KANSAS CITY —

Ichiro homered leading off the game and ended it with a spectacular defensive play as the Seattle Mariners rallied past the Kansas City Royals 7-6 on Tuesday. Ichiro hit his seventh home run of the season in the first inning off Luke Hochevar, hitting the right-field foul pole. Ichiro singled to left in the third and went 2-for-5 with three runs scored, his third straight two-hit game.

Elsewhere, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (4-5) picked up his first win at Dodger Stadium this season after pitching six effective innings in a 17-4 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers. Kuroda gave up three runs on nine hits with a walk and seven strikeouts in his seventh start of the season at home. Hideki Matsui went 1-for-4 with a ninth-inning solo homer as the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3. Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome finished 2-for-5 with a leadoff homer in the first inning and an RBI single in a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Kyodo News Service

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3 Comments

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  Ninjazilla at 07:22 PM JST - 5th August

  thats alot of homers.

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  Hotbox08 at 07:39 PM JST - 5th August

  thats alot of homers.

  Good point. It was Ichiro's 30th career leadoff homer, placing him third on the all-time list. Of course, Rickey Henderson has the most with 81.

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  helloklitty at 02:30 PM JST - 9th August

  The incomparable Rickey Henderson.

  After the game, Ichiro said that his game-ending catch was easier than "having to talk to you guys (the media)".

  Meanwhile, after today's game, Mauer leads Ichiro for the batting title by .366 to .362.

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