Ichiro

Suzuki

Ichiro becomes the first Japanese-born player headed to Cooperstown and fell just one ballot shy of being a unanimous selection with 99.7 percent of the vote. The Mariners icon wrapped up a legendary 19-year career with 3,089 hits, which doesn’t include his additional 1,278 hits overseas in Japan prior to his stateside arrival. The 2001 AL MVP Award winner broke George Sisler’s single-season record with a staggering 262 hits during a transcendent 2004 campaign and made 10 consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2001-2010. A six-time All-Star and 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, Sabathia split his 19-year career between the Guardians and Yankees, with a memorable half-season stint for the Brewers sandwiched in the middle back in 2008 when he tossed an astounding seven complete games during a 17-start span. The generational southpaw, who finished with 251 wins in addition to a lifetime 3.74 ERA across 560 career starts, appeared on 86.8 percent of ballots to easily clear the 75 percent threshold. Among the elite closers of his generation and a strikeout machine, Wagner finally gets the long-awaited call for enshrinement — appearing on 82.5 percent of ballots — during his 10th and final year of eligibility after falling just short (73.8 percent) last year. The trio will join the late Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were selected for enshrinement back in December by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, this summer in Cooperstown.

''It doesn’t hurt now,’' Ichiro said. ''But it will probably hurt more [Monday].’' Ichiro was out of the lineup yesterday, and was pinch-hitting when he was hit.

Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-3 last night and has 255 hits for the season. If he doesn’t break George Sisler’s record this afternoon against the A’s and Mark Redman, there will quite a crowd at Safeco on Friday night to watch the feat including five of Sisler’s family members.

This is one of baseball’s greatest achievements and Ichiro is ahead of Sisler’s pace at the 130-game mark by two hits (209 to 207). If Suzuki can average one and a half hits per game until the end of the season, he will break a record that has stood for 84 years. It should be fun to watch.

He had 56 hits which is the highest total for the month in 68 years. After going 3-for-5 last night, Ichiro is now on pace to get 264 base knocks for the season, seven more than George Sisler’s record of 257. Amazing!

He is 18-for-47 (.383) this month and has been more aggressive on the basepaths.

Ichiro isn’t eligible for free agency for three more years, and the Mariners might try to sign him to a multiyear deal to cover those seasons. It’s expected that the right fielder will ask for at least $10 million per season and possibly as much as $15 million.

Initial talks on a deal with the arbitration-eligible Ichiro didn’t go well, with the Mariners offering about $10 million per year for three years and agent Tony Attanasio seeking at least $15 million. If the Mariners don’t know exactly how much they’ll have to spend on Ichiro, they might be shy about making a play for Kazuo Matsui and some of the other free agents they desire.

The Mariners have brought up this idea several times before and never followed through with it. since Ichiro seems to be baseball’s one true clutch hitter -- his OPS with runners in scoring position in 200 points higher than his OPS with the bases empty, the switch would probably help the team. It might hurt his fantasy value, though, since it could lead to fewer steals. The odds are against it happening.

The assumption was something was wrong with Ichiro. “He’s fine,” Melvin said. “We pinch-hit Colbrunn to get him an at-bat against a left-handed pitcher because we knew Greg would start today. Ichiro was scheduled to get the day off.”