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Rangers edge M’s

Ichiro Suzuki pops up in the first inning but would later have a two-run single, his only hit in the game. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Larry LaRue Tacoma News Tribune
Ichiro Suzuki pops up in the first inning but would later have a two-run single, his only hit in the game. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Seattle Mariners lost Saturday and Ichiro Suzuki waxed mystical – neither for the first time this season.

After staking an early lead, the Mariners couldn’t hold on and the Texas Rangers laid a 5-4 decision on them that became Seattle’s 95th loss of the year.

And then, of course, there was The Ichiro Watch.

Held to one hit – his 250th of the season – Ichiro made the most of it, driving in two runs to break a tie and put the Mariners ahead in the fourth inning, 4-2.

Since only four men in major league history have had more hits in a single season, what did Ichiro have to say about the milestone?

“It was great,” he said.

Did he keep the baseball?

“No,” he said.

Will he keep others as he stalks the major league single-season record of 257 hits?

“For now, I’m not planning on keeping any baseballs,” he said.

Could that change?

“In the future, anything might change,” Ichiro said. “You cannot change the past. You can change the future.”

And then, as media types diligently put down each word, Ichiro laughed.

“You don’t have to take any of that seriously,” he said.

The same might be said of the Mariners over the last eight games of their season. They can do damage to other teams by winning, but they can’t help themselves.

Not really.

What they can do is play out the string like professionals, follow the example, say, of Edgar Martinez.

At age 41, having missed a full week because of a broken right big toe, Martinez returned to the lineup Saturday and launched a first-inning home run deep into the left-field stands – the 309th of his career.

“I won’t lie, it surprised me,” Martinez said. “I can’t explain it. Sometimes you feel good and you can’t hit the ball solid. Sometimes you feel bad and get lucky.”

In a season long since lost for the Mariners, Martinez homered, singled and lined out, robbed in the fourth inning of an RBI single by a Laynce Nix diving catch in center field.

Given a 4-2 lead the Mariners couldn’t increase, starting pitcher Ryan Franklin gave Seattle six strong innings, allowing two earned runs. Over his last four starts, he’s pitched at least five innings in each and compiled a 3.16 earned run average.

In those games, Franklin is 1-2.

The Rangers felt they had to win this one – it pulled them to within two games of the American League West lead. The M’s wanted it, but the difference between 94 losses and 95 was probably a bit less compelling.

Meanwhile, with eight games remaining, Ichiro needs eight hits to break George Sisler’s 1920 record. From this point on, Major League Baseball will put baseballs in play for all Mariners games that are specially marked.

Why? For history’s sake. And should Ichiro smack one of those specially-marked balls into major league history, might he be expected to want to keep it?

“We’ll see,” Ichiro said. “One cannot tell the future.”