Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki became the third player since 1900 to collect 1,000 hits in less than 700 games when he singled in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday against Philadelphia.
Suzuki lined the second pitch from Jon Lieber off the wall in right field to reach the 1,000-hit plateau in 696 games. Chuck Klein reached the mark in 1933 after 683 games, and Lloyd Waner reached it in 1932 in 686 games.
"Rather than thinking about the number 1,000, I was more concerned about the way I have been performing," Suzuki said through his translator. Suzuki was 1-for-4 on Tuesday after going just 5-for-28 on Seattle's recent road trip.
Since joining the Mariners in 2001, Suzuki has led the league in hitting twice and broke George Sisler's season record of 257 hits set in 1920. Suzuki finished with 262 hits last season.
Gil Meche pitched eight strong innings to help Seattle snap Philadelphia's six-game winning streak with a 3-1 vicory.
Meche (6-4) allowed one run and three hits, struck out four and allowed just two runners past first. Eddie Guardado earned his 18th save in 19 chances.
Dave Hansen homered in the seventh inning and drove in two runs for Seattle
Jon Lieber (8-5) was the loser.
Cardinals 7, Blue Jays 0
Chris Carpenter pitched a one-hitter against his former team, and Larry Walker homered twice to the lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Toronto Blue Jays 7-0.
Facing the Blue Jays for the first time since they cut him in 2002, Carpenter (9-4) allowed only Russ Adams' two-out double down the right-field line in the sixth. Carpenter then closed the game by retiring his last 10 batters.
"I was thinking about a no-hitter, no question about it. I thought I had a chance," Carpenter said.
His previous best outing was a two-hitter on April 15, 1999, against Tampa Bay.
The 30-year-old right-hander struck out 10 and walked one for his second shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. He threw 95 pitches, 68 for strikes.
"I'm sure the Jays are missing him right now," Cardinals outfielder Walker said.
Walker hit a two-run homer off Chad Gaudin (1-2) in the first, and a two-run shot off Gaudin in the fifth.
Red Sox 7, Reds 0
At Boston, David Wells held Cincinnati hitless for 5 2-3 innings before leaving after seven innings of one-hit ball, and Manny Ramirez homered for the third consecutive game as Boston blanked Cincinnati.
Wells (5-4) struck out five and allowed two walks to win his third consecutive decision.
The left-hander got Dane Sardinha on a fly ball to center field for the second out in the sixth before Ryan Freel lined a single to right-center to end the no-hit bid. Wells already has a perfect game to his credit: He pitched one for the Yankees in 1998.
Mike Timlin and Keith Foulke each pitched a perfect inning to complete the one-hitter.
Luke Hudson (1-1) allowed three runs on four hits and three walks, striking out five in five innings.
Yankees 9, Pirates 0
At New York, Mike Mussina pitched a five-hitter, Hideki Matsui homered, and the New York Yankees beat Pittsburgh in the teams' first meeting since Bill Mazeroski's won the 1960 World Series for the Pirates with a ninth-inning homer in Game 7.
With owner George Steinbrenner watching from his private box, the Yankees put on a performance worthy of their US$205 million payroll. New York was coming off a 3-9 road trip.
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