But Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki stole a page from Hall of Fame outfielder Ty Cobb on Tuesday with the 3,000th hit of his career in a game the Mariners lost in devastating fashion to the Texas Rangers, 11-10 in the bottom of the ninth.


	Matt Slocum / AP
Ichiro Suzuki tips his batting helmet after collecting his 3,000th hit as a professional in the first inning as Mariners first base coach Eddie Rodriguez stands by.

The 3,000th hit, a flare into left-center against Texas pitcher Luis Mendoza, was his 1,722nd as a major leaguer. Combined with the 1,278 hits he had in Japan and one single he added later Tuesday, Ichiro has 3,001 career hits.

"It's amazing to see someone so young to have done this," Mariners first baseman Miguel Cairo said.

"I'm excited to play with him. There's so much history in this."

Ichiro got there at 34 years, 130 days. Only Cobb got to 3,000 hits under the age of 36 – he was 34 years, 231 days.

Ichiro was excited himself, although he would have been more so had Ramon Vazquez not blasted a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to give the Rangers the win.

The Mariners, down 7-0 after three innings, battled back to take a 10-9 lead in the top of the ninth.

Pitcher Jarrod Washburn, used as a pinch runner for the first time in his career, scored the Mariners' 10th run on Vazquez's throwing error in the ninth as the Mariners took the lead for the first time.

But the Rangers raked closer J.J. Putz in the bottom of the ninth. Texas sent just four batters to the plate to produce the two runs that won it.

By that time, Ichiro's 3,000th hit was a three-hour-old memory. But ultimately, this game, played by two noncontenders in the American League West, will be remembered for that hit.

This season has been a grind for Ichiro, and never more so than during the run-up to 3,000. Each hit seemed harder to come by, something he acknowledged.

"I had my first hit (in Japan) in 1992, and from that point to this, it doesn't seem like a very long time," Ichiro said.

"But the last week for some reason seemed longer."

Just 27 players in the U.S. and one in Japan have reached 3,000 hits. The Arlington crowd gave him a warm ovation, acknowledging the special nature of the feat.

"We were the opponent tonight, and for that to happen, it was very unexpected," Ichiro said.

"I was very hesitant to make a big deal out of it."

Ichiro's 3,000 hits are spread out over two leagues on two continents and have taken place in two centuries. Critics have suggested that the hits from Japan shouldn't count.

"They can think what they want," Ichiro said.

"What I would like people to know is that we don't use metal bats in Japan," he said, a subtle jab at those who believe the hits from Japan are somehow less than the hits in the U.S.

He played fewer games per season (never more than 135) in Japan, and yet he has a higher hits-per-game average in the U.S. (1.41) than he had in Japan (1.34).

Although Ichiro was left stranded on third base in the first, his second single was part of a three-run rally in the sixth that helped the Mariners rally from seven runs down.

It took back-to-back homers by Jose Lopez and rookie Bryan LaHair to get the club to within a run at 9-8 in the seventh. During a weird ninth inning, Jamie Burke had an infield hit to score one run.

When Vazquez committed his third error of the day, Washburn scored all the way from second base to give Seattle the lead.

But Putz, who has battled control issues during a season that includes two trips to the disabled list, once again did not have command.

He gave up two singles, made a nice play defending a bunt to get a force at third, then was blasted by Vazquez, who had a game-winning homer against Putz in Arlington almost exactly a year ago – July 25, 2007, to be exact.

This time it was a double in the gap in right-center. By the time Ichiro and center fielder Jeremy Reed got to the ball, there was no chance to throw the runners out.

Putz, seemingly distraught, said he had nothing to say after this game left him with a 2-4 record, five blown saves and a 5.18 ERA.

This one will go down as another in a long line of bitter defeats for the Mariners.

The next milestone for Ichiro is 85 hits in the future – something that could happen in the final week of the season if he picks up his pace. No Japanese player has more hits than Iaso Harimoto, who holds the Japanese professional record with 3,085.

When that record falls, it won't be as big a deal in the U.S., but it will make major headlines in Japan.

ICHIRO'S CAREER STATISTICS

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG
1992	Orix	40	95	4	24	5	0	0	5	3	11	3	2	.253
1993	Orix	43	64	4	12	2	0	1	3	2	7	0	2	.188
1994	Orix	130	546	111	210	41	5	13	54	51	53	29	7	.385
1995	Orix	130	524	104	179	23	4	25	80	68	52	49	9	.342
1996	Orix	130	542	104	193	24	4	16	84	56	57	35	3	.356
1997	Orix	135	536	94	185	31	4	17	91	62	36	39	4	.345
1998	Orix	135	506	79	181	36	3	13	71	43	35	11	4	.358
1999	Orix	103	411	80	141	27	2	21	68	45	46	12	1	.343
2000	Orix	105	395	73	153	22	1	12	73	54	36	21	1	.387
2001	M's	157	692	127	242	34	8	8	69	30	53	56	14	.350
2002	M's	157	647	111	208	27	8	8	51	68	62	31	15	.321
2003	M's	159	679	111	212	29	8	13	62	36	69	34	8	.312
2004	M's	161	704	101	262	24	5	8	60	49	63	36	11	.372
2005	M's	162	679	111	206	21	12	15	68	48	66	33	8	.303
2006	M's	161	695	110	224	20	9	9	49	49	71	45	2	.322
2007	M's	161	678	111	238	22	7	6	68	49	77	37	8	.351
2008	M's	106	440	67	131	12	5	4	26	39	43	34	3	.298
Japan		951	3619	653	1278	211	23	118	529	384	333	199	33	.353
MLB		1224	5214	849	1723	189	62	71	453	368	504	306	69	.330
TOTAL		2175	8833	1502	3001	400	85	189	982	752	837	505	102	.340