Ichiro, Yankees top Mariners

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Wearing the unfamiliar No. 31, Ichiro Suzuki strode to the plate for his first Yankee at-bat in the third to a standing ovation and a charade of cheers from the place he called home for the past 11- plus years.

Suzuki returned the favor to the Seattle faithful with a traditional bow of respect to both sides of the stadium and then fittingly reached out and slapped a solid single to center.

The 38-year-old went 1-for-4 and stole a base in his Yankees debut, while Hiroki Kuroda spun seven innings of one-run ball as New York snapped its season-high four-game losing streak with a 4-1 triumph over the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game set.

"I was on the opposite side today, it looks different being over here," said Suzuki through an interpreter. "But I was kind of worried getting up on that first at bat, but, with the standing ovation, I was really relieved. It was a special day today."

The Yankees acquired Suzuki, who is in the final year of his contract, from the Mariners earlier Monday in exchange for minor league pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar and cash.

"We're excited to have him," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi of Suzuki. "It just changes our lineup when you have a guy that can do the things that he can do."

Suzuki, a 10-time American League All-Star, is Seattle's all-time leader in hits (2,533), runs scored (1,176), triples (79) and at-bats (7,858).

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