Rafael Palmeiro, who has tortured Mariners pitching for years, is likely to reach 3,000 hits at Safeco Field this weekend. He needs just two, and the Orioles will play four games in Seattle, today through Sunday. If he gets to the magic mark here, it will rank among great baseball milestones achieved in Seattle. Five others:

Gaylord wins No. 300. On May 6, 1982, the Hall of Famer earned his 300th win, a 7-3, complete-game victory over the Yankees, witnessed by 27,369 at the Kingdome.

Griffeys make history. On Aug. 31, 1990, the Ken Griffeys, Sr. and Jr., became the first father and son to start the same major-league game. Hitting second and third in the order, they had back-to-back singles in the first inning. A couple weeks later, they became the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs, in Anaheim against Kirk McCaskill.

Nolan Ryan's final game. Ryan's spectacular career came to a not-so-spectacular finish, Sept. 22, 1993 at the Kingdome. He didn't retire a Mariners batter, walking three and allowing two hits, including a grand slam by Dann Howitt (no need to apologize if you don't remember him). Ryan had a 3-1 count on the next batter, Dave Magadan, when he walked off the mound with a torn ligament in the elbow of that magical right arm.

Ripken MVP in final All-Star Game. OK, an All-Star Game MVP award isn't exactly a milestone. But it did come in Ripken's final season, and it's hard to remember a warmer, fuzzier moment for a non-Mariner in a Seattle ballpark.

Ichiro breaks Sisler's hits record. Last Oct. 1, in front of a sellout crowd at Safeco Field, Ichiro lined a 3-2 pitch from Texas starter Ryan Drese past Rangers shortstop Michael Young and into history. Ichiro's 258th hit broke the season record set by George Sisler in 1920.

Bill Reader, assistant sports editor