M's Notes: Ichiro has hit record stride

For those who can vaguely remember when Ichiro was struggling early in the season, here's a stunning fact: He entered Wednesday's game with 89 hits in Seattle's first 60 games — the same number of hits he had after 60 games in 2004, when he set the major-league record with 262 hits.

That's what happens when you hit .371 in May and .545 (12 for 22) in the first five games of June, as Ichiro had done before he hit a home run in the first inning Wednesday.

In fact, Ichiro's .350 average heading into Wednesday (89 for 254) was even higher than his .335 mark (89 for 266) after 60 games in 2004, when he won his second batting title at .372.

For the record, however, the 89 hits aren't even close to Ichiro's best start. That occurred in 1994 in Japan, when he had 100 hits through 89 games on the way to a record 210 hits (in 130 games) for the Orix BlueWave.

"We've all known he's amazing for a long time, so at some point in time we should all stop being surprised at what he can do," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "I think the measure of his talent is we're always surprised because it's so unusual for a guy to be able to do what he does on an every-year basis."

And also on an every-day basis. Ichiro played in his 300th consecutive game Wednesday, extending his team record. Hargrove said he expects Ichiro to play in 162 games again this year if he stays healthy, though some of them may be as a designated hitter.

"In Japan, the core players are expected to play, even during spring training and exhibition games, because fans come to watch them play," Ichiro said. "For some, it could be their only chance to see them play.

"That's the Japanese style, so it's possible that we — me and Jo [catcher Kenji Johjima, who has played more innings than any major-league catcher] — have been influenced by that. The main thing for me is: If my team needs me to play, I want to play."

Mariners arm selves

For the Mariners, the second day of the amateur draft Wednesday produced 20 more pitchers among their 32 picks in rounds 19 through 50.

All told in the two-day event, the team selected 34 pitchers out of 50 picks, including seven left-handers. They drafted nine infielders, two catchers and five outfielders.

Local products picked by Seattle on Wednesday included right-handed pitcher Cam Nobles out of Jackson High School (19th round) and right-handed pitcher Kyle Parker, a Washington Husky from Yakima. Nobles played on Jackson's undefeated Class 4A state title team, while Parker was 3-2 with a 6.86 earned-run average for the Huskies this year.

The Mariners re-drafted two players from their 2005 draft — outfielder Joe Agreste of Potomac State College (32nd round this year, 38th in '05) and right-handed pitcher Phillip Roy of Miami Dade Community College (39th round this year, 43rd in '05).

"Overall, we're extremely pleased with the quality of players we drafted," said Mariners scouting director Bob Fontaine. "The last few years, we spent a lot of time looking at position players and trying to shore that up. This year was a good opportunity to load up on arms, and that's exactly what we did."