Ichiro inches closer to history
OAKLAND, Calif. — Ichiro Suzuki got one hit and plenty of help in knocking Oakland out of first place.
Suzuki’s fifth-inning single gave him 255 hits, two shy of George Sisler’s 84-year-old major league record, and the Seattle Mariners sent the Athletics into second place in the A.L. West for the first time since Aug. 5 with a 4-2 victory Wednesday night.
Suzuki has four games remaining to get the record.
The star leadoff hitter was booed when he stepped into the batter’s box in the first inning, then walked on a full count. He struck out swinging in the third, then hit an infield single to shortstop in the fifth. He grounded out to second to start the eighth on a 13-pitch at-bat, then was plunked in the back by Justin Duchscherer in the ninth.
The Mariners’ brass — president Chuck Armstrong and chairman and CEO Howard Lincoln — flew to Oakland on Wednesday to see Suzuki go for Sisler’s mark, set in 1920 after he capped his stellar season for the St. Louis Browns with 57 hits in 30 September games.
Bobby Madritsch (6-3) pitched a three-hitter for his first career complete game. He walked four and struck out four.
The A’s had been in sole possession of first place for 53 days until losing to Seattle 7-2 on Tuesday night. Oakland, which had lost seven of nine, fell a game behind Anaheim in the division after the Angels held on for an 8-7 win at Texas in 11 innings.
The Angels and A’s play three games in Oakland this weekend to finish the season.
The A’s are still loose despite their September struggles — they’re 11-16 this month. Twice during pregame stretching they booed the woman warming up for the national anthem.
Rich Harden has been Oakland’s most reliable starter recently, and on Wednesday he was good enough to record a rare strikeout of Suzuki. But Harden (11-7) blew it in the eighth when he allowed a one-out single to Randy Winn, then a double off the wall in left to Bret Boone.
Ricardo Rincon relieved and struck out Raul Ibanez. Jim Mecir entered to face Jolbert Cabrera, who drove in two runs with a single to right, adding to his fourth-inning RBI double.
Moments later, an uncharacteristic throwing error by center fielder Mark Kotsay on Jeremy Reed’s single scored Cabrera.
The A’s, the two-time defending division champs, had a four-game lead entering play on Sept. 5, but have gone 8-15 since.
Oakland went 70-30 the past four Septembers — the best mark in the majors.
Harden entered 8-1 with a 3.47 ERA in his previous 14 starts. He struck out the side in the fifth despite allowing a pair of two-out singles, including the one to Suzuki. The A’s starters are 5-11 since Sept. 5 and have tossed six or fewer innings 12 times during that span.
Kotsay had his season-best hitting streak end at 15 games.