News
Ichiro reeling off another hitting streak
Mariners leadoff man approaching longest run of career
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
05/31/09 9:32 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- With a career batting average of .331, it only seems as though Ichiro Suzuki gets a hit in every game. But that is exactly what he's done for the past 24 games, tied for the second-longest such streak in club history, after he doubled in the first inning in Sunday's 9-8 loss to the Angels. It's also tied for the second-longest hit streak of his career. Ichiro had a club-record 25-game streak in '07. Don Wakamatsu simply is impressed by Ichiro, but at the same time, the Mariners manager isn't surprised by his success. "It's not a fluke that a guy like that has consistency in his game,'' Wakamatsu said. "He's so strong mentally that you see the exact same approach day in and day out with him. Even if he does struggle a little bit, he seems to find a way to get either an infield hit, hit the ball the other way or pull the ball." Hitting streaks have become common for Ichiro. The left-handed hitter has seven of at least 20 games, tying George Sisler for the fourth-most such streaks of all-time. It's just one 20-game streak short of the all-time mark of eight set by Willie Keeler, Ty Cobb and Pete Rose. The 35-year-old still is doing it with his speed. His 22 infield hits lead the Major Leagues, and he is on pace for 74, which would be the most since 1992, when Brett Butler had 72. But Wakamatsu said teams now play Ichiro a little different defensively than they did previously, because he doesn't quite have the same speed he once did. "I think it's changed maybe a little bit,'' Wakamatsu said. "Some teams still play him similar to what they did when he was first in the league. I think he's lost maybe a little bit, but not a whole lot when he's up and running. When he first came into the league, if it was a two-hop ground ball to shortstop, he was safe. Now, maybe it's three." Whatever Ichiro does, it's simply works, and he's off to yet another strong season. He entered Sunday with a .342 batting average in 2009. "He's been a tough out his whole career,'' Wakamatsu said.Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
