Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki became the third player since 1900 to collect 1,000 hits in less than 700 games when he singled in the bottom of the first inning on Tuesday against Philadelphia.

　　Suzuki lined the second pitch from Jon Lieber off the wall in right field to reach the 1,000-hit plateau in 696 games.

　　Chuck Klein reached the mark in 1933 after 683 games, and Lloyd Waner reached it in 1932 in 686 games.

　　"Rather than thinking about the number 1,000, I was more concerned about the way I have been performing," Suzuki said through his translator.

　　Suzuki was 1-for-4 on Tuesday after going just 5-for-28 on Seattle's recent road trip.

　　Since joining the Mariners in 2001, Suzuki has led the league in hitting twice and broke George Sisler's season record of 257 hits set in 1920. Suzuki finished with 262 hits last season.

　　Meanwhile, Hideki Matsui's playing streak is alive and well.

　　Despite injuring his right ankle over the weekend, Matsui was in the lineup for New York's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, the 388th straight game he's played in since joining the Yankees.

　　Matsui, who normally plays the outfield, was in the lineup as a designated hitter.

　　He wasted little time showing he was ready to play, homering to right-center on the first pitch he saw in the second inning from Pittsburgh starter Kip Wells.

　　Matsui singled in the fourth and scored on a single by Jorge Posada.

　　In the fifth, with runners on first and second and none out, he hit into a double play.

　　With the Yankees up 7-0 in the sixth, Matsui was replaced by pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra.

　　(The Associated Press)