Suzuki’s Streak Hits 20 as Seattle Sets Win Record

The quiet man from Japan is content to let his talent do most of his talking.

Ichiro Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 20 games and took over the American League batting lead as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers, 5-1, Thursday.

It was Seattle’s franchise-record 92nd victory. The Mariners won 91 games last year.

“Nothing,” Suzuki replied through a translator when asked what it meant to pass Cleveland’s Roberto Alomar (.345) for the batting lead.

Suzuki had three hits, raising his average to .348. He already owns the longest hitting streak in the AL this season, a 23-game string from April 22 to May 18.

Suzuki leads the majors with 195 hits, and tops the AL with 60 multihit games and 21 three-hit games.

Batting leadoff, Suzuki has been the sparkplug of an offense that hasn’t missed a beat despite the departure of Alex Rodriguez to Texas. The Mariners lead the majors in scoring, averaging 5.9 runs.

“I just play every day,” Suzuki said. “If you say I’ve made a contribution to what this team has accomplished, then that’s your judgment.”

David Bell had his first career two-home run game.

“I don’t hit a whole lot of home runs,” Bell said. “To hit two in a game, it’s something I’ll remember.”

The Mariners (92-36) have 34 games left in their bid to break the AL record of 114 victories by the 1998 New York Yankees.

Rookie Joel Pineiro (3-0) combined with relievers John Halama, Jeff Nelson, Arthur Rhodes and Kazuhiro Sasaki on a three-hitter.

Pineiro was happy to hand the ball over to Seattle’s bullpen, which has 49 saves.

Pineiro gave up one run on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts in five innings.

In the eighth, Bell hit his 14th homer of the season, against Matt Anderson.