Ichiro Suzuki Becomes Second Fastest to 2,000 Hits.

Ichiro Suzuki had his 2,000th career hit Sunday, but the milestone was momentarily overshadowed by Scott Hairston’s go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning as the host Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-2.

Suzuki doubled in the first inning against Gio Gonzalez (5-5), drilling his second pitch down the right-field line. Gonzalez pitched seven innings and allowed two runs.

Suzuki, who accumulated 1,278 hits in Japan, became the second-fastest to 2,000 hits, recording it in his 1,402nd major league game. Al Simmons did it in his 1,390th game.

Even before the ball landed in front of the Mariners’ bullpen, fans stood to cheer Suzuki, who led off a game with a hit for the 215th time.

Suzuki, the 259th player to reach the milestone, went 1 for 4. He needs five more hits for 200 on the season, which would break the record he shares with Willie Keeler and give him nine consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits.

“He’s just fun to watch,” Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. said of Suzuki, adding: “It’s nice to see history made. Five more hits and we get to watch it all over again.”

NY Times

With all the steroids,women beating,dog fighting,vehicular man slaughter and so forth.........

Ichiro is a breath of fresh air.The opposing teams fan can not help but stand up and give recognition to this class act.


Same could not be said for Rickey unfortunately because he was the greatest lead off ever just he steped on his dick all the time.....LOL

been my favorite player since he came over here.

will go down in history as a top 5 or 6 hitter of all time...

somewhere in there with :

cobb
williams
musial
rose
carew
hornsby

Greatest pure hitter in the game.

And by "pure hitter" I mean a guy who isn't all jacked up and gets it done simply with the beauty of his swing and hitting knowledge.

World Number One said:

will go down in history as a top 5 or 6 hitter of all time...

somewhere in there with :

cobb
williams
musial
rose
carew
hornsby

Click to expand...

Right there with Rose, Carew, Gwynn, Raines (though probably at the bottom of that list). Which is far below Williams, Bonds, Ruth, Mantle, Aaron, Mays, Pujols, Ramirez -- and dozens others

Much of Ichiro's value is in playing every single day, defense and baserunning. When the bat is in his hands he rates poorly next to the true all-time greats. Remember when compared to those of earlier generations -- Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt, Yastrzemski, etc. -- when less runs were scored, each run they helped create was much more valuable in helping their team win

Also, despite all the hits, he still ranks higher in the league in outs made than times on base

I like the guy, for being in the lineup everyday, for keeping himself so capable as he heads into his late 30s, for doing everything he can to help his team, even if he can't contribute to the three-run homerun. But in order to appreciate him, we need to evalute him with accuracy, not stupidity

Also, from this weeks Sports Illustrated:

"Chicks who dig homeruns aren't the ones who appeal to me. I think there is a sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I'd rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength. Every now and then, just to show I can do that too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out

That is just an awesome quote

TomGshotput said:

Also, despite all the hits, he still ranks higher in the league in outs made than times on base

Click to expand...

Well, unless he is going to have .500 OBP, he is in the top 20 in Baseball in ABs, being a lead off hitter.

The only knock against him is that he doesn't walk as much as he should for a lead off hitter.

baring injury , i'll take his possible 3400 hits and .330 to .340 career batting average and call him one of the best hitters of all time.

and i will include him in the list of guys like :

rose
carew
boggs
cobb
hornsby

the non home run hitting group.

fair enough .

TomGshotput said:

Also, from this weeks Sports Illustrated:

"Chicks who dig homeruns aren't the ones who appeal to me. I think there is a sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I'd rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength. Every now and then, just to show I can do that too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out

That is just an awesome quote

Click to expand...

That is a great quote.

If singles did as much to help win games as homeruns, that would be perfectly fair. . .

http://www.oregonlive.com/mlb/index.ssf/2014/03/ichiro_suzuki_retirement_from.html

[h=1]Ichiro Suzuki: 'Retirement from baseball is something I haven't even thought about'[/h]
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Ichiro Suzuki (Associated Press)

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on March 02, 2014 at 1:32 PM, updated March 02, 2014 at 1:35 PM


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<!-- /#article_inset --><!-- Article --> Ichiro Suzuki turns 41 in October . His production over the past three seasons has slipped badly. He is in the final year of his contract with the New York Yankees.
Everything points to 2014 being the final year of his Hall of Fame career, right?
Wrong.
“Retirement from baseball is something I haven’t even thought about," the 10-time All-Star tells ESPNNewYork.com.
“Not just a few," he said when asked how many more seasons he will play. “Many. For me, I feel there’s no reason for me to retire right now."
It is unclear what role Ichiro, who played in 150 games last year, will have on the Yankees this season. The team singed free-agent OFs Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury and has holdovers Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano in the mix as well.
“We signed a number of outfielders as free agents, and things have a way of working themselves out in spring training," manager Joe Girardi said. “Exactly how he fits in right now I can’t tell you, but my job is to keep everyone fresh, healthy and contributing, and I’ll have to figure that out."
Ichiro hit .262/.297/.342 with a career-low 136 hits in 2013. He hasn't had a WAR above 1.7 since 2010.