Ulcer knocks out Mariners' Ichiro

The Seattle Mariners placed Ichiro Suzuki on the disabled list Friday due to a bleeding ulcer that was causing the star outfielder severe fatigue.

Doctors in Arizona diagnosed Ichiro, 35, with the ailment after he missed Seattle's final three spring-training games. The Mariners said the ulcer is no longer bleeding, but doctors have restricted his activity.

The move to the DL was retroactive to March 31, meaning Ichiro will miss at least the first eight contests of the regular season, ending his consecutive games played streak at 197.

Seattle plays its opener on Monday in Minnesota.

"It was a very difficult decision to place Ichiro on the disabled list, especially since we know what a fierce competitor he is and how important it is to him to help the team," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "However, we determined it was in both his best interest, and the best interest of the club, to place him on the DL at this time."

Ichiro helped Japan win its second-straight World Baseball Classic earlier this month, banging out four hits in the final against South Korea on March 23.

Last season with the Mariners, Ichiro batted .310 and stole 43 bases. The 2001 American League MVP exceeded 200 hits for the eighth time in eight major-league seasons.

This is the first trip to the DL for Ichiro, who has missed just 16 games in his big-league career and only three games in the last five seasons.