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May 4--NEW YORK -- Perhaps the last way you figured Kenji Johjima would snap his recent 0-for-8 run -- and his 0-for-20 streak on the road -- was with an infield single.
The Seattle Mariners catcher, who possesses the speed of most catchers, isn't one for legging out soft ground balls.
But in the third inning against the New York Yankees on Saturday, he hit a soft roller to third base and hustled down the line, beating Morgan Ensberg's throw for a hit.
"I don't get many infield hits," Johjima said through translator Antony Suzuki. "I get maybe one a season, so I'm happy it came out today."
But Johjima wasn't through. In the seventh inning, he delivered a more traditional hit, ripping a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield for his first two-hit game since April 16.
Could his slumping bat be revived?
"Two weeks ago, I said the same thing, 'I don't know, but I hope so,' " Johjima said.
It's been a season of highs and lows offensively for Johjima. He started extremely slow with his average dipping well below .200.
He put together a few good games at home to get back above the .200 mark. Then he signed a three-year contract extension worth $24 million and promptly went into another funk, getting one hit in the next four games.
It got to the point that manager John McLaren benched Johjima for two games to clear his head and relax. But Johjima said it had the opposite effect.
"I actually put more pressure on myself because I needed to perform," he said. "I did today, so I'm very happy about it."
During his two days out of the lineup, he worked and talked with hitting coach Jeff Pentland. Johjima decided to go back to basics.
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