The Seattle Mariners are a team now known for their one-two punch of Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. But the batting side is where trouble awaits. Many years ago, Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre were signed on to help Ichiro Suzuki in the batting department. That didn’t work out too well. Now, Ichiro still has nobody to help him. Ken Griffey Jr. is an all-time great who brings nostalgia to the team, but not much else. Aside from Ichiro, only one other player on the Mariners is even batting .250 this year. Chone Figgins was supposed to be a great acquisition, but his batting average is not even .200 more than mine is.

Cliff Lee has proven to be a great pick-up for Seattle. However, they clearly did not focus enough on batting. Ichiro continues to be his usual great self, but he is climbing up in age. At this rate, by the time he retires, the Mariners won’t have anyone batting over .250. The Mariners need serious batting help. Until then, I hope they will at least find the need to get employees for playoff viewing parties.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

CLEVELAND — Don Wakamatsu couldn’t watch. David Aardsma, who threw it, had a sickening first thought that it was going out of the ballpark. Tie score.

Victor Martinez, who hit it, thought so, too. But then he remembered who was out in right field. That would be Ichiro, who raced down Martinez’s two-out, ninth-inning drive with a leaping catch at the right-field wall Sunday to preserve the Mariners’ 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. “The only thing that was in my mind as soon the ball made contact with the bat was to catch it,” Ichiro said afterward, through interpreter Ken Barron. “Just like a dog chasing after a Frisbee.”

Click here to read the full article – By Larry Stone of Seattle Times

Seattle Mariners Sports Memorabilia
and other Seattle Mariners Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Ichiro Suzuki.

The 35-year-old hit machine, who started the season on the 15-day disabled list and missed the first eight games, more than made up for lost time and was named on Sunday as one of the American League’s starting outfielders for the July 14 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The rosters for both leagues were announced on Sunday during the MLB All-Star Selection Show presented by Pepsi.

Click here to read the full article – By Jim Street of MLB.com

Seattle Mariners Sports Memorabilia
and other Seattle Mariners Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Ichiro Suzuki.