Perhaps it wasn’t a sold-out standing ovation that he might have received had he broken the record at Safeco Field, but Ichiro Suzuki received plenty of appreciation from the small Seattle crowd before Tuesday’s game with the Chicago White Sox.

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong and general manager Jack Zduriencik presented Ichiro with two commemorative plaques before the game. One was a celebration of achieving his 2,000 major league hit, the other was in honor of his most recent accomplishment of nine consecutive 200-hit seasons, breaking the record of eight in a row set by “Wee” Willie Keeler more than a century ago. That plaque featured pictures of Ichiro recording the 200th hit in each of the nine seasons.

Before the game, manager Don Wakamatsu lamented the fact that Ichiro didn’t accomplish either feat at home. Ichiro recorded his 200th hit on a rainy Sunday in Texas, and it was somewhat overshadowed by the Seahawks opening their season.

“It was a tough scenario to break the record on the second game of a doubleheader and it rained and it was late,” Wakamatsu said. “We all would have cherished the opportunity to break it here. But I think he wanted to get it done, and we all wanted him to accomplish that.”

While the record is an accomplishment, Wakamatsu said he believes that the significance and the difficulty to reach such a mark may be lost on the average fan.

“It’s an awfully special record,” Wakamatsu said. “I’ve read a lot of the dialogue going on around baseball. But for me, if you polled the great players within the game, whether it’s Derek Jeter or A-Rod or Mark Teixeira, all these guys and you asked them how special that is, I think you’d get a greater appreciation from the guys that have to do it every day.”

Wakamatsu also cited his experience with the Rangers’ Michael Young, who had five consecutive 200-hit seasons and how difficult it was for him to try and reach a sixth before finishing with 183 hits in 2008.

The fact that the Houston Astros have only one player – Craig Biggio in 1998 – in franchise history to get 200 hits in a season, or no player for the Tampa Bay Rays ever reached that level, or that prior to Ichiro joining the Mariners, only Alex Rodriguez had gotten 200 hits in a season (1996 and 1998) for Seattle seem to justify Wakamatsu’s belief.

“It’s an unbelievable record. That’s why it’s taken 100 years to break it,” Wakamatsu said.

Yet it hasn’t quite resonated nationally, either. It’s not quite as notable as records relating to home runs or RBI.

“We’re kind of the society that cherishes the home run and power and all that stuff,” Wakamatsu said. “That’s what make it so special is that his peers really understand. You go through the greats like Rod Carew or Tony Gwynn – guys that are known for being good hitters – and ask them how special that record is and you’ll get a greater appreciation for it.”

Now the question becomes whether Ichiro can do it again. Wakamatsu said it will be a question of health. Ichiro has been durable but did miss time twice this year with an ulcer and a strained calf.

“I think you are looking at 10 (seasons of 200 hits) first off, then 11, but the biggest thing is to stay healthy for the 3,000 (hits) over here,” Wakamatsu said.

Wakamatsu then paused and summed up his feelings.

“He’s one of the greatest players I’ll ever witness playing,” he said.

Silva activated from DL

Carlos Silva has made his return to the Mariners, being activated off the 60-day disabled list shortly before Tuesday’s game. To make room for Silva, reliever Sean White was put on the 60-day disabled list with tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, ending his season.

On Tap

Left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith (3-3, 3.88 ERA) will get the start for the Mariners, while right-hander Gavin Floyd (11-10, 3.98 ERA) will go for the White Sox. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.