TORONTO -- The Ichiro Show has played to rave reviews in the U.S. for the first six weeks of the baseball season. This past weekend, it was a smash hit in its Canadian debut.
During a three-game sweep over the Blue Jays at the SkyDome, Seattle Mariners' outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was the talk of Toronto. He collected nine hits in 15 at-bats, scored seven runs, and on the first pitch of Sunday's finale, extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Following a day off Monday, Ichiro has a chance to reach the 20-game plateau Tuesday against the White Sox. That would be a major-league high this season and move Ichiro closer to the all-time Mariners record of 24 set by Joey Cora in 1997.
Ichiro, whose average now sits at a gaudy .360, has been a hitting machine in his first season abroad. If he keeps it up, he'll be a shoo-in to follow Mariners teammate and Japanese compatriot Kazuhiro Sasaki as American League Rookie of the Year.
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