Mariners 4, Athletics 2
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Mariners manager Bob Melvin would be thrilled if Ichiro Suzuki could break the season hits record before leaving Oakland.
If the star leadoff hitter has to do it back at Safeco Field, it could be an even more emotional final weekend for Seattle coupled with Edgar Martinez's final games before retirement.
Suzuki moved closer to the milestone with a fifth-inning single that gave him 255 hits, two shy of George Sisler's 84-year-old major league record, and the Mariners sent the Athletics into second place in the AL West for the first time since Aug. 5 with a 4-2 victory Wednesday night.
Suzuki has four games remaining to get the record. If he doesn't do it Thursday against A's lefty Mark Redman, he will most certainly reach the mark during Seattle's season-ending series against Texas.
If it's at home in front of our fans, so be it, Melvin said. But I'd like to see him do it tomorrow and get it out of the way.
Suzuki was booed when he stepped into the batter's box in the first inning, then walked on a full count. He struck out swinging in the third, then hit an infield single to shortstop in the fifth. He grounded out to second to start the eighth on a 13-pitch at-bat, then was hit in the back by Justin Duchscherer in the ninth.
It enraged Seattle starter Bobby Madritsch, who stood up in the dugout and later said he was tempted to hit Oakland's next batter.
As a teammate, having him say that makes me really happy, Suzuki said. But it was good he was able to control his emotions. If he's going to have a future in baseball, he'll have to control his emotions.
The Mariners' brass president Chuck Armstrong and chairman and CEO Howard Lincoln flew to Oakland on Wednesday to see Suzuki go for Sisler's mark, set in 1920 after he capped his stellar season for the St. Louis Browns with 57 hits in 30 September games.
Madritsch (6-3) pitched a three-hitter for his first career complete game. The rookie walked four and struck out four.
My mentality was to dominate, he said. I wanted to get the complete game really bad. I knew I could hurt them by denying them the 'W.'
Oakland, which has lost seven of nine and is 11-16 this month, fell a game behind Anaheim in the division after the Angels held on for an 8-7 win at Texas in 11 innings. The Angels and A's play three games in Oakland this weekend to finish the season.
Any way you see the scenario, we have to win three of the next four no matter what, center fielder Mark Kotsay said. I hope we can do the job tomorrow and make things interesting for the weekend. We know where we're at.
Rich Harden has been Oakland's most reliable starter recently, and on Wednesday he was good enough to record a rare strikeout of Suzuki. But Harden (11-7) blew it in the eighth when he allowed a one-out single to Randy Winn, then a double off the wall in left to Bret Boone.
Ricardo Rincon relieved and struck out Raul Ibanez. Jim Mecir entered to face Jolbert Cabrera, who drove in two runs with a single to right, adding to his fourth-inning RBI double.
Moments later, an uncharacteristic throwing error by Kotsay on Jeremy Reed's single scored Cabrera.
Harden entered 8-1 with a 3.47 ERA in his previous 14 starts.
He struck out the side in the fifth despite allowing a pair of two-out singles, including the one to Suzuki. The A's starters are 5-11 since Sept. 5 and have tossed six or fewer innings 12 times during that span.
The clubhouse was subdued and practically empty postgame.
This is always what it's like after a tough loss, Harden said. It's kind of quiet, but we'll show up and be ready to play. It's been tough, but we're still in a pretty good spot.
Kotsay went 0-for-3 with a walk, ending his season-best hitting streak at 15 games.