Suzuki reached third base standing up and was hugged by third base coachLorenzo Bundy before his teammates came out of the dugout to greet him.
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Most members of the 3,000 hit club began their Major League Baseball careers around age 21, with the latest bloomer among them before Ichiro being Wade Boggs, who was 24 in his rookie season and went on to amass 3,010 hits. He joins Rafael Palmeiro (Cuba) and Hall of Famers Rod Carew (Panama) and Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico) in that regard.
After already having established himself as one of the greatest hitters of all time, he was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season, where he played two and a half seasons.
REDS 7, PIRATES 3: Major league steals leader Billy Hamilton swiped four bases, got three hits and scored three runs, leading Cincinnati to a win in Pittsburgh.
Suzuki is in his 16th season in the majors. “To have that special moment to share with the fans there, I don’t have any words how grateful I am”.
“Obviously for me, being happy or not, that’s one thing but to see all my teammates and the fans, just all those people who were happy for me, that’s something that I’ll never forget”, Ichiro said through his translator.
“It’s been an honor to watch him, manage him”.
Sakamoto said Ichiro closely followed her dietary advice, unlike many other young players. Everything he does is a tribute to the game of baseball the way it’s supposed to be played. “He shows our guys how you’re supposed to do it”.
The only other active player within reasonable reach of 3,000 is Miguel Cabrera, who has 2,459 hits through Sunday and is 33.
The slender Ichiro, with an unorthodox high leg kick to time his swing in the batter’s box, turned routine ground balls into short infield singles with his speed down the line and made baserunners cautious with his strong arm in right field. Only 29 other Major League Baseball players have reached the milestone, with the most recent to join the 3,000 hit club being Alex Rodriguez with a homer on June 19, 2015.
At the municipal building in Toyoyama, townspeople gathered to celebrate the star player’s accomplishment, with a congratulatory banner hung on the outer wall of the building.
For more information visit their store here. “But after that hit, my body was lifted up”. We’re not there yet. He’s not almost the player he was in St. Louis, but as he’s under contract to the Angels for five more years (yikes!) after 2016, he’ll certainly get to 3,000 and probably beyond. “Today when I got my 3,000th hit, I was more happy for the people around me and for the people that have supported me and have cheered me on. Hopefully this did that and bring that closer”.
The 41-year-old designated hitter, a three-time AL MVP and 14-time All-Star, is hitting.204 this season with nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 216 at-bats. In Seattle, Ichiro set several Major League records, including 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons and the single-season record for hits: 262. Joining the exclusive 3,000 club is the icing on the cake.
That sum total has resulted in some U.S. voices, saying it is not in the same class as that of the legendary Pete Rose, who garnered his Major League record 4,256 hits over a 24-year career, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds. He won ten straight gold gloves from 2001-2010 and was arguably the best defensive outfielder in all of baseball during that stretch.
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Information from ESPN contributor Walter Villa and The Associated Press was used in this report.
