Seattle's Ichiro sets record with ninth straight 200-hit season [View All]

This might go unnoticed, but his guy is just a firecracker......

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Soaked in beer, Ichiro Suzuki (FSY) smiled after a long day.

After he reached 200 hits for the ninth straight season during the second game of a doubleheader, Ken Griffey Jr. picked up his slight teammate, slung him over his shoulder and carried him to the showers, where teammates awaited with a beer bath.

"To get to enjoy this with these teammates I have, and especially that guy over there makes me very joyful," Ichiro said.

Ichiro beat out an infield single to become the first player in major league history with at least 200 in nine straight seasons as the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-0 to split a doubleheader after losing the opener 7-2.

In his second at-bat of the nightcap, Suzuki hit a slow roller to shortstop Elvis Andrus (FSY), beating the throw for No. 200 and driving in a run for a 2-0 lead.

Suzuki, who went 1 for 5 in the second game, received a standing ovation from the sparse crowd, stepping off first base and doffing his batting helmet to thank the fans.

He had been tied with Willie Keeler, who had eight consecutive 200-hit seasons from 1894-1901.

"It's always good to see history," Griffey said. "(The beer shower) was a little cold for him."

In the opener, Suzuki doubled in four at-bats, but the Mariners lost for the sixth time in seven games.

The mood in the Mariners' clubhouse was lighter after the nightcap.

"To see a 108-year-old record broken is pretty special," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said.


full article: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-09-13-rangers-mariners_N.htm