American League
Seattle 7 NY Yankees 1 - It's like clockwork. Come September,
Ichiro Suzuki will have 200 hits and be challenging for the AL batting title. This year is no different, as the splendid Suzuki touched up Roger Clemens for his 200th hit of 2007, a 3rd-inning solo shot to right which helped the Mariners snap a season high 9-game losing streak and close the gap to just one game behind the Yankees in the wild card race. Ichiro finished his night 3-5, giving him 201 hits.
Ichiro (right) is a hitting machine. This marks the 7th consecutive year that he's had 200 or more hits, tying Wade Boggs' AL record. Breaking Willie Keeler's major league record of 8 straight seasons seems almost too easy.
Ichiro got a late start in American baseball, coming to the Mariners at the age of 27, but he's been outstanding ever since, averaging 159 games and 226 hits per season. In 2004, he set a major league record with 262 hits. At age 33, he's on pace to reach 3000 hits in just 14 seasons, if he plays until he's 40, a feat which normally takes major leaguers 18-20 years. And he doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing down. After swiping 45 bases in 2006, he's got 37 steals this year and over the past two seasons, has only be caught 5 times.
Ichiro, who carries a lifetime batting average of .333, is currently at .353, right behind Magglio Ordonez at .355. The two have been battling for most of the second half of the season. Ichiro is on pace for 237 hits.
Cleveland 5 Minnesota 0 -
C.C. Sabathia improved to 16-7 with 8 innings of shutout work over the Twins, outgunning Minnesota starter Johan Santana. Sabathia allowed just 6 hits and a walk, striking out 6, as the Indians won for the ninth time in their last 10 games and opened up a 6-game lead over idle Detroit.
Toronto 10 Boston 13 - As he has all season,
Mike Lowell came through for the Red Sox with another big game. Lowell cracked his 18th home run as part of a 3-4 performance, scoring twice and driving in 4 runs. The Sox, winners of 3 straight, have opened up a 7-game lead over the Yankees in the division and lay claim to the best record in baseball, at 83-55.
Other AL Scores
Baltimore 7 Tampa Bay 9
Kansas City 8 Texas 1
Oakland 5 LA Angels 9
National League
NY Mets 10 Cincinnati 4 -
Moises Alou (right) stroked a pair of doubles, a solo homer and scored three times as the Mets improved their NL East lead to 5 games, as the Braves helped out by knocking off Philadelphia.
San Diego 10 Arizona 2 - The Padres reclaimed sole possession of first place in the NL West with a win in the opener of their 3-game set in Arizona. San Diego hitters sent 5 balls into the stands, including a pair by Brian Giles and
Adrian Gonzalez's 25th of the season. Arizona starter, Micah Owings, gave up 4 hits in just 3 innings, all of them home runs.
Pittsburgh 11 St. Louis 0 -
Ian Snell blanked the Cardinals on 5 hits over 7 innings, keeping St. Louis 2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and 1/2 behind 2nd place Milwaukee. All three leaders in the Central lost on Monday.
Other NL Scores
Florida 3 Washington 6
Philadelphia 1 Atlanta 5
Houston 9 Milwaukee 7
San Francisco 4 Colorado 7
LA Dodgers 11 Chi Cubs 3
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