Ichiro continues to shine despite Mariners’ dismal season

ANAHEIM, Calif. – It’s been proven this season that teams can beat the Seattle Mariners.

That doesn’t mean they can stop Ichiro Suzuki.

With another three hits against Anaheim on Saturday, the Mariners’ remarkable right fielder pushed his total to 51 for July – and pushed his name into baseball history.

Ichiro, who had 50 hits in May, became the first player since Joe Medwick in 1936 to have two months in a season with as many as 50 hits.

Even Ichiro was impressed.

“When something happens that long ago, I feel like I’ve become part of baseball history in the United States,” he said. “That’s not like it happened two years ago. That’s a long time back.”

Batting .346 for the season, Ichiro has 156 hits this season. At least one teammate admits to being awed.

“Fifty-one hits for the month?” Bret Boone said. “I guarantee you, 20 of those hits were hits no one else on this team would have gotten. He’s hit routine ground balls and beat them out.

“You watch him in a game and it’s chopper, bullet, chopper, bullet and he’s gone 3 for 4. Three for 4 for Ichiro is like most of us going 1 for 4. It looks easy, and it isn’t.”

Since coming to the major leagues in 2001, Ichiro has had three months with at least 50 hits – and months with 47 and 48 hits, as well. Only Pete Rose, who had four career 50-hit months, has more.

Asked about such achievements in a season that has been disappointing to the franchise that employs him, Ichiro had an interesting response.

“We’ve had games that we thought we’d won slip away, and yet when we go home our fans still come out and support us,” Ichiro said. “When I see that, I know they want us to win, but they also want to watch our individual performances, too.

“That motivates me to show up and play hard every day.”

Notes

Seattle optioned infielder Ramon Santiago to Tacoma on Saturday and called up infielder Jose Lopez, who figures to start at shortstop most of the rest of the season. “I was nervous the first three innings,” Lopez said of his major league debut. “After that, it was just baseball.” … Bucky Jacobsen’s playing time probably won’t include more than one start a week at first base, manager Bob Melvin said - but he hasn’t ruled out giving Edgar Martinez an occasional start at first base.