Suzuki

Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki, a three-time MVP in Japan, is named American League Most Valuable Player, only the second rookie so honored. (Article, 2d )

George Horton ran a college baseball powerhouse at Cal State-Fullerton, the kind of program that had no place for someone like Kurt Suzuki. Horton had never seen or heard of Suzuki before a scout pal mentioned the high schooler in Hawaii. "We didn't know a whole heck of a lot about him," Horton said. "We heard from our network of friends that this little catcher from Maui wanted to come and walk on at Fullerton. " On an island with 160,000 permanent residents, Suzuki played against five or six high schools.

General Motors Corp. said yesterday that it would sell most of its stake in Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp. to raise $2 billion in cash while it accelerates efforts to reduce its U.S. hourly work force through buyouts. GM is in talks with the United Auto Workers about offering thousands of workers early retirement to reduce the ranks of its hourly workers from about 105,000 in the United States. At the same time, GM is negotiating with Delphi Corp. to take back some workers from the bankrupt supplier, which GM spun off in 1999, and avert a costly strike.

May was the worst month in Ichiro Suzuki's career, as he hit .210 with a .270 on-base percentage. Oddly the Mariners played great, seemingly proving the theory that for a future Hall of Famer he has very little impact on winning. … What does Jair Jurrjens have in common with Lefty Gomez, Randy Johnson and Ubaldo Jimenez? According to Elias Sports, those are the only big-leaguers ever to begin a season with nine straight starts of six-plus innings allowing two or fewer runs in each game.

Late Orioles game: Last night's game between the Orioles and Mariners ended too late to be included in this edition. A complete report can be found in later editions or on the Internet at http://www.sunspot.net. SEATTLE - Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki owns the Far Eastern equivalent of Brady Anderson sideburns, seven batting titles and a hitting style unique to the American game. After his dazzling performance during Tuesday night's 3-2 win over the Orioles at Safeco Field, Suzuki also had earned a measure of respect rarely accorded any rival player at first sight.

CLEVELAND - It was only Saturday afternoon that Charlie Manuel deadpanned how he manages best when he manages least. Yesterday's 6-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners before a stunned, even angry Jacobs Field crowd might cause the Cleveland Indians' manager to reconsider his position. Nine outs from completing one of the most unlikely feats in postseason history, the Indians unraveled behind their suddenly ineffective starting pitcher and a slow-hand manager during an unsightly seventh inning that may well have turned a Division Series.

The Orioles haven't had an American League batting champion since Frank Robinson's Triple Crown year of 1966, and unless Melvin Mora starts hitting like it's May again, it probably won't happen again this year. Mora had a nice run, and so did Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, but now it's starting to look like Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki will run away with the crown. Suzuki, who won the batting title as a rookie when he hit .350 in 2001, took over the lead on Tuesday after going 6-for-6 in a doubleheader against the Orioles.

SAN DIEGO -- Of the 480 ballplayers listed on the final rosters of the World Baseball Classic, more than 170 played in the major leagues last season. Only two, Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and Texas Rangers reliever Akinori Otsuka, are still in the hunt for the inaugural title. Title game Cuba vs. Japan, 9 tonight, ESPN

SEATTLE - Orioles catcher Geronimo Gil has had a lot of thrills as a rookie this season, and throwing out Seattle Mariners speedster Ichiro Suzuki on an attempted stolen base Friday night ranks right near the top. Suzuki had been successful on 15 of his first 19 attempts this season, but when he tried running after drawing a nine-pitch walk to start the third inning, the Orioles nabbed him. Scott Erickson, who has one of the Orioles' quickest deliveries to...

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. - Just as commissioner Bud Selig concluded his morning lamentation about baseball's growing salary disparity, the Seattle Mariners found another way to fuel this winter's free-agent frenzy. The Mariners yesterday secured the negotiating rights to seven-time Pacific League batting champion Ichiro Suzuki for a staggering $13.125 million. The Mariners have 30 days to agree on a contract with the Japanese outfielder, whose talents are likened to those of Cleveland Indians center fielder Kenny Lofton.

The Mariners know they're going to hit Chone Figgins (above) second, behind Ichiro Suzuki, but they aren't as clear about where they will play him. Third base, replacing Adrian Beltre, seems the likely spot, but he could move to second if they deal Jose Lopez, as is rumored. Left field, where the White Sox considered him, is also a possibility. … It appears teams are starting to take a last shot at re-signing their big-name free agents. The Cardinals made an offer to Matt Holliday, and the Yankees are talking to Johnny Damon (whom they see as a part-time left fielder, part-time DH)

Auto sales in the U.S. remain severely depressed, but results released by automakers Wednesday pointed to what could be the first signs of a recovery after a long and bleak run. The industry as a whole declined 28 percent in June compared with a year ago, according to Autodata Corp., with 859,847 cars and light trucks sold, its smallest dip since September. Ford Motor Co., the nation's second-largest automaker, led the way, with a modest 11 percent decline in sales in June, compared with a year earlier, its smallest slide in more than a year.

MLB payrolls drop by $47M from 2008 baseball The recession has hit baseball salaries. Teams cut payrolls for their active rosters and disabled lists by $47 million from Opening Day in 2008 to the first day of this season, according to an analysis by the Associated Press. That comes out to a decline of 1.7 percent. The drop is the first since 2004 and just the second since the 1994-1995 strike. Sixteen of the 30 clubs cut payroll. Among those who lowered spending - the mighty New York Yankees.

Gary Sheffield plans to go for No. 500 with the New York Mets. One home run shy of the milestone, Sheffield reached a contract agreement with New York on Friday, three days after he was released by the Detroit Tigers. Just hours before opening their beaming new ballpark Friday night with an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox, the Mets made another splash by acquiring the outspoken Sheffield. He is expected to be in New York on Saturday, and the deal is contingent on him passing a physical, general manager Omar Minaya said.

SEATTLE -- The Orioles had to overcome another poor outing by Adam Loewen on Thursday night and a five-run deficit to eventually take a two-run lead, thanks to a four-run seventh inning that was highlighted by Adam Jones' two-run double against his former team. That lead was quickly eliminated in the bottom of the inning when Ichiro Suzuki hit a game-tying, two-run home run off the suddenly vulnerable Jamie Walker. But just as the Orioles started to fret about losing their lead, Brian Roberts put his team back in front with a homer leading off the eighth inning.

Unsweetened relief Orioles manager Dave Trembley used four relievers in the seventh inning, with Jamie Walker being the least effective. Walker faced three batters and didn't retire any. Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer off him that gave Seattle a 4-3 lead. Richie Sexson and Kenji Johjima singled before Trembley brought in Chad Bradford, who allowed a run-scoring single to Jose Lopez. Ibanez gets hot Ibanez hadn't homered in 31 games and 116 at-bats before connecting against starter Steve Trachsel leading off the second.

The generous run support that had accompanied Jose Mercedes ended last night. So did his knack for picking up the Orioles after a loss. The only continuation was the Orioles' streak of futility against Kansas City pitching. For that, they stand alone. Mercedes couldn't hang with the Royals' Mac Suzuki, allowing a game-turning homer to Joe Randa in the sixth inning and leaving after four batters reached in the seventh in a 7-0 loss to Kansas City before an announced crowd of 43,827 at Camden Yards.

Chad Bradford, Orioles reliever What makes Ichiro Suzuki one of the toughest outs in the league? Even when you feel like you beat him, he hits a ground ball and he can leg it out. He's tough. If you make a mistake, he's going to hurt you. And even if you don't make a mistake, he can slap it over the left side and leg it out.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Leading up to the first pitch of the 78th Major League All Star Game last night at AT&T Park, the focus was on two of the greatest all-around outfielders in the sport's history: Barry Bonds and Willie Mays. Once the dust settled, though, it was another star outfielder who stole the show and provided what has become a predictable result: one more win for the American League. Buoyed by the first inside-the-park homer in All-Star Game history -- a rattling smash to right by Seattle Mariners star and game Most Valuable Player Ichiro Suzuki -- the AL won, 5-4, before an announced crowd of 43,965 to secure World Series home-field advantage for the fifth consecutive year.