Seattle Mariners All-star Ichiro Suzuki
The Japanese Outfielder Continues to Collect Hits at a Rapid Pace
Sep 6, 2009
Then manager Lou Pinella, now with the Chicago Cubs, extolled the virtues of Ichiro from day one, and looked forward to the time he would join the Mariners' lineup on a daily basis.
Suzuki became a full-time American baseball player in 2001. If he's slowed a step or two since, no one has seemed to notice. In nine years and 1,402 games, he has 2,000 hits. He's averaging 227 hits a year.
Reaching a Major League Milestone
Ichiro officially joined the 2,000th hit club on Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 1:08 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. He struck a solid line drive into right field that fell for a double.
As he pulled up at second base, the fans in Oakland rose as one to acknowledge the accomplishment even though no formal announcement was made.
"He's really done a lot for the game," Athletics' second baseman Mark Ellis said the previous evening. "He has a big following, and not just from Japanese fans, but from American fans too. I've talked to people and they love Ichiro and love his style. He's definitely fun to watch."
Gio Gonzalez, Oakland's lively left-hander, gave up the double on the second pitch of the game.
Ichiro collected 1,278 hits playing in Japan, giving him 3,278 professional hits. Most observers feel he might be too old to reach the magical 3,000 mark, but he also has his supporters.
"He has a lot of years ahead of him," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "We've played in Japan and we've seen what he means there. His games are televised at all hours of the day and night, and there are signs wherever he goes."
He Hits Them Where They Ain't
Ichiro was able to achieve the milestone in his 1,402nd major league game, second fastest to Al Simmons (1,390 games) among those who have played since 1900.
Ichiro recorded his 436th first-inning hit, and his 128th in Oakland, his second most only to his home park, Safeco Field. He has accumulated 980 of his hits in Seattle.
"The game is international and even though there were players from Japan before him, he's the one you think about first," Geren said. "He's big over there and he's made our game bigger here. There's a big turnout wherever he goes and that's good for the game."
Ichiro became the 259th player in major league history to get as many as 2,000 hits and he's on the verge of another remarkable achievement.
He needs five hits for 200 on the season, which would break the all-time record he currently shares with "Wee" Willie Keeler for consecutive (9) seasons with as many hits. Keeler began his career in 1894.
(Ichiro reached 200 hits for the season on Sept. 13, beating out an infield single against the Texas Rangers).
There are only two other players (since 1900) in baseball history to reach 200 hits in a season during his career: Ty Cobb (9) and Pete Rose (10). Those two also happen to be the top two all-time career hit leaders.
"He's going to get his hits," A's pitcher Brett Anderson said. "He's one of the toughest guys to face because he finds a way to get his bat on the ball. It's an amazing feat and goes to show just how good he is as a hitter."
Healthy Body Equals Healthy Career
Health has been key to Ichiro's longevity. He missed 16 games at the start of the 2009 season, his longest stretch out of the lineup. He had missed exactly 16 games in his first eight years with Seattle.
The Oakland Athletics set aside a special room to accommodate the extra media in attendance for the momentous occasion. Ichiro declined, however, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.
He might be reserving that for another 1,000 hits.
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