The visits were done without fanfare. Four times Ichiro Suzuki has visited the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is not only a star; he is a fan of the game. The Yankees outfielder told The Post he finds a certain peace there that puts baseball in the proper perspective for him.

"It is pure,'' Ichiro said of Cooperstown, where he will be enshrined someday as a player. He belongs there.

He also belongs in the leadoff spot more often for the Yankees and showed that again yesterday in an 8-2 pounding of the Twins at Target Field. Ichiro produced two more hits, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, batting .487 over that span.