Ichiro finally gets a hit as Giants and Mariners tie

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ichiro was bound to get a hit again. It finally happened Thursday.

The perennial All-Star and hit machine got his first of the spring while his Seattle Mariners tied the San Francisco Giants 3-3 in 10 innings.

"We can all sleep tonight," Mariners manager John McLaren said, chuckling.

Suzuki's 0-for-21, one short of his career-long slump in the regular season from 1995, had become an international curiosity. The pack of Japanese media who chronicle Suzuki's every move had been breathless over the drought. McLaren made daily jokes about it. And Suzuki said it was "fun" because it gave him an unusual early season challenge.

"I'm not sure what my next challenge is," he said through his interpreter after Thursday's pseudo-breakthrough. "I'm sad to say goodbye."

His fun ended with an infield single in the first inning that was a routine chop a few steps to the left of Giants second baseman Eugenio Velez. Reserve first baseman Justin Leone inexplicably ranged too far toward the ball. By the time starting pitcher Kevin Correia realized he had to cover first base, the speedy Suzuki was on his way to the gift single.

"I stood there for a second because it looked like a regular ground ball to second," Correia said. "The first thing I thought was, 'There's no way I'm going to beat him.' That's not a position you want to be in."

Mariners head trainer Rick Griffin stood at the top step of the dugout, motioning for Correia to throw out the ball -- part of Seattle's joke to Suzuki to commemorate the initial hit. Correia and plate umpire Mike Everitt both looked at Griffin like he was nuts.

"He told me to get him the ball," Griffin said of Suzuki. "The umpire didn't think I was serious."

Suzuki jokingly said he was planning to keep the ball "and send it to Cooperstown. But we couldn't get the ball back."

Suzuki's longest hitless streak in the regular season also ended with an infield single in the first inning, on Aug. 6, 2005, at the Chicago White Sox.

Correia, previously a spot starter now in San Francisco's rotation, allowed nine of the first 12 Mariners to reach base. Six of those came on hits, but only two runs scored. With the bases loaded in the second, Correia struck out Richie Sexson looking at an inside fastball and then got Brad Wilkerson swinging to end the inning.

In the third Miguel Cairo, released last season by the New York Yankees and St. Louis, hit a home run off Correia that soared over the 410-foot sign in center field and onto a grass berm.

Cairo doesn't have a home run in his last 556 at-bats of the regular season, dating to 2005. It's the second-longest ongoing homerless streak in the major leagues behind Juan Pierre's 722.

Correia allowed seven hits and three runs in 2 2-3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Jarrod Washburn, Seattle's No. 4 starter, allowed six singles and two runs in five innings. He struck out one and walked one.

"That was the best I've felt this spring," he said.

The left-hander with a self-described "horrible" move also picked two men off first base.

"It's spring training. There are young guys on the bases. You can look at them and say, 'Yeah, they're going to run,"' Washburn said, smiling.