After flirting with baseball’s coveted .400 mark for nearly two months, Twins catcher Joe Mauer came to a recent conclusion.
“I just don’t know if it’s ever going to happen again,” he said.
Nobody’s done it since Ted Williams batted .406 in 1941, and Mauer’s average has slipped from .429 to .373 since June 16.
As the Twins return from the All-Star break on Friday night, it’s time to say goodbye to the .400 talk and hello to a more realistic second-half subject: Mauer’s pursuit of his third batting title in four years.
To win again, Mauer must fend off another two-time winner, Mariners leadoff hitter Ichiro Suzuki, who sits second at .360.
“I always say Ichiro’s going to be at the top every year,” Mauer said. “To be up there and be mentioned with a great player like that is pretty neat.”
Suzuki, 35, tends not to gush about other ballplayers. He made an exception for the Rangers’ Michael Young, who won a batting title in 2005 and has challenged Suzuki annually for the American League hits lead.
Now, Suzuki has made an exception for Mauer. Japanese reporters have seen Suzuki’s eyes light up when he talks about the 26-year-old Twins catcher.
On July 8, when Mauer reached enough plate appearances to qualify for the AL batting lead, he bumped Suzuki from the top spot.
“If Mauer is on top, everything’s OK,” Suzuki told the Japanese press. “If someone you don’t really know is on top, I probably would be a little bit upset or frustrated. But that’s Mauer.”
Suzuki went on to say that he enjoys having a rival of Mauer’s caliber. Magic had Bird. Tiger has Phil. Ichiro has Joe.
“That’s Mauer, no question,” Suzuki said. “There’s no better situation for me.”
Behind Mauer and Suzuki, there’s a surprise entrant in this year’s race: Mauer’s former Twins teammate Jason Bartlett.
Now with Tampa Bay, Bartlett, who entered the season as a career .276 hitter, is batting .347.
“I’m pinching myself right now,” Bartlett said.
Young, whose Rangers play host to the Twins the next three nights, has come to respect both Suzuki and Mauer, in different ways.
“Ichiro has a game kind of all to himself,” Young said. “His style of play is so rare and unique, it makes it easy to see how he gets it done. But Joe doesn’t get many bunt hits, and he catches. For him to consistently throw up these high averages, is just absolutely incredible.”
Any concerns that Monday’s Home Run Derby was affecting Mauer’s swing were alleviated in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, when he delivered a two-out, game-tying double to the opposite field.
After missing April, he spoiled people with a spectacular May, batting .414 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI. June was solid, though less amazing, as Mauer batted .353 with three homers and 11 RBI. So far in July, he’s batting .325 with one homer and six RBIs.
Since returning from the disabled list, he’s played in 64 of the Twins’ 67 games, starting 48 behind the plate.
“In May, I came back feeling great, feeling strong,” Mauer said. “I got sick for a while there. … I think these days off are good. I was a little banged up, but hopefully I can come back after the break and get back after it.”
