This time last year, you'd have thought George Sisler was a Mariner, the long-departed St. Louis Browns first baseman was mentioned so much in connection with Seattle baseball.

Of course, the link was Ichiro's inexorable climb to break Sisler's 84-year-old record for hits in a season, which he wound up passing by five to reach 262.

This year, Ichiro's climb has been nowhere near as historic and seemingly much more difficult to reach his annual goal of 200 hits. He is four shy with six games left, all at Safeco Field, starting tonight.

Ichiro acknowledged that while he is hovering at .300, as he has all season, and is close to becoming the only man to open a career with five 200-hit seasons, it has been a different year for him, though he does not admit to it being disappointing.

"After a year like last year, you go into the next season and you don't know where to set your goals," he said through interpreter Allen Turner. "It happened to me in Japan, too. So the following year you just try to put yourself in situations that are realistic.

"Where you can get in trouble is trying to repeat what you did before. When you don't, you start thinking, 'This is not good,' and I cannot apply that much mind control to avoid that."

Ichiro did admit to a letdown this season, and noted that the team's win numbers are the most important, but that everyone drives toward personal numbers, too.

"Individual numbers are important, too, because if everyone has good numbers then the team is doing well," he said. "But I remember thinking earlier this year that maybe I am not playing with the feelings I should have. I struggled with that for some time. You feel stress over so many things, some things that you can't control. You battle and you do what you can."

In reality, his success as a batsman — shooting for gaps, seeming to place balls where they could not be defended — has created problems for him. Infields play two steps in at near double-play depth. They cover the gaps he used to use, and when they get a ball, they get rid of it pronto.

"I don't know how the changed defense has affected me or the numbers I put up," Ichiro said. "I do check out the defense each time I go to hit. If they are worried, that's fine. If they had no fear, if they stayed back as they do for most hitters, then I would not be doing my job."

For good reason. The Mariners have fewer outfield homers — including a half-dozen from departed Randy Winn and Raul Ibanez's total, even if some have come as DH — than a mature Ken Griffey Jr. clouted on average, or Jay Buhner produced in his best year.

Ibanez, Ichiro, Winn and center fielder Jeremy Reed have combined for just 43 home runs.

The Mariners can be expected to seek outfield power this winter. That, combined with converted infielder Mike Morse packing on 20 to 25 pounds of muscle and learning how to turn on a ball, could take care of the issue.

However, what is immeasurable is how much opponent offense the Mariners' outfield defense was able to subtract for balance. It is fair to say that the outfield held its full share of the top defenses in the big leagues.

Ibanez is an underrated defender, but before Winn was traded from left to San Francisco, Seattle's outfield defense might have been the best in the bigs.

Reed is a Gold Glover but probably without the metal, at least until he has produced several more seasons of sensational play, overcoming the offensive bias required of even all-defensive teamers.

Ichiro has had another season that can be expected to produce a Gold Glove, although he has shown his usual individual style of play — not crashing into walls, not diving for balls that appear reachable.

While that is puzzling and even a problem to others in the game, even in his own clubhouse, he is following a principle used by respected players such as the Angels' Garret Anderson.

As one baseball source put it, "Ichiro and Anderson believe, 'You can have me out there for 150 or more games a year, or you can have me for 120, if I get hurt diving or running into things.' Whatever you think of it, that's them."

Bob Finnigan: 206-464-8276 or bfinnigan@seattletimes.com