August 9, 2016

Sunday afternoon, August 7, Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki collected his 3,000^th career hit in Major League Baseball (MLB). Ichiro, as he is widely called, reached the milestone with a sky-high triple off the right field wall in the 7^th inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver. Rockies fans—despite their team’s 8-6 deficit at the time—gave Ichiro a standing ovation as the 42-year-old outfielder was mobbed at third base by his Marlins teammates. Ichiro politely doffed his helmet to the Coors Field faithful before resuming the game and scoring the Marlins’ 9^th run. Ichiro—just the 30^th player in MLB history to gather 3,000 hits—is a sure-fire bet to join most of the other “3,000-hit club” members in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including Paul Molitor, the only other player to triple for his 3,000^th hit.

Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki watches his 3,000 career hit soar toward the right field wall during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Denver’s Coors Field on Aug. 7, 2016. Credit: © Michael Reaves, The Denver Post/Getty Images

Ichiro Suzuki was born in Kasugai, Japan, on Oct. 22, 1973. Before playing in the United States, he was a star in Japanese baseball. As a member of the Orix Blue Wave, Ichiro led Japan’s Pacific League in batting for a record seven consecutive seasons. He won seven Gold Glove awards as the best defensive player at his position and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player three times. Ichiro had 1,278 hits while playing in Japan. He became an international star—and an even bigger hero in Japan—in 2001 when he joined the Seattle Mariners, becoming the first Japanese position player (nonpitcher) in MLB history.

Ichiro’s impact was immediate, winning American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in his first MLB season. He then ran off 10 straight seasons with at least 200 hits (an MLB record), including 262 in 2004 (an MLB season record). Seattle traded Ichiro to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season. Ichiro joined the Miami Marlins in 2015. In June 2016, his 2,979^th MLB hit gave him a combined career hit total (including those in Japan) of 4,257, one more than Pete Rose’s career MLB record of 4,256.

Alex Rodriguez—the last player to join the 3,000-hit club (in 2015) and the only active member other than Ichiro—announced he would play his final game this Friday, August 12, for the New York Yankees. Rodriguez’s retirement will end a stellar 22-year career. Unfortunately, Rodriguez’s legacy is tainted by the use of performance-enhancing drugs—something that may keep him from joining Ichiro in the Hall of Fame.