Larry Stone / Baseball reporter
Ichiro, Edgar celebrations will converge at Safeco Field

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES Ichiro walks back to the dugout after striking out to end the ninth inning yesterday, sending his quest at baseball immortality back home to Safeco Field.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — So it all comes down to one last weekend at Safeco, the swirling emotions of Edgar's long farewell and the mounting anticipation of Ichiro's long record pursuit converging with the welcome end of the Mariners' long, lost season.

Ichiro is so close to George Sisler that the Mariners are beginning to ponder the appropriate way to celebrate. His sharp single off Oakland's Mark Redman in the third inning yesterday was No. 256, eliciting a dugout conversation between Edgar Martinez and Seattle manager Bob Melvin.

"If he ties this thing," Melvin mused to Martinez, "do we all run out there, or do we wait for the record?"

"Well, it is important," responded Martinez.

Said Melvin after the game, which turned into the latest installment in a season of agonizing losses: "We'll have to figure it out on the plane."

There would be no more hits yesterday, and now Ichiro faces the old NBA foul-shooting scenario: Three to make two. But forget about the mortifying thought that he won't squeeze out the pair of hits necessary to make him the season hits champion. No less a batting authority than Martinez guaranteed it.

"I know he'll get them," Martinez said. "He'll get more than two."

And when he does, the Mariners are curious to see how the ever-stoic Ichiro will celebrate.

"I don't see him running around the stadium and giving high-fives," said Melvin, recalling Cal Ripken Jr.'s exultant reaction to breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games mark. "We might get a smile out of him."

There were no smiles out of Ichiro yesterday afternoon, not when he had just trudged off the field following Bobby Crosby's game-ending homer in the ninth inning. Ichiro was not accepting any questions about his record chase, which severely limited the potential queries. That's like interviewing Lance Armstrong and not being allowed to ask him about that whole Tour de France thing.
 
Ichiro did deign to say he hoped to "finish strong" and "not have any regrets."

Now the traveling road show of Japanese media chronicling his every move will head north for the final three games against Texas. One person who welcomes the intrusion into what had been set up as a three-day-long Edgar Martinez love-fest was, not surprisingly, Martinez, who never relishes being the focus of attention.

"It's easier for me now, with all that distraction going to him," Martinez said, smiling.

Word had it that the Mariners were to give their beloved teammate a champagne toast on the plane ride home from Oakland. Bret Boone, more than most, has a feel for what sort of bittersweet emotions will be awaiting Martinez tomorrow, when he will be honored on the field after the game, and especially on Sunday, when it all ends.

"I remember when my dad (former major-league catcher Bob Boone) retired," Boone said. "My dad went 19 years. I had never seen my dad cry. He called me — he was driving home — and I could tell he was all choked up. Because it's all you know. It's your life. It's something you've been doing since you were a little kid. And all of a sudden, after Sunday, Edgar's never going to play a game again.

"I think he's at peace with it. I think he's ready. He knows for sure it's time. But still, when it first hits you, there's going to be a lot of emotions. It's going to hit you like a brick wall. That's probably the last time Edgar will swing a bat, something he's been doing since he was 5 years old. Sure, that's going to hit you, hit you hard."

But then Boone remembered something else his dad said on that call, a sentiment that will no doubt be shared by Edgar.

"He said, 'Bret, you know what? I'll never have to chase that ... slider in the dirt again.' "

Martinez, for his part, will be doing his darndest to keep his emotions in check, at least until he gets through his speech tomorrow night.

"One thing I'm trying to avoid," he said, "is being too emotional. I want to be able to express my appreciation to the people who have been so great to me over the years — my family, teammates, friends. I don't want my emotion to get in the way of what I want to express."

As for Ichiro, he thrives on minimizing emotion while shutting out all outside distractions. No one, in fact, does it better, which helps explain how he holds up through the stress of constant scrutiny and what will be a 700-plus at-bat season.

"The game doesn't go real fast for him," Melvin said. "He can slow it down. Which is one of the reasons he's so successful, and so consistent."

But that's getting more challenging with each successive hit, bringing the record not just within shouting distance, but now within whispering distance. The reminders are constant, from the specially marked baseballs that enter the game for each at-bat, to the photographers who snap away on each pitch.

"He's a routine guy," said Melvin, "but when you're on the verge, you can't help but think about it. I'm sure he'll reflect on the way home and think about what's coming up. I guess he's going to save it for the hometown folks."

That breed has suffered endlessly this season, the Mariners receding so far from contention that Melvin is likely to be managing his final three games after just two years.

But for this weekend, at least, the story line is not gloom and underachievement.

It's all about Ichiro taking one small step to Sisler, and Edgar taking one giant leap away from those sliders in the dirt.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com

Ichiro's at-bats
Ichiro went 1 for 5 and now has 256 hits, one short of the season record. A look at each of Ichiro's at-bats yesterday:
	Pitcher	Result
1st	Mark Redman	Grounded out to first	0 for 1
3rd	Redman	Single to right, RBI	1 for 2
5th	Redman	Struck out swinging	1 for 3
7th	Richardo Rincon	Lined out to left	1 for 4
9th	Octavio Dotel	Struck out swinging	1 for 5