The hits keep coming for Ichiro, Mariners

TORONTO — Thirty days hath September ... that much is known.

But now that September is here, the question that will grow in size and stature as the month progresses is, how many hits hath it?

In the baseball calendar, day by day, Ichiro is creating a new math. While it remains to be seen how he does over the final four weeks, he departed August in a white heat, .463 for the month.

In the 7-5 win over the Blue Jays last night, he ended August with three hits for 56, a Seattle team mark and most in a month for any team since Cleveland's Roy Weatherly had that many in July of his rookie year of 1936.

"Of course, I know who Roy Weatherly was," Ichiro said, and broke into a huge smile. "Who was he ... ?

Weatherly is history, in the place Ichiro is swatting his way toward.

"I knew when I got 50 hits," he said, not specifying which of the three months in which he did that this year he was referring to. "I did not know I passed Alex (Rodriguez, owner of Seattle's old high-month mark of 54 hits). Some records I did know; some I didn't."

Through it all, his teammates just marvel.

"Sure, when we sit on the bench and he's at the plate, we talk about what he's doing," Jolbert Cabrera said. "We watch like everyone else, and, like you, we can't figure out how he does it. We just know he will. You try figuring out how, you're going to go crazy."

Bret Boone pointed out that, "Ichi gets three hits like the rest of us get one. A good night for us is two, a great game is three. For him, that's become almost routine."

Ichiro's 212 this season hits tie his second-best U.S. output, done last year and leaves him in position to go after George Sisler's all-time record of 257 for a season.

Is there a pressure to match the march?

"I know how I felt when I got my first hit, my 10th hit, my 200th," said the outfielder, whose best-struck ball of the game was a first-inning line out to shortstop. "There's always pressure to get hits, every hit. If you don't have confidence, you don't feel pressure."

Sweetening the achievement of a 56-hit month was that the last two of his three singles produced runs to help Seattle achieve its own modest mark — a season-high five straight wins.

As usual these days, the Mariners did it the hard way, coming back from a deficit of 4-0 when Jamie Moyer also fashioned a team record in the third.

The left-hander gave up homers to Carlos Delgado and Eric Hinske on consecutive pitches for 37 allowed this year, topping Scott Bankhead's 35 in 1987.

Jose Lopez got Seattle started back with a three-run homer off Toronto starter Josh Towers in the fifth. The Mariners took a 5-4 lead on RBI hits by Ichiro and Randy Winn in the seventh and after the Jays tied it, Seattle came back again on RBI hits by Dan Wilson and Ichiro in the eighth.

"As long as we're down by four runs we're in good shape," said Mariners manager Bob Melvin, poking fun of the fact his club has come back in all five of their consecutive wins. "Lopez had a huge hit, Willie (Wilson) and Jacobsen had big hits and Bloomie (Willie Bloomquist) stole a huge base in the eighth as a pinch-runner. He always seems to make things happen to help you win.

"Ichiro only had three hits, kind of an off night for him ... just kidding, it just seems that way. Not only did he get the hits, they were key hits for us. The defense is always on edge with him; you just don't know where to play him."

Three young pitchers, Scott Atchison, George Sherrill and J.J. Putz wrapped up the win, picking up Moyer for the last 2-1/3 innings, but in this season headed to nowhere the story headed somewhere continues to be Ichiro. While every Seattle starter had at least one hit, his three keep his drive alive.

"I've been saying to everyone to watch closely here," Melvin said. "What Ichiro is shooting for may not happen again for some time. There's a long way to go for the ultimate record (Sisler), but he's putting himself in position for a run at it."

This, even though August is past.

"Actually, if August was 32 or 33 days, that would bug me," Ichiro said, his meaning as inexplicable as his hitting. "Every day is a challenge. Hopefully, September is a challenge."

Bob Finnigan: 206-464-8276 or bfinnigan@seattletimes.com