Athletics 5, Mariners 2

123456789 R H E
SEA (72-66) 100001000 2 7 1
OAK (61-76) 00010040 - 5 9 0

Final

 
W:G. Gonzalez (5-5)
L:S. Kelley (4-2)
SV:A. Bailey (23)

Ichiro reaches 2,000 career hits but A's rally past M's

WERE YOU THERE?
Passport

Did you attend this game? If so, start chronicling your sports memories today with ESPN's Sports Passport. Enter the games you attend, upload your photos and share your memories!
I was there »

Photo Wire

Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki of Japan follows through on his 2,000th career hit, a base hit off Oakland Athletics' Gio Gonzalez in the inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

· View photo | View gallery
Regular Season Series
Seattle leads 11-5 (as of Sun 9/6)
Fri 4/10 SEA 5, @OAK 4 Recap
Sat 4/11 SEA 8, @OAK 5 Recap
Sun 4/12 SEA 1, @OAK 0 Recap
Fri 5/1 @SEA 8, OAK 7 Recap
Sat 5/2 OAK 3, @SEA 2 Recap
Sun 5/3 @SEA 8, OAK 7 Recap
Mon 5/25 @OAK 6, SEA 1 Recap
Tue 5/26 @OAK 4, SEA 3 Recap
Wed 5/27 SEA 6, @OAK 1 Recap
Mon 8/24 @SEA 3, OAK 1 Recap
Tue 8/25 @SEA 4, OAK 2 Recap
Wed 8/26 @SEA 5, OAK 3 Recap
Thu 9/3 SEA 7, @OAK 4 Recap
Fri 9/4 SEA 6, @OAK 3 Recap
Sat 9/5 @OAK 9, SEA 5 Recap
>Sun 9/6 @OAK 5, SEA 2 Box Score
Sep 29, 2009 OAK @ SEA 10:10 PM ET
Sep 30, 2009 OAK @ SEA 10:10 PM ET
Oct 1, 2009 OAK @ SEA 10:10 PM ET
· Complete Schedule: Athletics | Mariners
Scoring Summary
SEAOAK
1stJ Lopez singled to left, I Suzuki scored.10
4thL Powell homered to right.11
6thA Beltre singled to center, F Gutierrez scored, M Sweeney to second.21
7thS Hairston homered to left, C Pennington, A Kennedy and R Davis scored.25
· View complete Play-By-Play
Game Information
StadiumOakland-Alameda County Stadium, Oakland, CA
Attendance16,188 (46.2% full) - % is based on regular season capacity
Game Time2:20
Weather64 degrees, sunny
Wind7 mph
UmpiresHome Plate - Jim Reynolds, First Base - Bill Welke, Second Base - James Hoye, Third Base - Ted Barrett
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Scott Hairston took advantage of a second chance. Ichiro took advantage of the second pitch.

Ichiro's 2,000th hit was overshadowed by the go-ahead grand slam Hairston hit in the seventh inning to help the Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners 5-2 Sunday.

Hit Machine

Ichiro Suzuki joined very elite company on Sunday, reaching 2,000 career hits in the second fewest games in MLB history (since 1900).

Player Games Years
Al Simmons 1,390 1924-44
Ichiro Suzuki 1,402 2001-09
George Sisler 1,414 1915-30
Ty Cobb 1,448 1905-28
Lloyd Waner 1,453 1927-45
-- Elias Sports Bureau

Suzuki reached the milestone on a double in the first inning against Gio Gonzalez (5-5), who went a career-high seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits.

"I was very clueless to what happened," Gonzalez said. "He's the first batter, I tried to go inside and he gets a leadoff hit. He did his job and I congratulate him."

Suzuki, who has a 17-game hitting streak against the A's, drilled Gonzalez's second pitch down the right field line for a double and hit No. 2,000.

"No matter what the situation is I want to get a hit as early as possible," Suzuki said through an interpreter. "Personally it's not a big surprise, but looking back to my first spring training when I was criticized, it does have meaning now."

The Mariners' outfielder, who accumulated 1,278 hits in Japan, became the second-fastest to 2,000 hits, recording it in his 1,402 major league game. Al Simmons did it in game 1,390.

"I knew he could play baseball and he's just fun to watch," Mariners' outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. said. "That's a special day for him and for all of us. It's nice to see history made. Five more hits and we get to watch it all over again."

Even before the ball fell in front of the Seattle bullpen, fans stood to cheer Ichiro, who led off a game with a hit for the 215th time.

"He's a special player," Wakamatsu said. "He'll continue to tack on record after record as long as he stays healthy."

Suzuki has 128 hits in Oakland, his favorite road park. His 227 hits against the A's is his second most behind the 239 he's earned against the Texas Rangers.

Suzuki, the 259th player to reach the milestone, went 1 for 4 and needs five more hits for 200 on the season, which would break the record he shares with Willie Keeler at nine consecutive seasons with 200.

Hairston popped up with the bases loaded in the fifth inning against Seattle starter Doug Fister. When he found himself in the same situation two innings later, he delivered.

"He's been struggling lately but the ball jumps off his bat," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He's getting a chance to play every day and he'll only keep getting better."

Hairston made an impression on Geren when he homered twice in a spring training game.

"It was kind of our introduction to him," said Geren. "It was 'Wow, who is that?' Little did we know then he'd be with us a few months later."

Landon Powell also homered for the A's, who won their second straight.

Jose Lopez and Adrian Beltre drove in runs for the Mariners, who had won nine of their previous 13 and seemed on their way in this one before Hairston's slam off Shawn Kelley (4-2).

Fister lasted five innings, giving up a run on six hits before leaving after developing a blister.

"He developed it about the third inning and he did a good job of getting through five," Mariners' manager Don Wakamatsu said. "It's unfortunate because from the beginning it looked he was going to pitch a heck of a game."

Brad Ziegler pitched the eighth and Andrew Bailey got the final three outs for his 23rd save in 27 chances, including the last 18 in a row.

Game notes
Mariners' OF Franklin Gutierrez recorded his AL-leading 12th sacrifice bunt. ... The Mariners have scored in the first or second inning in nine of their past 13 games. ... Gonzalez allowed 31 runs in his first 34 innings at home. ... Bailey tied Oakland's rookie record for saves, matching Huston Street with his 23rd.


Series At A Glance

Series tied 2-2 (as of 9/6)
Details [+]

MLB Scores

Sunday, September 6th
Minnesota 1 Final
Cleveland 3
NY Yankees 8 Final
Toronto 14
Chi Cubs 2 Final
NY Mets 4
Cincinnati 4 Final
Atlanta 2 in 12
Texas 0 Final
Baltimore 7
Florida 4 Final
Washington 5
St. Louis 5 Final
Pittsburgh 6
Detroit 5 Final
Tampa Bay 3
Boston 6 Final
Chi White Sox 1
San Francisco 1 Final
Milwaukee 2 in 12
Philadelphia 3 Final
Houston 4
LA Angels 7 Final
Kansas City 2
Arizona 5 Final
Colorado 13
Seattle 2 Final
Oakland 5
San Diego 4 Final
LA Dodgers 3