SEATTLE – How high can Alfonso Soriano fly?

That’s a question nobody in the baseball world has an answer for after Soriano became the first second baseman in history to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season.

“We don’t know the ceiling on the kid,” Joe Torre said after Soriano reached the milestone with a seventh-inning solo homer off James Baldwin in an 8-3 victory over the Mariners at Safeco Field that was witnessed by 46,174.

Can the 24-year-old with the 1,000-watt smile become the third player to go 40-40? Or the first 50-50 man, as Jason Giambi suggested in April?

“I don’t want to think about that,” Soriano said when asked about 40-40, a goal that isn’t out of reach since he has 34 steals, has averaged one homer every four games so far and the Yanks have 41 games remaining. “I just want to play my game and get on base.”

Before the Yankees’ sixth straight win improved the best record in the AL to 77-44, Derek Jeter and Torre were talking about Soriano hitting No. 30.

“[Jeter] said, ‘Let’s get it over so we can get our player back,’ ” Torre said. Jeter knew Soriano was pressing since he hit No. 29 a week ago today at Yankee Stadium.

“It had to be in [Soriano’s] mind, you can’t help it,” Torre added.

Soriano, who also tied Joe Gordon’s Yankees record for home runs by a second baseman, insisted he wasn’t thinking about going deep. Instead, he was trying to unload his cluttered mind.

“I wasn’t thinking too much, not about the home run, but about everything,” said Soriano, who was batting .308 (8-for-26) between homers No. 29 and 30.

Still, when he talked to his family at night, 30-30 was a popular topic.

“They would call me and say, ‘Take it easy; relax,’ ” said Soriano, who was given the home run ball but doesn’t have the base he swiped on June 27 that gave him 30 steals. “Now they will be happy when they call.”

And call they did. By the time Soriano snacked, showered, dressed and talked to the media, he had 20 messages on his cell phone.

Soriano is the 42nd player in history to reach 30-30 and the second Yankee. Bobby Bonds, whose son Barry is one of three members of the 40-40 Club that includes Alex Rodriguez and Jose Canseco, was the first Yankee to reach 30-30 in 1975 when he hit 32 homers and stole 30 bases.

“I am very happy,” Soriano said. “A lot of people don’t go 30-30 and I am the only second baseman.”

Soriano’s memorable homer was one of four Yankee dingers that backed up Mike Mussina’s best outing in a month. Jorge Posada, John Vander Wal and Jeter went deep and Mussina provided seven innings in which he allowed five hits and two runs and improved to 15-6. With an estimated eight starts left, Mussina has a chance to win 20 games for the first time.

Bernie Williams singled to left in his first at-bat and stretched his streak to 11 straight at-bats with a hit. But he fell short of the all-time record – shared by Pinky Higgins (1938) and Walt Dropo (1952) – when he grounded out in the third.

Mussina was good and the Yankees flexed their muscles, but the day belonged to Soriano, a youngster Luis Sojo said last year would some day be as good as A-Rod, who hit 42 homers and stole 46 bases in 1998.

“That guy is awesome, he is on a quite a run right there,” Williams said of Soriano. “With a month and a half left, he could be 40-40.”

——–

AL 30-30

1922 // Ken Williams // St. Lou. // LF // 1922 // 39 // 37 // 153

1970 // Tommy Harper // Mil. // 3B // 31 // 38 // 154

1975 // Bobby Bonds // Yankees // RF // 32 // 30 // 145

1977 // Bobby Bonds // Cal. // RF // 37 // 41 // 158

1978 // Bobby Bonds // Chi./Tex. // RF // 31 // 43 // 156

1987 // Joe Carter // Cle. // 1B // 32 // 31 // 149

1988 // Jose Canseco // Oak. // RF // 42 // 40 // 158

1998 // Alex Rodriguez // Sea. // SS // 42 // 46 // 161

1998 // Shawn Green // Tor. // RF // 35 // 35 // 158

2001 // Jose Cruz, Jr. // Tor. // CF // 34 // 32 // 146

2002 // Alfonso Soriano // Yankees // 2B // 30 // 34 // 116

———

ELEVEN’S NOT ENOUGH

A look at Bernie Williams’ streak:

DATE // PITCHER // HIT

Aug. 14 // Blake Stein // Single to right

Aug. 15 // Miguel Asencio // Single to center, Single to center, Double to left-center

Jeremy Affeldt // Single to right

Roberto Hernandez // Infield single to short

Aug. 16 // John Halama // Single to center, single to left, Single to left

Shigetoshi Hasegawa // Double to right

Yesterday // Ryan Franklin // Single to left

TOTALS

GAMES: 4

AT-BATS: 11

HITS: 11

2B: 2

1B: 9