF Jeremy Reed remained hitless in 22 at-bats against left-handed pitching this season when he struck out against Tom Martin with two-outs and the bases loaded in the seventh.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2003099099_webmari01.html

Elias Says ...

2006-06-22T11:12:00.000+09:00

A daily glance inside the numbers from the world of sports:


	Suzuki

MLB
• Ichiro Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 20 games Wednesday with a seventh-inning single at Dodger Stadium. Ichiro has four hitting streaks of at least 20 games since joining the Mariners, tying Nomar Garciaparra for the most among active players. No other current major-leaguer has more than two single-season hitting streaks of that length during his career.

Ichiro (2001-06) is the first player to fashion four single-season hitting streaks of at least 20 games during his first six seasons in the majors since Joe DiMaggio (1936-41).

• The Marlins' 4-0 loss at Baltimore snapped their club record-tying winning streak at nine games. Florida and Colorado remain the only current major-league franchises that have never had a winning streak of at least 10 games. The Marlins were 21-37 before winning their next nine games. No other team in major-league history ever began a winning streak that long (at least nine games) after being that far below .500 (at least 16 games) that early in a season (through games of June 9).

Erik Bedard earned the victory over the streaking Marlins after snapping an eight-game winning streak by the Mets in his previous start. Bedard is the first pitcher to win consecutive starts against teams that were on winning streaks of at least eight games since 1918, when Pittsburgh's Earl Hamilton did it against the Giants and Cubs. Both of those teams had won nine in a row before losing to Hamilton.

• Jose Reyes became the third player in the last 25 years to hit for the cycle in a game in which he led off the first inning with a home run. The others to do it (since 1981) were Tony Phillips (in 1986) and Mark Grudzielanek (last year). Reyes clinched his cycle with an eighth-inning single. Four of the last eight players to hit for the cycle completed it with a triple: David Bell (2004), Eric Valent (2004), Grudzielanek and Randy Winn (2005).

• The Brewers came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Tigers 4-3 at Milwaukee. The Brewers are 25-17 at Miller Park this year despite having trailed in all but four games there. Milwaukee's 21 come-from-behind victories at home are the most for any team in the majors, by far. The White Sox have the second-most comeback wins in home games (16).

• Orlando Cabrera, who went 2-for-5 in the Angels' 6-3 win at San Francisco, has now reached base safely via a hit, walk or being hit by pitch in each of his last 50 games. It's the longest single-season streak of its kind for any player since Alex Rodriguez earned his way on base in 53 straight games in 2004 with the Yankees. Cabrera doesn't have knockout numbers during his streak -- a .312 batting average and .382 on-base percentage. He extended the streak with the bare minimum (reaching base safely exactly once) in more than half of those games (26 of 50).

• The Cubs coasted to a 9-2 win in a rain-shortened game at Cleveland after scoring eight runs in the third inning. It was the 19th time in the last 20 seasons (1987-2006) that the Cubs scored as many as eight runs in an inning, but their big inning Wednesday was only their third over that span to occur on the road (16 of the 19 were at Wrigley Field).

• Jason Marquis was hung out to dry in the Cardinals' 13-5 loss to the White Sox. Marquis allowed 13 runs, all earned, in five innings of work. During the expansion era (since 1961), only three other pitchers allowed as many as 13 earned runs in a game. The most recent was Oakland's Mike Oquist in a 14-1 loss to the Yankees on Aug. 3, 1998. The other pitchers were Bill Travers (1977 Brewers) and David Wells (1992 Blue Jays).

• The Athletics' 11-inning win at Colorado snapped a streak of six straight home victories for the Rockies in extra-inning games. It was the Rockies' longest streak of that kind since winning nine in a row from 1995 to 1997 -- the first nine extra-inning games they ever played at Coors Field.

• Jason Johnson was traded to Boston the day he was designated for assignment by Cleveland. Johnson has the lowest career winning percentage (.369, 55-94) for any current pitcher (either active or disabled) who has started at least 200 games in the majors. The next-lowest marks among that group of pitchers belong to Glendon Rusch (.388, 59-93), Jamey Wright (.410, 66-95), John Thomson (.428, 62-83) and Jeff Weaver (.458, 81-96). Rusch and Thomson are currently on the disabled list.

While it's true that Johnson has pitched for teams with losing records throughout his 10 seasons in the majors, his career winning percentage (.369) is considerably lower than that of the teams for which he played (.438).

Soccer
• Angola saw its chance to advance all but eliminated when Iran's Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh tied the match in the 75th minute. Angola hadn't allowed a goal for a span of 250 minutes prior to Iran's tally. Only two other teams posted shutout streaks of 250 minutes or longer in their first trip to the World Cup: Italy in 1934 (331 minutes) and Croatia in 1998 (280).

• Ivory Coast became the first team to overcome a two-goal deficit and win a World Cup match since Germany earned a 3-2 overtime win vs. England in a quarterfinal match in 1970. (Peru also came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Bulgaria in 1970.)

• Anyone who expected FIFA to react to criticism of too many cards by asking officials to exhibit more restraint doesn't know FIFA. In fact, the number of cautions has increased this week. There was an average of 5.1 yellows issued per game through Sunday. Since Monday, the average has been 6.0 per game (66 cautions in 11 matches).

• There have already been as many goals scored in the 80th minute or later in the 2006 World Cup as there were during the entire 2002 World Cup (28).

• The United States needs a win over Ghana on Thursday to keep alive its hopes to advance to the knockout phase of the World Cup. But even a victory over Ghana wouldn't have done it had the U.S. not held Italy scoreless for 43 minutes while playing a man down on Saturday. An amazing related fact: Since Bruce Arena became manager of the national team, the U.S. has outscored its opponents 3-2 when playing a man down. That spans 186 minutes of playing time over 10 different matches.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2495606

Ballad of Norm and Ichiro

2006-06-18T18:36:00.000+09:00

By Norman Chad

I fell in love with Ichiro Suzuki on a steamy summer's eve in 2001 -- ah, those were the days, with steroids a distant rumor, gasoline at $1.67 a gallon and Ann Coulter just a twinkle in some fat cat's fanciful eye -- when I was grazing on cable, landed on a Seattle Mariners game and saw the then-27-year-old rookie poke a single into left-center field.

"Boy, he can hit," I said to no one in particular -- well, actually, I said it to no one at all, since I was in my usual Tuesday night home-alone-on-the-couch semi-prone position.

"Boy, he can hit," I repeated, in case I didn't hear myself the first time.

They were the truest words I had ever spoken, other than the time I told my first ex-wife it was over between us if she went through with the divorce.

Ichiro Suzuki is to singles hitting what Marie Callender's is to strawberry pies.

This is what Ichiro has done since coming over from Japanese baseball:

· As an American League rookie in 2001, he batted .350 with 242 hits and 56 stolen bases.

· In 2004, en route to batting .372, he broke the single-season record for most hits, with 262.

· In his first five seasons, he has had at least 200 hits, 100 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.

Plus, as a right fielder, Ichiro has won five straight Gold Gloves. The man has made 12 errors in his entire major league career; heck, I once made 12 errors pulling out of an IKEA parking lot.

But beyond the numbers, Ichiro has become my last great baseball joy because of the way he plays. At the plate, he seems like a billiard pro with a cue stick rather than a baseball player with a bat. It's almost as if the ball is on a string, and he simply places it where he wants.

I swear he could hit twice as many home runs -- he averages about 10 per season -- but he prefers the audacity of imagining a spot 173 feet away from home plate 15 paces in front of an outfielder and then hitting the ball 173 feet away from home plate 15 paces in front of an outfielder.

(Column Intermission I: During the NBA Finals the other night, ABC observed that rather useless time-honored tradition of allowing us to listen briefly to a foreign broadcast. For a moment, though, I wasn't sure if it was a German-language team or just Stuart Scott and Bill Walton babbling.)

(Column Intermission II: It seems somewhat odd that Shaquille O'Neal's wife, mother and father sit in three different parts of the arena. Wouldn't you think Shaq has enough clout in Miami to get three tickets together? Or if this is actually by design, I'd love to see the seating arrangements at the O'Neal Thanksgiving dinner.)

Some people find it relaxing to watch a crackling fireplace; I am soothed by the sight of five Ichiro at-bats an evening.

I cannot see most of Ichiro's games, so I now resort to an old boyhood ritual in the morning: After I wake up, I go to the sports section, turn to the baseball page and look for the Mariners box score. I search for Ichiro and hope to see "5 2 3 2" or "5 1 4 0." (Incidentally, the box score says "Suzuki," but he's Ichiro. What, you think Napoleon was listed as "Bonaparte" when he made a dinner reservation in Lyon?) But then, in 2006, the box scores turned on me. Suddenly Ichiro had become oh-for-Ichiro.

He had four straight hitless games, leaving him batting .176 on April 11. He was still mired at .177 on April 18. Then the next day Ichiro went 4 for 4 against Texas, pushing his average over .200. And ever since? If I told you, you wouldn't believe me.

Well, I'm going to tell you.

His average kept climbing. For the week ending May 6, he was at .263.

For the week ending May 13, he was at .288.

By May 20, it was .306.

By May 27, it was .316.

By June 3, it was .342.

By June 10, it was .367.

It's possible by the time I finish writing this sentence, he'll be over .400.

I've thought about proposing to him, but, frankly, these things seldom work out.

Ask The Slouch

Q. Is it safe to assume Couch Slouch is TiVoing the NFL Network's series, "Making the Squad," about NFL cheerleaders? (Stan Novak; Chicago)

A. I wanted to be a cheerleader in high school -- I dreamt of tossing Kathy Jordan in the air and catching her with one arm -- but they cut me on opening day of tryouts, unjustly, I believe, because of my eyeglasses and large ears. Still embittered, I'll pass on the NFL network show.

Q. Are you serious about loving the World Cup? Tell me you're not. (Thomas Hill; Cleveland Heights, Ohio)

A. I watch as many games as I can. A couple of friends and I even have a drinking game: Every time a U.S. player scores, we each drink a Shiner Bock. Actually, I guess you could say we're latter-day Prohibitionists.

Q. Doesn't the fact that 1,406 NHL players tested negative for drugs finally confirm that hockey is not a genuine professional sport? (Don Mathis; Aberdeen, Md.)

A. Pay the man, Shirley.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/18/AR2006061800745_pf.html

Ichiro's on another upswing

2006-06-13T15:28:00.000+09:00

By Bob Finnigan
Seattle Times staff reporter

ANAHEIM, Calif. — They'll have trouble translating this one back in Japan, but the latest word on Ichiro's batting is: "flat-dab."

As in: "The guy can just flat-dab hit."

That, according to Mariners manager Mike Hargrove, is pure Panhandle Texan talk.

Ichiro seemingly has, if not reinvented himself, reinvigorated the wonder, and helped recharge Seattle's batteries. Ichiro is hitting .461 since May 19, and the Mariners have gone 14-9 during that stretch and have a chance to right their season.

"Ichi makes you realize what's possible," said left fielder Raul Ibanez. "You know what they say about hitting being contagious? Well, it's true.

"But he also makes us go as an offense, because the more he's on, the more other teams have to think what he's doing. And when he's on a lot like he has been, then they're really going to have their concentration divided."

Today

Seattle @ Oakland, 7:05 p.m., FSN

When he hit .287 in April, it appeared that last year's inconsistent season was possibly still hanging over him.

Ichiro says he hasn't changed anything, not even with a dropoff from a record 262 hits in 2004 to 206 last season.

"At least nothing on a conscious level," he said through interpreter Antony Suzuki. "My style is always the same. Perhaps as an observer you have seen something I have changed, but it is not an intended change."

Good thing.

Since May 7, Ichiro has hit in 31 of 33 games and has had multiple hits 22 times. He has 102 hits in 65 games, a pace for 254 hits.

Ichiro is on pace for 695 at-bats. If he continued at that pace, he would have to hit .387 the rest of the way to reach 263 hits.

"Every now and then comes a guy who can handle a bat like this," Mariners hitting coach Jeff Pentland said. "He'll sit on a pitch, like he waited for [Francisco] Liriano's slider last week, and he'll foul off pitches until he gets one he's looking for. And he'll rip it somewhere."

Hargrove noted Ichiro's exceptional hand-eye coordination — and his intelligence.

"He understands what the pitcher is trying to do with him, and he has a swing for it every time," he said. "[The Angels] tried to pitch him [inside], and he makes them pay. A lot of clubs try to work him down and away, and he makes them pay."

Part of Ichiro's approach, Hargrove noted, is his willingness to get behind in the count, a situation most hitters try to avoid.

"He's the one guy I've seen who doesn't have to be ahead in the count to be a good hitter," Hargrove said. "Now, I know there are people like this — always have been. But he does it over and over with no ill effect. Usually that catches up to you, but not him."

Teams know Ichiro's penchant for taking the first pitch, and they tell their pitchers to emphasize the first-pitch strike with him.

In 305 plate appearances this season, Ichiro has swung at the first pitch just 44 times, with a .440 batting average (11 for 25).

With two strikes, he is hitting .319.

Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima said he could not compare his teammate now with the Ichiro he saw back in their native country. When Johjima started with Fukuoka, Ichiro already had hit .385, in the 1994 season with Orix.

"When we were opponents in Japan, he was very good. And that was when I used to study him, trying to get him out," Johjima said. "Now as a teammate, I don't look at him like that anymore. If he has changed as a player, I don't notice it."

But Johjima can tell you how tough opposing catchers have it, trying to get Ichiro out right now.

"I know how I felt back in the day when we were on different clubs," he said. "I'd just throw my hands up. In Japan, that's like saying you tip your cap to him. You'd throw your hands up, as if you're saying, 'There's nothing more I can do.'

"Believe me, I used a lot of different approaches, everything we had from every pitcher we had. He'd hit them all."

Ichiro, who regards himself as a deep thinker in all things including his sport, does not discuss hitting with the media in a public forum. His rationale is that he believes technique is so complicated that listeners would not comprehend, and that much of it involves state of mind as much as mechanics, hands, head, stance, stride or stroke.

"It is very difficult for me to explain all that ran through me emotionally after last season," he said. "As we all know, I had conversations with the manager and the general manager that involved my performance and other things. What I had done, what I reflected upon, is too much to discuss."

Last week, he got three hits off the Minnesota Twins' Liriano, seeming to swing at pitches out of the strike zone because he could place them where he wanted.

"I don't have that kind of feeling," he said. "But nothing is accidental. I am working as hard as possible. I work hard to create chances."

He stretched for an example of how hard it is to hit.

"A major-league hitter would have to be working 100 percent to get a hit even off a middle-school pitcher. But I don't think a middle-school pitcher has to be at 100 percent to get a major-league hitter out."

Ichiro said he felt excitement when he does well to help the team do well.

"I am like all players: I do get excited by good performances that help the team," he said. "Inside, you get excited when things go well, disappointed when they don't. But I always try not to show emotion."

Thus it was he heard the news that not only had he been linked to one Hall of Famer, George Sisler, for breaking his one-season hit record, but last week was linked to Ty Cobb.

The link was forged last Wednesday when Ichiro recorded his 2,500th hit in pro ball — 1,278 in Japan and, at the time, 1,232 for the Mariners. He and Cobb are the only hitters to reach 2,500 hits by age 32.

"I didn't know there was any link being made, or any comparison," he said through interpreter Ken Green. "If that is so, I am very honored. At the same time I am happy, however, I don't want to lose anything of myself. I want to be sure I will always be myself."

This is not what opposing teams want to hear.

Ichiro resembles Cobb in one sense: He puts a premium on hitting the ball where it is pitched, rarely displaying power that is within his ability. Cobb reportedly once had a discussion in which he declared hitting home runs was not that tough and he'd show what he meant.

According to the tale, he went out the next day and hit two homers and had a third ball hauled in at the fence.

Ichiro has great power, generated by technique and bat speed, and shows it every day in batting practice when he hits balls Richie Sexson-like distances. But in games, he only rarely turns on a ball with a pure power swing.

And as to the idea he can do that whenever he wants, which sometimes seems the case, he just laughs and says, "I can't do that."

Bob Finnigan: 206-464-8276 or bfinnigan@seattletimes.com


Count the ways Ichiro gets his hits
Ichiro is willing to take pitches early in the count and hit from behind in the count. He is hitting .319 with two strikes. Here's how it breaks down for each pitch.
Count	Pitches	Balls	CS	Swings	AB	Hits	Avg	Take pct
0-0	305	124	137	44	25	11	.440	.856
0-1	156	78	22	56	26	5	.192	.641
0-2	65	31	0	34	21	7	.333	.477
1-0	124	39	36	49	22	10	.455	.605
1-1	138	50	18	70	31	10	.322	.493
1-2	121	38	1	82	49	13	.265	.322
2-0	39	15	8	16	6	5	.833	.590
2-1	68	17	8	43	20	13	.650	.368
2-2	97	21	1	75	47	18	.383	.227
3-0	15	7	5	3	1	0	.000	.800
3-1	24	4	4	16	9	4	.444	.333
3-2	46	9	1	36	22	6	.273	.217
CS: Called strikes. AB: At-bats. Take pct: Percentage of pitches not swung at. Source: ESPN.com

Ichiro continuing to play the game his way

2006-05-18T00:29:00.000+09:00

It is four hours before the first pitch and many of his teammates and opponents have not arrived at the ballpark, so he has the entire field to himself. He begins to stretch. He will continue to stretch, on and off, for most of the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.

Ichiro is as loose as a bowl of overcooked linguini. He probably rides to the park in a stretch limo.

His preparation is meticulous, almost ridiculous. Cap backward, wraparound shades in place, iPod strapped to one bicep, he stretches everything but his teeth. During the half hour I watch him, at no time does Ichiro rest or even pause.

Later in the visitors' clubhouse, as other Mariners play cards, sprawl on couches, watch TV and graze the pregame buffet, Ichiro massages his feet and calves with a small tool. He talks to no one.

Pregame interview?

"What do you want to ask him about?" Ichiro's interpreter asks politely.

"Uh, hitting."

I have never been pre-screened for a clubhouse interview.

"What kind of questions about hitting?"

I mention a couple of possible topics.

"Usually he is busy preparing for the game, but I will ask."

No dice. Not today.

"He's preparing mentally for the game," the interpreter explains apologetically, as Ichiro thumbs through a car magazine.

He eats a small biscuit. For home games, he often brings a rice bowl prepared by his wife. Plum sauce is his favorite.

Ichiro usually talks to the media after a game. He speaks some English, but with the American media, he always uses an interpreter. His comments are sometimes Zen-like. Did he consider that a great catch? "That is for each individual who saw it to determine."

Ten reporters from 10 Japanese newspapers cover every Mariners game, writing stories about Ichiro, and now about rookie catcher Kenji Johjima. If a Mariners pitcher threw a no-hitter and Seattle won 12-0, the 10 writers would focus their stories on Ichiro's seventh-inning single.

In the big leagues, Ichiro is 5-for-5: Five seasons with the Mariners, five times with at least 200 hits, 100 runs, .300 batting average, a Gold Glove and an All-Star Game appearance. He had 262 base hits in 2004, more than any big-leaguer ever.

His bats are magic wands -- he is probably the only big-leaguer whose bloop hits are intentional -- and are treated accordingly. They are lathed from only the finest wood and delivered to him wrapped in plastic. Every other big-leaguer's bats are tossed into canvas bags; Ichiro's bats travel the baseball world in a rectangular steel humidor, as carefully protected as plutonium-reactor rods.

Never does Ichiro flip, fling or toss his bat. No ordinary bat rack for his wands; they are placed on a rack above the dugout bench, like trophy rifles. If Ichiro must rest the bat on the grass, Japanese reporter Keizo Konishi says, "He puts his bat in his glove and lies it down quietly, like a just-born baby."

Ichiro oils his fielder's glove before and after each game. He cleans and polishes his shoes before and after each game.

In the outfield, he runs like a deer and throws with a cannon. The only thing he doesn't do is dive for a ball. He will slide, but not dive. This is at least a minor violation of baseball's swashbuckle code, but Ichiro believes he is most valuable to his team when he actually is able to play. In Wednesday's newspapers, it was reported that Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui is out of action for three months -- he broke his wrist diving for a ball.

Ichiro comes into Wednesday's game batting .299, but having hit in 10 straight games. At 32, after nine seasons in the Japanese big leagues and five-plus seasons in the United States, maybe his greatest batting feats are behind him. But he still commands respect.

"He intimidates the other team," says A's hitting coach Gerald Perry, formerly the hitting coach for the Mariners.

You can't strike Ichiro out, throw him out (57 infield hits in '04), double him up, gun him down (13 steals in 15 attempts), run on his arm, throw a pitch he can't turn into a hit or keep him off the field (never fewer than 157 games played).

They love him still in Japan (most Mariners games are televised in Japan, and the cameras focus almost exclusively on Ichiro) and in Seattle. Huge photos of the player adorn the walls outside the Mariners' ballpark; buses stop, Japanese tourists pour out, take snapshots in front of Ichiro's photo and get back on the bus.

In the age of power, the Steroid Era, he seems to be not from a different country, but from a different planet, planet Plink-'n'-Slash. He sometimes puts on power shows in batting practice -- he slammed 10 homers Wednesday -- but once the game starts, he swings as if trying not to harm the ball, a pool shark caressing and shaping. Does he mentally call his shots? Slow dribbler between short and third.

In the sixth inning Wednesday, Ichiro slashed a single into short left field. Batting average: .300 on the nose.

E-mail Scott Ostler at sostler@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/18/SPGASITSRK1.DTL

Don't worry, Ichiro will get his 200 hits

2006-04-20T11:22:00.000+09:00

By Larry Stone
Seattle Times baseball reporter

Texas Rangers reliever Akinori Otsuka just shook his head and smiled when asked about the stumbling start of Ichiro, his teammate last month on Japan's World Baseball Classic championship team.

"Doesn't matter," Otsuka said presciently, in English, before Wednesday's game. "He will get better. He will finish the season at .300-something. Ichiro is a genius."

Hey, Albert Einstein probably flubbed an occasional quadratic equation. Didn't stop him from conquering that whole relativity thing. Ichiro's out-of-the-gate slump will not stop him from accumulating the requisite 200 hits that have become his birthright.

The Mariners, as you may have noticed, have some serious problems to deal with this season. Wednesday's exhilarating comeback win notwithstanding.

Ichiro is not one of them.

Ichiro, despite the fact that he was still straddling the Mendoza Line more than two weeks into the season, is the least of their worries. And, I swear on the Baseball Encyclopedia I wrote those words before his vintage performance Wednesday, a four-hit effort in their 9-6 victory that lifted him from .177 to .227.

Expend your psychic energy, if you must, on the puzzling struggles of Felix Hernandez, the woes of Adrian Beltre, the maddening inconsistency of Gil Meche, the heart stopping appearances of Eddie Guardado.

Don't fret too much about the batting genius named Ichiro, who has hit over .300 — most of the time, waaaaay over — every year since 1994, and will surely find his way back to that rarefied status this season.

Oh, the time for long-term, hard-core Ichiro consternation will eventually come, because at some point, Ichiro's legs will stop propelling him down the line at lightning speed, and the infield hits that have always been his special gift, and his salvation, will stop coming.

And that will be the precise point at which Ichiro will cease to be a superstar, unless and until he reinvents himself, a distinct probability for a savant like him.

That day is within sight, but it's not here yet, despite some bright yellow warning signs.

In 2001, when defenses were unprepared for Ichiro's blazing burst out of the batter's box, he had an astounding 63 infield hits, en route to a .350 average and his first batting title.

In 2002, the number of infield hits dropped to 53, and went down to 45 in 2003 before rising back to 57 in the historic 2004 season, when Ichiro shattered the major-league record with 262 hits and hit .372.

Last year, his number of infield hits dropped to 34, and heading into Wednesday's game with Texas, Ichiro had logged just one infield hit this year, as good a place to start as any in explaining the .177 average he lugged into the game.

"We talked a little bit today," Mariners hitting coach Jeff Pentland said before the game. "I just think his swing has gotten a little loopy. He obviously isn't happy with what's going on. He's such a good hitter, I think he'll come out of it."

Ichiro, typically, batted aside any attempts to analyze his mechanical adjustments.

"I'm not interested in questions of that fashion," he said over the thumping stereo in the postgame clubhouse.

Pentland thinks so highly of Ichiro's short, compact swing that when he viewed it from afar, as Kansas City's hitting coach, he devised what he called "the Ichiro drill" to help Royals' hitters achieve that same stroke.

"It's to keep them from going out and getting the ball, which Ichiro never does — which he's doing a little bit right now."

Or was doing, anyway. Last night was classic Ichiro, a slap single just out of the reach of the second baseman, an infield single on a ball up the middle, a poke safely into left field, a blooper into center.

"This game is not a game of immediate results," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "Everybody needs to be patient, myself included, and understand that these guys do have track records. He's fine."

Indeed, Ichiro has weathered these mini-crises periodically. Here's what one alarmist (me) wrote in early May 2003, after Ichiro had finished April with a .243 average, following his .248 of the previous September:

"Instead of beating out grounders, he's getting thrown out by a half-step. The line drives have been rare this season. He's hitting them where they are ... There is evidence that the league thinks it has found a way to attack Ichiro. One scout said the key is to throw tight, make him feel uncomfortable at the plate and move his feet.

"Meanwhile, opposing defenses have been able to cheat in toward the plate, making it harder for him to beat out balls.

"Sound familiar? So, by the end of the season, should Ichiro's answer back in 2003. He hit .389 in May, .386 in June, .342 in July, and finished at .312. And then 2004 happened.

A genius, even a slumping genius, is not to be denied. Not yet, anyway.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com.

Fresh off WBC win, Ichiro returns to M's

2006-03-24T23:14:00.000+09:00

PEORIA, Ariz. — Some Japanese reporters stood out front of the Mariners' facility, shielding the sun in hopes of spying Ichiro. Others camped out back, stalking in the shade.

So much had changed since he last stepped foot on spring-training soil.

So much emotion spilled out before and during and after the World Baseball Classic, during which Ichiro insulted Korea, screamed primordially after one game, led Japan to the title, draped himself in the Japanese flag and added to his rock-star legend — all in the same month.

Hence Ichiro watch, which kicked off with paparazzi-like anticipation early Thursday.

"In my entire baseball career, it was the greatest moment," Ichiro said later of the tournament. "I can't express my feelings."

Those were expressed and analyzed and broadcast internationally during the WBC. But after Ichiro pulled a black SUV into the Mariners' complex, all the emotion vanished as the superhero walked into his old clubhouse.

Now, back to spring training. To his first post-Classic game here against Arizona.

On the day when Classic Ichiro gave way to classic Ichiro. The Mariners right fielder was 3 for 3 in his return, driving in a run in a 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

"I learned again what it is to be happy together," Ichiro said of the way his Japan team bonded. "So I want to do that with the Mariners."

The questions Thursday centered on how the WBC will affect Ichiro as he heads into the upcoming season. He noted that maintaining that emotion would be impossible, that he would take the rest of spring training to "calm down a little bit."

But he also expects some carryover from Japan's championship — first, in his own play, but also, he hopes, with similarly better chemistry in the clubhouse.

"I played in a situation where there is a lot of pressure and also where we were able to win a lot," he said. "I can take those experiences and bring them into the Mariners' season."

Ichiro seemed to have calmed considerably since baseball last watched him dancing on the field, draped in a Japanese flag.

He said that batting third in Japan's lineup didn't mean he should bat third here. He detailed his WBC routine, which included more practice and less at-bats than a regular spring training would, although he said "the inside of the at-bats were better, the quality was better."

Ichiro answered every question in the calm, mild-mannered tone he typically uses. The lightest moment came when he joked about wearing high socks this season because he wore that style in the WBC.

"It's really about getting prepared for the season coming up," he said. "I have a high motivation to play baseball. I love the game of baseball. So I don't think there will be any problems."

This was not the Ichiro who said before the WBC that he wanted to beat Korea so badly that it wouldn't want to play Japan for another 30 years. This was not the Ichiro who screamed in the dugout after Korea beat Japan for the second — and final — time.

This was not the Ichiro who led his team to the crown.

This was the Ichiro who plays for the Mariners, who lost just like the rest of his teammates the past two seasons. It was obvious his Japanese teammates made an impression, with their camaraderie, with their spirit.

"It was very hard in the beginning, but we go through things together," Ichiro said. "It's something that gets built by playing games together."

Everything — his posture, his tone, his words — suggested that's exactly what Ichiro wants. To get to opening day. And to let these games begin.

Greg Bishop: 206-464-3191 or gbishop@seattletimes.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002885649&zsection_id=2002609894&slug=ichiro24&date=20060324

Ichiro, Japan beat Cuba for WBC title

2006-03-21T23:54:00.000+09:00

SAN DIEGO - The Japanese players tossed manager Sadaharu Oh in the air, took a victory lap with a giant flag and headed into the clubhouse for a champagne celebration.

It was a party worthy of a World Series victory. And in a sense, Japan is the first true world champion.

“I’m unbelievably happy,” Ichiro Suzuki said after he and his less-famous countrymen beat Cuba 10-6 in the title game of the inaugural World Baseball Classic on Monday night.
To be honest, I never imagined we’d get there,” he said. “We had a great team, the best. I hope we showed everyone what a great sport baseball is.”

This wasn’t the World Series. But it certainly was a legitimate world series, a 16-nation, World Cup-style tournament started by Major League Baseball.

In the end, however, only two big leaguers played in the final: Suzuki and teammate Akinori Otsuka.

The Classic’s slogan is “Baseball Spoken Here.” In this case, forget baseball, and beisbol, too. It’s now yakyu, which in Japanese translates to “field ball.” The Japanese ripped a page out of Cuba’s scorebook by winning a major international tournament.

On a festive night when Cuban and Japanese fans danced to “Surf City” and Oh escorted Hank Aaron — there’s 1,623 home runs between them — onto the field during the pregame ceremonies, Japan showed that baseball in March can matter.

“My players showed me a fantastic performance tonight,” Oh said through a translator. “I know they’re doing it for Japan.”

Suzuki doubled, singled and drove in a run. He also scored three times, including in a four-run first inning that proved Cuba’s pitchers are vulnerable, after all.

Cuba’s fans perked up when their team, wearing its lucky red uniforms, pulled to 6-5 on a two-run homer by Frederich Cepeda with one out in the eighth. Otsuka, the former San Diego Padres reliever now with Texas, came on and retired the side.

“We tried to get back on top, but they deserve the victory because they played better,” Cepeda said.

Suzuki singled in the ninth to score Munenori Kawasaki on a close play at the plate and make it 7-5. Kawasaki slid, turned and stuck his right hand just inside of catcher Ariel Pestano’s left foot to — perhaps — touch the plate. Japan broke it open on a two-run single by pinch-hitter Kosuke Fukudome and a sacrifice fly by Michihiro Ogasawara.

Otsuka allowed a run in the ninth before closing it out for a save. Earlier in the day, he called former Padres teammate Trevor Hoffman for permission to have AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” played when he came in from the bullpen.

After the final out, Otsuka was mobbed near the mound by his teammates. The Japanese then tossed Oh into the air twice.

“It’s No. 1. It’s amazing. We’re champions,” said tournament MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japan’s starting pitcher.

Two Cuban players posed with Suzuki for a photo. Commissioner Bud Selig presented the championship trophy to Japan, and Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda gave the tournament MVP award to Matsuzaka.

Once in their clubhouse, the Japanese gathered around Oh for a final word. Oh tipped his cap toward his players, who tore into the champagne.

“It’s wonderful. That’s the only thing I can say,” Otsuka said.

Ichiro, his cap on backward, yelled to his teammates: “You have to respect the old guy. The old guy is me.”

With the United States failing to make it out of the second round and the Dominican Republic losing to Cuba in the semifinals, Suzuki, the Seattle Mariners’ star, was the only major leaguer in the starting lineups. Otsuka is the only other big leaguer on Japan’s roster.

The Cubans consider themselves amateurs, although Miguel Tejada and Albert Pujols, who played for the Dominican Republic, said leading up to the semis that most of the Cubans could be in the majors.

But for as good as the Cubans are — they had won 22 of 24 games in international competition and have dominated the globe for decades — they cracked at the worst possible time.

“Reaching the gold medal game wasn’t a gift from anyone,” Cuban manager Higinio Velez said. “Cuba was even included in the toughest group, the group of death”

Japan went a disappointing 3-3 in the first two rounds and needed help in the form of Mexico’s victory over Team USA to advance to San Diego on a tiebreaker.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11934373/

Cuba seeks enormous prize

2006-03-20T07:21:00.000+09:00

(03-20) 04:00 PDT San Diego -- Cuba isn't representing just itself in tonight's World Baseball Classic final. After the Dominicans lost Saturday's semifinal, slugger Albert Pujols crossed paths in a hallway with Cuba pitcher Pedro Lazo, hugged him and whispered, "Bring home the championship to the Caribbean."

The 18-day, 16-nation, 39-game tournament is ending at Petco Park, and Cuba's Big Red Machine, unsurpassed in international competition, is seeking perhaps its biggest prize -- being declared No. 1 in a field of professionals, on United States soil.

The Dominicans have expressed their support.

"We wish them luck," Dominican manager Manny Acta said.

Cuba's opponent will be Japan, which didn't receive the same kind of love from South Korea after knocking out its Asian counterpart in the other semifinal. Japan's best player, Ichiro Suzuki, heard boos from fans of Korea -- boos that had a deeper meaning than those he hears in Oakland -- and the Korean manager, In Sik Kim, all but said Ichiro was deserving of the treatment.

Last month, when Japan was preparing for the Asian bracket of the tournament, Ichiro said he wanted the Japanese to play so well that they'd make "other teams think they won't be able to beat us for the next 30 years." Though Ichiro didn't mention any country by name, the Koreans believed the message was directed at them.

They used it as ammunition to beat Japan in each of the first two rounds -- making Ichiro feel "ashamed" -- before bowing out Saturday. After the semifinal, Kim fired back at Ichiro.

"I think because of what he said, the Koreans and the baseball fans are very offended," Kim said. "Because of what he said, the Korean fans did some booing. Ichiro was doing superbly in the U.S., and before he said that, we were all rooting for Ichiro, but I think this time because of what he stated before the games, that's why Koreans were very offended."

Sunday, Ichiro playfully dismissed the boos.

"They didn't really boo me hard enough," he said. "I was expecting a little harder heckling."

In a tournament that based its promotion on fielding lots of big-leaguers, the final game will include just two -- Ichiro and reliever Akinori Otsuka. The more Japan wins, the more Ichiro's popularity continues to grow in Japan while countryman and fellow superstar Hideki Matsui, who chose to train with the Yankees rather than represent Japan, might be losing support.

"Matsui hasn't played a real game yet this year," Japan manager Sadaharu Oh said, "so I'm sure he will have a lot of opportunities to win back his popularity back in Japan."

Rule No. 1, by the way: Never confuse Suzuki with Matsui. When a New York reporter began asking a question to Ichiro by referring to him as Hideki, Ichiro immediately interrupted.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said with a finger wag, "I'm not Hideki. I'm Ichiro."

Another questioner wondered what Ichiro would like to incorporate into the majors from Japan, and he drew laughs when saying, "I would say that they would need to clean up the dugout a little bit more, because I've experienced so many filthy dugouts in the States."

Ain't it the truth. If a player's not stepping in a pile of sunflower-seed shells, he's stepping in a puddle of discharged tobacco juice.

One day after news that a Korean pitcher, Myung Hwan Park, was disqualified for failing the WBC's drug-testing policy, a rumor circulated that one of the Cuban players defected. It was denied by several sources, including Pedro Cabrera, Cuba's senior press officer.

Cabrera did acknowledge that Fidel Castro sent his regards.

"He expressed that he watched the entire event," Cabrera said. "He sent us a message congratulating the team. He's not demanding a victory, simply saying that we play a good game, let the game decide who the best team is."

Neither team named a starting pitcher for tonight. Cuba's Yadei Marti and Lazo, who shared duties Saturday, are ineligible because of the tournament's pitch-count limits.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/20/WBC.TMP&type=printable

Ichiro, Japan look to finally top S. Korea

2006-03-17T00:39:00.000+09:00

SAN DIEGO - Ichiro Suzuki frolicked in the outfield, making catches behind his back and waving to fans calling his name from the grassy area behind the center field stands.

The Japanese star was having fun — perhaps more than he’d be having in spring training.

Ichiro is playing for his country these days, not the Seattle Mariners, although it appeared he’d be heading back to Arizona to continue preparing for the major league season when Japan lost to South Korea on Wednesday night.

But once Team USA was beaten by Mexico a day later, Japan squeezed into the semifinals of the inaugural World Baseball Classic to meet archrival South Korea for the third time in a two-week period.

“A lot of people might be surprised that the United States lost,” Ichiro said through a translator in an interview with The Associated Press. “I believe this is why we play the WBC tournament.”

Japan and South Korea play Saturday night at Petco Park, where the Dominican Republic faces Cuba in the other semifinal matchup earlier in the day. The winners meet Monday night for the championship.

Surprisingly, South Korea enters the semis as the only unbeaten team in the competition, having gone 3-0 in both preliminary rounds including a pair of one-run victories over Japan.

“I did not expect that at all,” South Korea manager In Sik Kim said. “I did not anticipate we would be where we are today. Our goal was to be one of the top two teams in the pool. I think it’s due to our excellent players, and they played an excellent game each game.”

That’s probably one of the reasons the South Koreans celebrated the way they did following their 2-1 triumph over Japan, taking a victory lap around the field as their fans went nuts before pitcher Jae Seo planted his country’s flag in the mound at Angel Stadium.

Seo said he had heard the Japanese players were upset about that.

“But that’s not something I have to be concerned with,” he added. “I mean, we won and we were ecstatic, and we showed our happiness in that manner.”

The Japanese will get a shot at revenge, since Seo will be the starting pitcher Saturday night, going against Kohi Uehara. Both have been effective in two previous WBC outings.

Japan has a 3-3 record in the Classic despite outscoring the opposition 44-15. South Korea has scored 26 runs while allowing only eight.

The Asian countries are sort of like the Red Sox and Yankees or Giants and Dodgers when it comes to how they feel about each other. Japan has the longer and more successful history in baseball

“I don’t know what to compare that to,” Ichiro said of the rivalry. “It’s for sure each team has something in mind about the other. It’s an honor and a pleasure to play a game against them.”

Seo said it’s because the teams are the best in Asia.

“And it also goes back to our history and tradition,” he said. “It stems from our parents’ generation and us, and also I’m sure that our next generation probably will feel the same.”

Japan manager Sadaharu Oh thanked Mexico for eliminating the Americans to pave the way for his team to reach the semifinals and get another shot at South Korea.

“We lost both games, but those were very close games, and I believe either team could have won either game,” he said. “We’d like to show our best performance in the third time, and we will try our best to win this one.”

Korean captain Jong Beom Lee played in the Japan Central League from 1998-2001, so he’s familiar with the opposition.

“Up to now, Japan has been known to be a top team in Asia, but we work harder to beat Japan,” he said.

chiro is one of two big leaguers on the Japan roster. The other is Texas reliever Akinori Otsuka. South Korea has six major leaguers on its roster.

Ichiro said he couldn’t compare what it means to play in the WBC semifinals with appearing in the postseason for the Mariners.

“There is excitement in both,” he said.

When asked about how many balls he caught behind his back, Ichiro smiled and replied, in English: “Hundred.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11883744/

Hargrove says Ichiro's rant was 'beneficial'

2006-03-08T23:03:00.000+09:00

PEORIA, Ariz. - Ichiro Suzuki rarely spoke a critical word about the Seattle Mariners during his first five seasons until he walked into manager Mike Hargrove’s office after Seattle’s second consecutive 90-loss, last-place season and complained about the club’s direction and teammates’ preparation.

Hargrove initially wasn’t sure Suzuki’s venting would be worthwhile.

“Yeah, initially it was kind of 50-50,” the manager said Wednesday before Japan’s national team played the Mariners in an exhibition game. “Then, as we all thought about it, we said, ‘Yeah, that was beneficial.’

“It was a fair discussion. Both of us got to say some things that we probably wanted to say for a long time. None of it (was) animosity.”

Suzuki hit .303 with 206 hits last season — pretty good, but well shy of his major league-record 262 hits the previous year.

“For me, rather than keeping something inside, it’s better to get things out in the open,” Suzuki said through interpreter Ken Barron. “Now that things are out in the open, I feel really good right now, ready for the next season.”

So good and ready, he has noticeably taken a leadership role with his national team, managed by Japanese great Sadaharu Oh. He jokes with his teammates on the field. He yells encouragement, willingly accepts the spotlight. At times in interviews, his voice has been hoarse from all the chatter.

“I think I should have been shouting more in the past. I think this husky tone is pretty cool,” he said before his team advanced from its first-round group in Tokyo last weekend. “I’ve never been officially named captain by the manager. But if you look at my experience in baseball, I’m definitely the veteran on the team.”

Suzuki played nine years in Japan, then joined the Mariners in 2001 and was voted AL Rookie of the Year and MVP.

Asked if he directed Suzuki to lead, Oh responded: “No way would I ask him to do that. He feels that way anyhow ... He’s that kind of person.”

He’s not that kind of person in Seattle. Or hasn’t been up to now.

When Suzuki rejoins the Mariners, which could be as late as March 21, will he be remain outspoken?

“If he’s comfortable with it, that’s great,” Hargrove said. “If not, that’s great, too. Just being Ichiro has been pretty good for a long time.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11719147/

Ichiro ‘ashamed’ after loss to S. Korea

2006-03-07T00:49:00.000+09:00

TOKYO - Ichiro Suzuki never expected to lose to South Korea.

“I feel ashamed of this defeat,” the Seattle Mariners star said Sunday after the South Koreans upset Japan 3-2 to win Group A in the first round of the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

Lee Seung-yeop hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning of a game that mattered little because both nations were assured of advancement.

Suzuki’s game-ending flyout left him 1-for-3 Sunday and 3-for-11 (.273) in the three Group A games.

“If I was satisfied with my performance, I should quit baseball,” Suzuki said.

Dae-Sung Koo, whose contract was sold last week by New York Mets to a South Korean club, pitched two scoreless innings of relief to get the victory as the South Koreans overcame a two-run deficit.

Chan Ho Park of the San Diego Padres pitched the ninth for the save. After he retired Suzuki for the final out, South Korean players ran on to the field and mobbed the pitcher.

South Korea (3-0) and Japan (2-1) will travel to Arizona for exhibition games against major league teams, then go to Anaheim, Calif., for the second round, to be played from March 12-16. Their second-round opponents will include the top two teams from Group B, which has the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Africa.

Lee, who holds the Asian record of 56 homers in a season, signed with the Yomiuri Giants in the offseason after spending the last two seasons with the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines. The game was played before a crowd of 40,353 in the Tokyo Dome, his new home ballpark.

“I was just trying to stay focused,” Lee said. “Japan is a very strong team and, hopefully, we’ll be able beat them again in the United States.”

Lee, who led the Marines with 30 homers last season, hit a pair of homers in South Korea’s 10-1 win over China on Saturday.

Japan went ahead in the first when Tsuyoshi Nishioka scored from third on an infield grounder by Nobuhiko Matsunaka, and Munenori Kawasaki’s second-inning homer made it 2-0. Lee Byung-kyu hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, South Korean right fielder Lee Jin-young made a fully extended diving catch to grab Nishioka’s sinking liner. South Korean fans in left field gave him a standing ovation, and Japanese fans gave him polite applause.

There were boos in the bottom of the seventh when South Korea’s Bae Young-soo drilled Suzuki in the back. Suzuki was 1-for-3 Sunday and had only three hits in the three games.

In Sunday’s first game, Chen Yung-Chi’s fourth-inning grand slam helped Taiwan beat China 12-3. Chen, a minor league prospect for the Seattle Mariners, was 4-for-6 with four runs scored, three doubles and five RBIs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11683005/

Done the Ichiro way

2006-03-02T15:57:00.000+09:00

By Brad Lefton
Special to The Seattle Times

FUKUOKA, Japan — Only four baseball players in the world had 200 hits last season. Two of them — Michael Young (221) of the Texas Rangers and Derek Jeter (202) of the New York Yankees — will start for the American squad in the World Baseball Classic. Another, of course, is the Mariners' Ichiro (206).

But the fourth doesn't come to mind as easily. He's Norichika Aoki (202), outfielder for the Yakult Swallows and Ichiro's teammate with Team Japan, which opens WBC play Friday in Tokyo.

Aoki's 202 hits are particularly noteworthy because the 24-year-old joined Ichiro as the only players in Japanese history to break the sacred barrier.

The annals may list him side by side with Ichiro, but when it comes to literally taking a spot next to the player he grew up admiring, Aoki is overly humble about his accomplishment. That was the case on the first day of Japan's WBC training camp, when the bashful Aoki schemed how to jockey for his hero's attention.

"There's so much I want to ask him about baseball, but I had never met him before, so I was looking for a subtle way to break the ice," Aoki said. "I thought it'd be great if I could get my locker next to his, so I kind of stayed close to him as we walked into the stadium. Then, as soon as Ichiro put his equipment bag down at one locker, I quickly dropped mine at the next one and claimed it. I can't believe I'm actually right beside him. He's been so approachable about talking baseball. It's a great experience."

Just three position players on Team Japan are older than Ichiro's 32 years. Several had yet to turn pro when Ichiro left for Seattle before the 2001 season; they had never even seen him in person before now. All, it seems, are big admirers. But perhaps none more so than the one who shares the special bond of 200 hits.

World Baseball Classic

Who, what: 16 teams in four pools. Each team plays three games in the first round, with two teams from each pool advancing. Second-round teams play three games, with two from each pool advancing to the semifinals and finals.

When, where: First round — Tokyo, Friday-Sunday; Phoenix, Orlando, Fla., and Puerto Rico, March 7-10. Second round — Anaheim, Calif., March 12-16; Puerto Rico, March 12-15. Semifinals and finals — San Diego, March 18 & 20.

Mariners: Ichiro is playing for Japan, Adrian Beltre for the Dominican Republic and Joel Pineiro for Puerto Rico.

TV: ESPN networks.

More information: www.worldbaseballclassic.com

"I want to ask him as much as time allows," Aoki said, beaming. "Batting, fielding, baserunning — I want to emulate him in every facet of the game. I already asked him with what feeling does he swing a bat? With what image does he try to meet the ball with his bat? Where does he put his consciousness when he stands in at the plate?

"I was surprised to discover the amount of insight that I could actually apply to my own batting. The feeling that I have standing at the plate and the feeling he described are quite similar. That really made me feel good about my own game."

Aoki's game is relatively complete. At 5 feet 8 ½ and 165 pounds, he's apt to remind Americans of a shortstop or second baseman rather than an outfielder. He's competing for a starting spot on the Japanese team, and he'll play center or left when he's in the lineup, with Ichiro entrenched in right.

While Aoki strikes out a lot — 113 in 588 at-bats last year — he has many similarities to Ichiro. He bats left-handed and usually leads off. He won a batting title in his first full year, with a .344 average and 51 hits of the Ichiro-like, infield variety.

Even his crowning moment sparkled with images of Ichiro. It came Oct. 11 at his home park, Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, against the Yokohama Bay Stars. He led off the bottom of the first inning by punching a first-pitch fastball through the right side of the infield for his 200th hit.

But the real moment worthy of comparison to Ichiro did not come until time froze for that seemingly eternal interval when everyone celebrates the triumph. With the crowd roaring wildly, his teammates standing in the dugout and applauding, and the scoreboard glittering in congratulations, Aoki stood at the center of it all without revealing any of the emotion inside him. He removed his helmet, but never his game face.

Ichiro happened to see the highlight of the moment on television a world away. It was his first glimpse of Aoki's game, and the young player's stoic response left a lasting impression. He praised the young player for the proper demeanor. When told that, Aoki displayed another one of his likeable qualities: plain honesty.

"I didn't intentionally refrain from showing emotion; it was just the natural way for me to respond to the moment," he said. "Sometimes I do jab the air with a clenched fist in happiness; and, for sure, that particular time, I was absolutely overwhelmed with elation. But when I reached first base, I could see all the fans and my teammates giving me a standing ovation, and I was embarrassed that all that attention was directed at me.

"As I look back now, I'm thankful I didn't throw my arms up in the air or beam with excitement because that's not the Ichiro way. Hearing his compliment and understanding how he appreciates the self-control style, I think that will affect the way I carry myself on the field from now on."

Ichiro, who has had at least 200 hits in each of his five major-league seasons, offered congratulations to the newcomer to the Japanese 200-hit club by sending Aoki a signed bat before they had ever met. The gesture touched Aoki.

"I received it during a TV program, so with the cameras rolling I held back on my emotions," Aoki said. "But later, when I held it in the privacy of my own home, I became very emotional and thought, 'I'm glad I persevered because this kind of recognition makes it all worthwhile.' "

The latest reward for such a glowing start to his budding career might be a place beside his hero in the outfield, in the batting order and in the locker room as Ichiro's teammate in challenging the world.

Brad Lefton is a St. Louis-based journalist who has spent his career covering baseball in Japan and America. He often covers Ichiro and the Mariners for Japanese media, and he interviewed Aoki in Japanese for this article.

ICHIRO SUZUKI unofficial blog

M's may hit Lopez second behind Ichiro

06:44 AM PDT on Wednesday, March 26, 2008

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The Kansas City Star

To reach Sam Mellinger, national baseball reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4365 or send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com

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by Danny Knobler
Friday September 21, 2007, 8:57 AM