OAKLAND, Calif. — Kurt Suzuki stood in front of his locker, answering the same questions he's answered at least a hundred times before in the last month. Yes, he's happy to be the Oakland A's starting catcher. Yes, he's still adjusting to his new role. Yes, he's getting more comfortable behind the dish and with his swing.

And yes, he's quite aware of his place in baseball's record books as one half of the first-ever all-Hawaiian battery in major league history — pitcher Shane Komine being the other half.

It's just that with the Kansas City Royals in town and the A's trying to climb out of their season-long hole, the 23-year-old rookie has more important things on his mind.

"It's cool but I don't think it's as big as everybody makes it out to be," Suzuki said. "We talk about it all the time but it's what we're doing, it's why we're playing, to get to the major leagues. Yeah it's cool that we're both from Hawai'i and it's cool for the fans and stuff but when Shane and I talk, we're just happy getting to the major leagues, not just because we're from the same islands.

"The fan support has definitely been off the roof but for me and Shane, it was always our goal to be in the major leagues. We're happy just because we're friends and we want each other to reach that goal. That's more special for us, just being in the major leagues period."

Suzuki's nonchalance is understandable.

Considering what he's been through since the A's traded Jason Kendall to the Chicago Cubs on June 16, his place in history can wait.

Kendall, a 13-year veteran who helped mentor Suzuki, was wildly popular in Oakland's clubhouse and the team's unquestioned clubhouse leader. When he was shipped to the Cubs in exchange for backup catcher Rob Bowen and a minor league pitcher, several A's players questioned management's decision and cast a leery eye in Suzuki's direction.

"(Kendall) was the leader, so when you have someone who comes in, you're kind of like, 'All right, what do you got?' " said A's first baseman Nick Swisher. "But the thing about it is Zuke's one of those guys you want to do well."

"Zuke" didn't start out well, however.

In his first 23 games after the Kendall trade, the Wailuku native and Baldwin High alum batted just .219 with 10 RBIs and struck out 12 times. Admittedly pressing because of the pressure he felt having to replace Kendall, Suzuki didn't start finding his rhythm at the plate until early August.

Not only was Suzuki struggling to find his place in the A's clubhouse, he also had a tough time behind the plate. Most of Oakland's staff was accustomed to working with Kendall, particularly staff ace Dan Haren, the American League's starting pitcher in this year's All-Star game.

"He knew everyone loved Kendall and people were sad that Kendall was leaving," said Haren, adding that he and Suzuki are still learning to work together. "That made it little tougher for him to adjust. Now that the initial shock of losing Jason is gone, everyone has kind of jumped on Kurt's bandwagon."

A's management was comfortable enough with Suzuki's progress that they moved on the Kendall deal quickly. There were other variables that played into the trade with the Cubs, but Oakland general manager Billy Beane acknowledged the team wouldn't have made the deal had Suzuki not been ready to step in.

He also said the team is willing to go through the growing pains with Suzuki because the potential for a big payoff is there.

"The thing about catching in the big leagues is it's a lot like quarterbacking in the NFL, notwithstanding that he had to replace a very popular, hard-nosed guy who was a team leader," Beane said. "With a catcher, unless you're Pudge (Rodriguez) who came in at 20 and looked like he was going to be a Hall of Famer, you just have to get out there and do it. It's like John Elway lining up behind a guard when he was a rookie quarterback. Things like that are going to happen but the one thing you have to understand as an organization, you have to understand that's going to be part of the growth process.

"There's days he's had good defensive days and days he's struggled. That's part of the process. You throw 'em in the middle of the pool and they have to learn how to swim. At some point Kurt was going to be a major league catcher and we felt now was as good a time as any to start the learning process."

The risk is starting to pay off.

Suzuki went on a tear from Aug. 5 to 16, batting .333 with four doubles and two home runs over a nine-game stretch to raise his average from .217 to a respectable .255.

His two home runs were huge. On Aug. 15, Suzuki hit a two-run shot that gave Oakland a 3-0 lead against the Chicago White Sox in a game it held on to win 3-2.

The following day, after knocking in one run earlier in the game with an RBI single, Suzuki hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, a towering blast well over the 15-foot high wall in left-center field at the Oakland Coliseum, lifting the A's to an 8-5 win.

"He's our backbone now," Swisher said afterward. "It's nice to see because I know he had some growing pains early, just like anyone does. But now he's learned the game and he studies more film than anyone I've ever met."

Suzuki doesn't make much of his recent success, however. Like the struggles he went through when he first became Oakland's every day catcher, Suzuki doesn't dwell much on the past.

"I wouldn't say the pressure's off because every time you go to a game, there's pressure," Suzuki said. "You just have to go out every day and give yourself the best chance to be successful."

As for his place in the major league record books, Suzuki hopes it won't change how he's received when he comes back to Hawai'i to visit his family and friends.

"I hope not," he said with a grin, a bead of puka shells wrapped around his neck. "When I go home, I just want to relax with friends like I usually do."