By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

It has little bearing on a pennant race that the lowly Seattle Mariners have been out of since, oh, about Memorial Day.

And watching Ichiro Suzuki chop three-bounce singles through the infield lacks the majesty of seeing Barry Bonds splash baseballs into McCovey Cove chasing Hank Aaron's career home run record.

But for the considerable backseat it has taken on the stage of Major League Baseball's final month of the regular season, Suzuki's pursuit of George Sisler's 84-year old record for hits (257) in a season is remarkable feat unto itself.

Entering today's game, Suzuki trails Sisler by seven hits with eight games remaining.

In an era of SportsCenter-filled blasts, Suzuki reminds us regularly of what the science of hitting is all about, one well-crafted 4-for-4 game at a time.

In a time when names like Sisler, Rogers Hornsby and "Wee Willie" Keeler are recalled mostly by oldtimers and historians, Suzuki has provided a reason to reflect on a glorious past and those who lived it by also "hitting them where they ain't." Curiously, an import from Japan gives us pause to examine closer the game in all its dimensions on these shores.

The man with the Day-glo sunglasses and bat control of a samurai swordsman has made an art of the single, which accounts for 85 percent of his hits. In a blur of 3.6-second speed to first base he's proved that anything hit on the ground gives him a sprinter's chance of reaching base safely.

Anybody who saw Suzuki play in the Hawai'i Winter Baseball League for Hilo in 1993, where he debuted with a 4-for-4 performance and never looked back, got a sneak preview of what could be the Cooperstown-bound future.

If he goes that far it will be by confounding stat freaks and fantasy leaguers who too often measure value in terms of power and walks, both of which he has eschewed in pursuit of hits. Suzuki's impatience with walks is a reason he's unlikely to flirt with the .400 mark Sisler twice reached with the St. Louis Browns.

For two men who come from an ocean and eras apart, Sisler (1915-30) and Suzuki share some similarities beyond their relative under-six-foot, 170-pound size. Both are known as all-around players, gifted and polished practitioners of defense, offense and base running. Ty Cobb had called Sisler, "the closest thing to a perfect player." Suzuki has also amazed with his speed, arm and fielding.

Both were, at times in their careers, accomplished pitchers. Suzuki giving the mound up after a bicycle accident and Sisler switched to first where he could be in the lineup everyday. Indeed, Sisler often said his proudest moments in the game including twice out-dueling Walter Johnson.

For a remarkable season, Suzuki's pursuit of Sisler and history has become a drama not to be missed.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.