The Hit Machine
Last night
we all witnessed an historic occurrence at Yankee Stadium. Some of us, myself
included, were witnessing this feat for the first time in our lifetime. Ichiro
Suzuki became just the third player in professional baseball history to accumulate
4,000 hits. Ty Cobb and Pete Rose are the only other two players to accomplish
this feat, Rose being the last to do so on April 13, 1984, one year before this
author’s birth.
Unlike Cobb
and Rose, Ichiro did not get all 4,000 hits in the United States playing Major
League Baseball. Playing professionally in Japan Ichiro totaled 1,278 hits,
which some will hold against him when it comes time to his place in history.
However, they couldn’t be any more wrong. No matter where you get some of these
hits 4,000 is 4,000. It is an accomplishment to be celebrated and an
accomplishment that could possibly never happen again in our lifetimes.
Ichiro made
a splash on American soil debuting for the Mariners in 2001. Some believed he
was too frail and wouldn’t be able to handle the 162 game schedule that comes
with being a part of the American game and again, those people couldn’t have
been more wrong. Ichiro set a rookie record for hits in a season with 242 and
became the first player since Jackie Robinson to lead his league in batting
average and stolen bases (.350 and 56 respectively). He would become an
All-Star, win a Gold Glove, and win both the Rookie of the Year Award and the
MVP Award. Not only that but he led Seattle to a Major League record tying 116
wins on the season.
Since 2001
Ichiro has made 10 All Star Games, won 10 Gold Gloves and 2 batting titles,
proving that he is one of the greatest to ever step on the diamond. Always
humble and not one to seek attention, Ichiro was visibly emotional when his
feat was recognized by the Yankee Stadium faithful and his own teammates who
flooded out of the dugout to congratulate him.
It has been
a privilege watching Ichiro play, especially since joining the Yankees last
season and seeing him every day. He is the consummate professional and a sure
fire Hall of Famer. He may not like the spotlight and the attention but he is
deserving of every bit of it.
