Japanese home-run king Sadaharu Oh had thoughtful praise for countryman Ichiro Suzuki yesterday, after the Seattle Mariners' table-setter reached 200 hits for an unprecedented ninth straight season (2001-09).
"Sometimes we forget how difficult it is to accomplish these things amid a baseball schedule which is much tougher in the U.S. than in Japan," Oh said. "It's hard to find the words to describe what he has accomplished."
Suzuki set the record with an infield single in the second inning of Sunday's second game against the Texas Rangers to break a tie with Wee Willie Keeler, who had at least 200 hits for eight consecutive seasons, starting in the second Grover Cleveland administration.
Suzuki left Japan after winning seven straight batting titles for the Orix BlueWave, and he never stopped hitting on this side of the Pacific Ocean.
Lester rates among the best
The loquacious Billy Wagner likes what he sees in Boston's rotation. The former Phillie has been Johan Santana's teammate with the Mets and has seen the Yankees' CC Sabathia in both leagues.
But Red Sox teammate Jon Lester (13-7) "is probably the best lefty in baseball right now, as far as stuff," Wagner told Yahoo Sports. "Santana, nothing against him, but I never saw him throwing in the upper 90s and spotting it, throwing breaking balls and change-ups and spotting it.
"There is nobody in the two leagues that I've seen that can match Lester's stuff. About the only other guy, and he's a righthander, is Josh Johnson with the Marlins."
Since May 31, Lester is 10-2 with a 2.02 ERA. He has 149 strikeouts in 1291/3 innings, a ratio of 10.37 whiffs per nine innings, the best of any starting pitcher in that span.
Orioles rookie is done for the year
Brian Matusz has been shut down by the Baltimore Orioles, who are wary of overextending the rookie lefthander. The 22-year-old went 5-2 with a 4.63 ERA in eight starts, tossing seven innings of four-hit ball at Yankee Stadium on Saturday in his final 2009 appearance.
"I'm really proud of my progress," he said.
Noteworthy
An 8-4 win at Baltimore last night ended Tampa Bay's 11-game losing streak, the longest in either league this season. . . . Melvin Mora played his 793d game at third base, which ranks second in Orioles history behind Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson (2,870). . . . Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney had his three-game suspension reduced to two games. He fired a ball into the stands in frustration after a save at Tampa Bay on Sept. 4. Rodney sat out last night and will miss tonight's game, too. . . . Outfielder Waldo Rosario of the Rays' organization received a 50-game suspension (to be served in 2010) for testing positive for a banned substance in the Dominican summer league. . . . The Yankees added outfielder Freddy Guzman to their 40-man roster, making him eligible for the postseason.
Contact staff writer Don McKee at 215-854-4611 or
dmckee@phillynews.com.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
