By Ethen Lieser
| When you are at the top of your game, fans should take note. That’s exactly what happened when Mariners rookie sensation Ichiro Suzuki took the lead in fans’ votes for this year’s All-Star game at Safeco Field in Seattle next month. If Suzuki is selected to start, he will become the first A.L. rookie to accomplish that feat since Minnesota’s Tony Oliva did it in 1964. Suzuki has a nearly 200,000 vote lead over Boston’s Manny Ramirez, who is second in A.L. outfield voting … Other notes: Suzuki rapped his major league-leading 100th hit and blasted his third homer in 280 at-bats on Sunday against the San Diego Padres, who ended the Mariners’ 15-game winning streak on Saturday — A.L.’s longest since 1991. With Suzuki manhandling the lead-off position, the Mariners have won 47 out of their first 60 games. It is the second-best winning percentage after 60 games in major league history. Suzuki, named A.L. Rookie of the Month for May, has crept into second in the A.L. batting race with a .357 average, 18 percentage points behind Ramirez … Former Yankee pitcher Hideki Irabu, now with the Montreal Expos, is scheduled to face Roger Clemens and the Yankees on Wednesday, his first return to Yankee Stadium since he was traded to the Expos before the 2000 season … In the College World Series, University of Nebraska pitcher Shane Komine gave a valiant pitching effort against top-seeded Cal State Fullerton, but lost 5-4. Komine, a 19th round selection in the June 5 First-Year Player Draft, pitched a complete game and registered nine strikeouts … Other draftees: High School shortstop Bronson Sardinha of Kahuka, Hawaii, was selected as the 34th overall pick by the New York Yankees. Long Beach State junior second baseman Kaulana Kuhaulua was picked in the 12th round by the Minnesota Twins … University of Hawaii Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida hired Mike Trapasso, the assistant baseball coach at Georgia Tech, to become the Rainbows’ head baseball coach. Trapasso replaces the legendary Les Murakami, who retired last year after 31 seasons.
Reach Ethen Lieser at elieser@asianweek.com |
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