Throwback Thursday x Ichiro

While the 2013 New York Yankees have looked more like the second installment of the Bronx Zoo with all that has gone on with Alex Rodriguez who has once again found himself in hot water regarding PED's, there has been some highlights in a season that'll most likely see the Yankees miss the postseason, unfamiliar territory to baseball's most storied franchise. In the Bronx for game two of a three game set with the division-rival Blue Jays, Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki stepped up to the plate on Wednesday needing one hit to give him 4,000 total hits in an illustrious career that started overseas. The Japanese star would waste little time to etch his name into the record books by slapping a single to left in the first inning against Toronto's R.A. Dickey who served as a teammate of Ichiro's in 2008 with the Seattle Mariners. The hit also helped him surpass Lou Gehrig on the all-time hits list.

After play stopped for a few moments while the Yankee dugout poured onto the field as each player hugged and congratulated Ichiro individually followed by a standing ovation from the 36,000+ fans in attendance to which Ichiro took a bow and waved his helmet in appreciation, play resumed but not before baseball added the legendary Ichiro to its list of all-time greats. Standing at 5'11" and weighing in at 170 lbs, Ichiro is small in size but has been anything but at the plate, having hit his way into the record books and pave his way to Cooperstown when it's all said and done. Beginning his professional career at the age of 18 for the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League, Ichiro Suzuki embarked on his journey as an unlikely candidate to reach one of baseball's most prestigious class of hitters. In 2001, the first Japanese-born non-pitcher to sign a Major League deal was introduced to the United States with lofty expectations, arriving to the show with 3 MVP Awards and 7 consecutive batting titles to his name while in Japan. How would he translate that success to the American scene? -- By hitting .350 with 242 hits and swiping 56 stolen bases on his way to winning both the Rookie of the Year Award and the MVP Award in his first season, becoming only the second player in MLB history to win both in the same year.

It didn't stop there, in fact the legend only grew as Ichiro went on to set an MLB-record by amassing 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons from 2001-2010 as well as set the single-season mark for hits in 2004 when his 262 hits broke George Sisler's record of 257 which stood since 1920. While Wednesday's first-inning single may have looked like just any other hit, it was more than that. The now 39-year old Ichiro who will celebrate his 40th Birthday in October, joined the elite class of Pete Rose and Ty Cobb as the only other players with 4,000 hits during a professional career. Though Ichiro's hits total is split from both leagues with only 2,722 of them coming in a big league uniform and the rest in Japan, 4,000 hits is a lot of hits no matter where they're from. While there are those that argue that the level of skill in Japan's baseball league isn't quite up to par with that of the Major Leagues, former Major League player and coach Bobby Valentine who spent six seasons managing in Japan's Pacific League, said when describing the talent in Japan that every player in Japan is good enough to make a big league roster. In fact, Japan has been every bit as good as the U.S. at baseball if not better as Team Japan won each of the first two ever World Baseball Classic's. Japan's passion for the game of baseball has even been felt throughout the Little League level as Japan knocked off Chula Vista, California to claim the Little League World Series earlier this week, the countries ninth LLWS title.

But back to the man of the hour -- Ichiro, who has 1 more year remaining on his contract, has been the benchmark of a professional wherever he's played regardless of continent or team. Having taken a backseat to all the buzz and media attention that Yankee teammate Alex Rodriguez has garnered as of late, Ichiro's milestone is undoubtedly one worth mentioning and celebrating. A lifetime .330 hitter between both Japan where he hit .353 and the Majors where he's compiled a .320 bating average, Ichiro has seen his numbers regress over the last few seasons but his fan base remains among the top of the list in the history of the sport and rightfully so. He's also as cool as the other side of the pillow off the field. Watch this vintage interview he did some years back with Bob Costas, it's one of my all-time favorites.



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