If that were to happen, Suzuki would be stopped one year short of playing the 10 seasons required for Hall of Fame eligibility.
Otherwise, the Seattle Mariners outfielder should be a lock, a first-ballot inductee into Cooperstown.
There are critics who contend that Suzuki lacks power, swings at too many bad pitches, and makes a living getting dinky infield hits. But his overall numbers speak for themselves.
Ichiro Bound for Yet Another 200-Hit Season
Barring a sudden debilitating injury, Suzuki will reach 200 hits for the ninth time in his nine Major League seasons.
That would give him the record for most consecutive 200-hit seasons, which he now shares with Willie Keeler. And it would equal Ty Cobb's American League record for most 200-hit campaigns overall.
In addition, he'd be just one short of Pete Rose's Major League mark of 10 200-hit seasons.
And Cobb and Rose played 24 seasons apiece, and Keeler played 19.
Suzuki, who turns 36 in October, won't contend for the all-time hits record held by Rose. But he might have if he had not spent the first nine years of his pro career in Japan. He'll likely have over 3,300 pro hits – Japan and U.S. combined– before the end of the 2009 season.
Suzuki Holds Record for Hits in Season
Suzuki won AL batting titles in 2001 and 2005, led the league in hits five times, and he holds the major-league rookie record for hits in a season -- 242 in 2001.
In the awards category, Ichiro won the MVP award his rookie season, and has been named to the AL All-Star team every season of his career. His offensive prowess is complemented by his defensive ability – he's won eight AL Gold Glove awards.
Suzuki's also a pioneer. While Japanese pitchers had succeeded in the majors, Ichiro became the first regular-position player to do so in 2001. He paved the path for players like Hideki Matsui, Kaz Matsui, Kosuke Fukudome and Akinori Iwamura.
Ichiro's Weaknesses at the Plate
Despite his high career batting average (.333 entering September of 2009), Suzuki is criticized for not walking enough, not driving in enough runs, and not hitting enough homers. And his detractors note that a large portion of his hits are of the infield variety.
Indeed, his walks rate (404 in his first 6,475 career plate appearance) is low for a leadoff hitter. And his career on-base percentage is only 40 points higher than his career batting average. On the other hand, that's not as crucial when you're hitting .333.
Ichiro's never hit a lot of home runs, although it's been said for years by other players that he could be an effective power hitter if he chose to.
One interesting fact: Suzuki has reached double figures in home runs only twice -- with 13 in 2003, and 15 in 2005. Those were also the only times in his career that he finished with an on-base percentage lower than .360.
Suzuki's never been a big RBI man -- he does happen to be a leadoff hitter. But he has only 36 this year and could finish with under 50 for just the third time in his career.
Could Ichiro Be Slowing Down?
Because of a recent calf injury, Suzuki will for the first time in his U.S. career miss more than five games in a season. And his stolen base total (24 entering September) could end up being the lowest of his career.
But when one looks at the stats, Ichiro's the second-leading hitter in the American League behind Minnesota's Joe Mauer this season, batting .359 entering September.
His on-base percentage is even higher than it was during his rookie season of 2001, when he was named MVP; and he's on a pace to finish the season with 230 hits.
There's also a decent chance he'll actually reach double figures in home runs.
That would leave him about 27 career homers behind Cobb, who wasn't much of a power hitter himself. Granted, Cobb played mostly during a dead-ball era, but he also played 15 more seasons than Ichiro.
Cobb, incidentally, was the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Sources
Baseball Almanac.com
Baseball Reference.com
