Final
Ichiro eyes Japanese hits record in series finale
Apr 16, 2009 - 7:20 AM By Matt Beardmore Stats WriterLA Angels (3-5) at Seattle (7-2) 10:10 p.m. EDT
SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle Mariners were just cruising along without Ichiro Suzuki. His return just provided an additional spark for an already surging club.
Coming off a triumphant return from his first trip to the disabled list, Ichiro looks to lead Seattle to its seventh straight win as the Mariners wrap up a three-game set with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
Back from a bleeding ulcer, Ichiro made his season debut in record-tying fashion during an 11-3 win on Wednesday. Needing just two hits to tie Isao Harimoto for the most among Japanese players with 3,085, Ichiro singled in the third inning then equaled the mark with a seventh-inning grand slam off Jason Bulger.
It was his first grand slam since July 18, 2003.
"For Mr. Harimoto to make the trip all the way here from Japan for the game, it's probably the first and last time. That has special meaning to me," Ichiro said through his interpreter.
Ichiro had 1,278 hits in eight seasons with the Orix Blue Wave in the Japanese Pacific League before joining the Mariners in 2001, when he was named AL MVP and rookie of the year.
He will get a chance to set the record against Joe Saunders (1-1, 2.63 ERA). Ichiro, though, is just 4-for-22 with three strikeouts lifetime versus the Angels' left-hander.
Ichiro shared the spotlight with another player making his return as Ken Griffey Jr. became the first player in major league history to hit 400 home runs with one team and 200 with another.
Back with Seattle after spending the last nine seasons with Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox, Griffey's fifth-inning solo shot off Jered Weaver was the 613th of his career and 400th with the Mariners. It also was his first home run in Seattle as a member of the Mariners since September 22, 1999.
"It means a lot. It's just, I don't worry about numbers," Griffey said. "You play long enough, you are going to rack up some numbers - some are good, some are bad."
Now 39, Griffey hit 210 homers for the Reds from 2000-08.
"What a phenomenal day," said Mariners first-year manager Don Wakamatsu.
The Angels were scheduled to face Ryan Rowland-Smith, but he was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to triceps tendinitis. Rookie Chris Jakubauskas (1-0, 4.50) will make his first major-league start after two relief appearances in 2009.
In Friday's 5-4 win over Oakland, the Anaheim, California, native allowed two runs and two hits in relief of Rowland-Smith to pick up the victory.
Saunders, meanwhile, is 4-1 with a 4.61 ERA in seven career starts against the Mariners. Last season, en route to a career-best 17 wins, Saunders went 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA versus Seattle.
He also will look to improve to 3-0 at Safeco Field.
In Saturday's 5-4 loss to Boston, Saunders went seven innings and gave up four runs and seven hits as his 26-inning scoreless streak was snapped by a fifth-inning home run to Mike Lowell. Saunders then allowed a two-run shot to Jason Bay in the seventh.
"I was kicking myself after that pitch," Saunders told the team's official Web site. "I failed to execute that one pitch, and I think that was the difference in the game."
He is 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA in 11 career April starts.
Seattle's last seven-game winning streak was June 23-July 1, 2007, when it won eight in a row.
- AL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 10 0
SEATTLE 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: LAA - JOE SAUNDERS, JOSE ARREDONDO (8TH), BRIAN FUENTES (9TH) AND
MIKE NAPOLI
SEA - CHRIS JAKUBAUSKAS, ROY CORCORAN (6TH), MARK LOWE
(6TH), SEAN WHITE (8TH) AND RO
Apr 17 12:51 AM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MAICER IZTURIS SCORED GARY MATTHEWS.
SITUATION: 5 RUNS IN, M IZTURIS ON FIRST, J RIVERA ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 5
SEATTLE 1 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: C FIGGINS (.276, 2-FOR-3)
Angels 5, Mariners 1 Top 6, 0 OutsApr 17 12:05 AM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JUAN RIVERA SCORED MIKE NAPOLI.
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, J RIVERA ON FIRST, G MATTHEWS ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 4
SEATTLE 1 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: M IZTURIS (.222, 0-FOR-2)
Angels 4, Mariners 1 Top 6, 0 OutsApr 16 11:49 PM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY GARY MATTHEWS SCORED KENDRY MORALES.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, G MATTHEWS ON FIRST, M NAPOLI ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 3
SEATTLE 1 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: J RIVERA (.280, 1-FOR-2)
Angels 3, Mariners 1 Top 6, 0 OutsApr 16 11:47 PM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MIKE NAPOLI SCORED BOBBY ABREU AND TORII HUNTER.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M NAPOLI ON SECOND, K MORALES ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 2
SEATTLE 1 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: G MATTHEWS (.167, 0-FOR-2)
Angels 2, Mariners 1 Top 6, 0 OutsApr 16 11:45 PM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY ADRIAN BELTRE SCORED ICHIRO SUZUKI.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, E CHAVEZ ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 0
SEATTLE 1 BOTTOM, 4TH
DUE UP FOR SEATTLE: J LOPEZ (.207, 0-FOR-1)
Angels 0, Mariners 1 Bot 4, 0 OutsApr 16 11:10 PM
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