Besuboru Like It Oughta Be

Sunday: In a Central League showdown, the first-place Yomiuri Giants beat the second-place Hiroshima Carp 3-1, making up for their worst ever defeat the day before (a 19-5 loss to the Carp). Wednesday: Orix Blue Wave superstar Ichiro Suzuki (left), who tends bonsai in his off-hours, broke a 43-year-old record with his 192nd hit of the season (George Sisler set the U.S. record of 257 in 1920). Friday: Suzuki went hitless as the Pacific Division's first-place Seibu Lions beat the second-place Orix 6-1, moving four games ahead. Rain -- not a labor dispute -- canceled besuboru's other Friday games.