Suziki is now oldest to start in center field

By The Associated Press

Manager Don Mattingly made out the Miami Marlins’ lineup unaware he was making Ichiro Suzuki the oldest player to start a game in center field since at least 1900.

“He doesn’t play like that,” said Mattingly, who learned of the achievement after the game.

When Suzuki, 43, started in Miami’s 4-2 win Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, he surpassed the record held by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who was a month younger when he started in center in 2002 for the Boston Red Sox.

Suzuki went 0 for 4, dropping his average to .200, but reached on an error and scored in the first inning, and had four putouts in center. He has played in 63 games this season, mostly as a pinch hitter.

Yankees

Outfielder Aaron Hicks will go on the disabled list after injuring his ribcage on the right side on a check swing in the first inning. Hicks, 27, was removed from a 7-6 loss to the Texas Rangers before the fifth inning. He was told his recovery would take three to four weeks. Hicks was 1 for 2 in the game, lifting his average this season to .290 with a .398 on-base percentage. Hicks has 10 home runs and 37 RBIs, and general manager Brian Cashman has said he should be an All-Star candidate. Manager Joe Girardi said the Yankees might activate outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury from the disabled list for a game against the Chicago White Sox Monday. Ellsbury has been out since May 24 with a concussion but played his second minor league rehab game with Class AAA Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Sunday.

Mets

New York has promoted Tim Tebow from Class A to Class A Advanced. Tebow, 29, has been with the Class A Columbia Fireflies in South Carolina since the end of spring training, playing as an outfielder and as a designated hitter. Before Columbia’s game Sunday, he was hitting .222 with 3 home runs, 69 strikeouts and a .651 on-base plus slugging percentage in 63 games. But Tebow has recently improved in certain aspects, such as power, on-base percentage and exit velocity. So he will join the Class A Advanced St. Lucie Mets, in Port St. Lucie, Fla., taking his talents back to the state where he won the 2007 Heisman Trophy.